Australia paceman Michael Neser struck his first century for Glamorgan as the visitors piled up a mammoth 737, the highest second-innings score made in English first-class cricket, to draw their County Championship match against Sussex.
Neser, 33, was controversially omitted from Australia’s squad for the upcoming World Test Championship final against India at the Oval and the first three encounters of the five-match Ashes series in England despite taking 40 wickets at 16.67 in the most recent domestic Sheffield Shield campaign.
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But he has been included in Australia’s training group and could well feature during a gruelling schedule of five Ashes Tests in under seven weeks that could well take a toll on the frontline quicks of both sides.
Neser, who also made 357 runs at 35.70, including a century against New South Wales in Sydney in last season’s Sheffield Shield, gave Australia’s selectors another reminder of his all-round ability in a Second Division clash at Hove on Sunday.
He followed Australia teammate Marnus Labuschagne, the world’s top-ranked Test batsman, and Glamorgan captain Kiran Carlson in making a hundred during an innings where the Welsh side turned a deficit of 358 runs into a lead of 379.
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Sussex, however, were a bowler down after England paceman Ollie Robinson pulled out Saturday with an ankle injury.
Carlson, 187 not out overnight, achieved a career-best by going to 192 before giving Ari Karvelas a simple caught and bowled chance.
Robinson, at the ground on crutches and wearing a protective boot prior to the scan on his left ankle on Monday, could only look on as Glamorgan continued to pile on the runs on a good pitch.
Neser struck Australia star batsman Steve Smith out of the ground for six to go to three figures before the part-time leg-spinner eventually bowled him for 123 to end the innings in a match long since destined for a draw.
Smith, who made 89 in Sussex’s first innings, and Labuschagne will now join up with the Australia squad for the World Test Championship final against India at the Oval in early June.
The showpiece match is also Australia’s lone warm-up game before they begin their quest for a first Ashes series win in England since 2001.
