Advertisement
Advertisement
ABU DHABI: Asa Tribe’s 64* guided England Lions to a four-wicket win over Pakistan Shaheens in the opening T20 fixture here at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium Nursery One on Friday.
After being put into bat, Pakistan Shaheens posted 152 for seven in their allotted 20 overs.
Skipper Shamyl Hussain led from the front with 57 off 39 balls, including four boundaries and four maximums.
The opening stand of Shamyl and Maaz Sadaqat added 56, with Maaz Sadaqat scoring 17 from 18 balls.
Meanwhile, Saad Baig (21, 20b, 2x4s) and Abdul Samad (21,12b, 2x6s) provided momentum through the middle overs.
Arafat Minhas, coming to bat at number seven, finished strongly with an unbeaten 13 off nine balls, which included two fours, helping Shaheens cross the 150-run mark.
For England Lions, James Coles and Saqib Mahmood picked up two wickets each.
Pakistan Shaheens made early inroads as Akif Javed struck twice inside the powerplay to remove Will Smeed and England Lions captain Jordan Cox, leaving the opposition under pressure in the chase.
Ahmed Daniyal, Saad Masood, and Sufiyan Muqeem chipped in with a wicket apiece, keeping Shaheens in the contest through the middle overs.
However, unbeaten 64 from Asa Tribe, including six fours and a six, took Lions over the line in 19.1 overs.
The second match will be played at the same venue on Sunday, March 22.
READ: Arteta wants Arsenal to ‘write own destiny’ after title wobble
