Graeme Hick secured his immediate England future with a masterful innings against Sri Lanka at The Oval yesterday but almost certainly also provoked even more debate about his suitability for selection.

Three disappointing innings against South Africa left England's most enigmatic character once again facing a last chance to prove his worth or risk being discarded from international cricket for the remainder of his career.

But, despite producing one of his better international performances in an unbeaten 107 to steer England to 228 for four at the close of the first day and surely book his place for the Ashes tour, his innings proved little that the selectors did not already know.

Without the pace and hostility of Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock and Jacques Kallis to unsettle him, Hick dominated the far gentler Sri Lankan attack virtually from the moment he faced his first delivery from Test debutant Suresh Perera.

Treating Perera and fellow seamer Pramodya Wickremasinghe with a dominance which at times bordered on contempt, Hick was equally at ease with the off-spin of Kumara Dharmasena.

Hick arrived at the crease after Mark Butcher, the outstanding success of the summer, edged Wickremasinghe to Sanath Jayasuriya at second slip in the seventh over of the morning after Sri Lanka had surprisingly elected to bowl first despite fielding two spinners.

England's early loss failed to inhibit Hick, who promptly drove two boundaries from his first three scoring shots and tamed the nerves of opener Steve James, a replacement for the injured Michael Atherton. The pair battled past lunch until Muttiah Muralitharan made the breakthrough just 20 balls after the interval, outwitting James with a slower ball which he chipped back to the bowler for 36.

Captain Alec Stewart fell 10 deliveries later, slashing wildly at Perera outside off-stump to give Hashan Tillekeratne a regulation catch at first slip for two - his first single-figure Test dismissal in 22 innings since falling for three against Australia at the same ground last summer.

The successive dismissals prompted fears of yet another England collapse, but the middle order responded with a record 128-run fourth-wicket partnership against Sri Lanka between Hick and Mark Ramprakash, surpassing Stewart's 122-run stand with Robin Smith in Colombo five years ago.

Hick hit 14 boundaries in his four-hour innings. Ramprakash departed, pulling Muralitharan straight to Jayawardene at deep midwicket two balls after Hick's departure, after battling for nearly three hours for 53.

England First innings M Butcher c Jayasuriya b Wickramasinghe - 10 S James c and b Muralitharan - 36 G Hick not out - 107 A Stewart c Tillakaratne b Perera - 2 M Ramprakash c Jayawardene b Muralitharan 53 J Crawley not out - 10 Extras (lb5 nb5) - 10 - Total (4 wkts, 91 overs)

228

Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-78, 3-81, 4-209

To bat: B Hollioake, D, Cork, I Salisbury, D Gough, A Fraser.

Bowling: Wickramasinghe 18-2-53-1, Perera 24-7-56-1, Dharmasena 13-3-44-0, Muralitharan 31-8-58-2, Jayasuriya 5-0-12-0.