England coach Keith Fletcher said of Symonds playing for England: “It’s up to him, but I’m sure he will be approached.”
Symonds gave early notice of his intentions yesterday. In the second over, Shaun Udal’s second ball went soaring over the marquee at square leg and his sixth ball was lofted down the ground to the long-off boundary.
Symonds used to be called “Sao” – the initials representing “Six and out |“As a member of the Gold Coast’s under-19 team, he once hit 223 and another young Queenslander, Matthew Mott, hit 212 in a stand of 446 in 36 overs of a 50-over match.
But Symonds’s term at the academy did wonders for his patience and perseverance. Devon Malcolm (2-97) gave him some moments of trepidation, but otherwise he was meticulously level-headed.
ScoreboardCredit:SMH Archives
In West Indian fashion, tall and lithe, Symonds made batting seem effortless against speed and spin.
He reached his century with a pulled boundary from Angus Fraser (0-65), a back-foot punch behind point which landed on the terraced hillside for six and a sweetly driven cover boundary – 14 runs from four deliveries.
Symonds and Maher’s 205-run partnership in 185 minutes was a record for the fifth wicket for Queensland against an English touring side.
The pair’s origins are as diverse as those of Ashes rivals who will meet next weekend at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Maher is from sugar cane-farming stock near Cairns, a dry, good-humoured left-hander, tidily effective yesterday, predominantly through the leg-side, although he gradually expanded his repertoire to cover drives.
Maher was 16 when Symonds joined him with Queensland an uncertain 4-187. Symonds beat his partner to the century by half an hour with three sixes and 16 boundaries in just over three hours.
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Maher’s more sedate century, his second in 14 first-class matches for Queensland, took 256 minutes with 11 boundaries.
Detracting from Maher’s innings were dropped catches at nought and 22.
Ian Healy closed the innings upon Maher reaching his century and after Dirk Tazelaar slid an in-swinger through opener Graham Gooch’s guard for seven, the Bulls would have had England in even more trouble but for three dropped catches in 19 minutes.
Atherton (49) offered catches to the slips cordon at 21 and 26, but first Matthew Hayden and then Martin Love saw them go astray.
From the Archives, 1994: Symonds on show, poms can only gawp
Source: Philippines Alive
