England win first Windies warmup game

Basseterre, St. Kitts:

Captain Andrew Strauss completed a century and spinner Monty Panesar played another leading role as England beat a St. Kitts and Nevis Invitational XI on the third and final day of the tour-opening warmup match on Tuesday.

England won by 217 runs with eight overs remaining at Warner Park.

Strauss made 103 as England stretched its overnight score from 118 without loss to 265 for five before declaring at lunch. St. Kitts, staring at an imposing target of 439, was bowled out for 221 in its second innings.

Panesar took 3-51 while legspinner Adil Rashid grabbed 2-67 off 15 overs. Stuart Broad claimed 2-18.

Left-hander Codville Rogers smacked a top score of 79, his second half-century of the match.

Earlier, Strauss, resuming on 59 not out, raced to a century off 116 balls before he retired.

Ian Bell compiled an unfussed half-century and allrounder Broad weighed in with a run-a-ball 35.

But wicketkeeper Matt Prior missed out for the second time in the match as he was run out for 3 after a comedic collision with Bell at mid-pitch.

The host, aiming to avoid defeat, stuttered to 79-3 as Broad claimed two wickets and fellow pacer Steve Harmison added one.

An 89-run third-wicket stand between Rogers and Junie Mitchum either side of tea threatened to stonewall England.

But Mitchum (30) and Rogers fell within four runs of each other and England claimed the last seven Kittitian wickets for just 53 runs.

England meet West Indies A in another three-day game at the same ground on Thursday.