England Lions were extremely clinical today as they register a win by nine wickets. They go 1-0 up in this five-match unofficial ODI series.
That's it from our live coverage of this game. This is Mohammad Anab signing off on behalf of my colleagues Saptak Sanyal and Dushyant Madhukar Kumar. Cheers.
Calvin Harrison (Player of the Match):"(The feeling after winning the award) Very happy. Good blueprint of the game. We did well right from the start and carried on. In the T20s we did well and it was important to carry the momentum to the fifty over format. Ya it was a great game.
(Planning to bowl on this pitch) It was important to hold the stumps.It was not offering much sideways. Mixing was important. Variations, scrambled seam deliveries. When you are not getting side spin, you have to use the bounce. It was a pretty simple gameplan. The seamers started beautifully. They set the tone and then it was all about keeping the pressure going on. Coles bowled beautifully at the other end. Nice little partnership through that phase. It was good to bowl them out for 150-odd or so.
(Do you want to dedicate the award to someone?) Folks must be watching. It was a long journey. Very happy to get to this point."
Player of the Match: Calvin Harrison
Dan Mousley (England Lions Captain): "Yeah, I said at the toss we wanted to bring that momentum from the T20 series into the ODI series, and we’ve started off really, really well. I’m chuffed with the performance. The boys did a very professional job, so yeah, it’s nice to be 1–0 up.
(On the strategy behind the win) As I said, it made my life easier. We bowled really, really well at the top. The last two games had been a few concerns for us, and I just wanted to get our spinners in as quickly as I possibly could.
But no, it wasn’t particularly much from me as captain. I spoke to them about what I was thinking. My job is to try and read the match and bowl the right guys as quickly as I possibly can. It definitely made my life easier with how well we bowled."
Shamyl Hussain (Pakistan A Captain): "I think the toss was the factor. It was a bad toss to lose. The wicket had a lot of moisture and they did everything they could have done. As professionals we need to do well. As you said we play well in phases but we lost a few wickets. We need to work not only on the skills but also on the mental aspects of it. We have to have the ability to bat long. When there's a low total on the board, the other teams morale is high. So it is hard to comeback from that.
(On bringing the spin early in the attack) We will see. We tried to read the pitch as good as we can. The ball was spinning but as the pitch dried up, it became flatter.
(Message to the team) The message is that we need to be mentally tough. It is a learning curve for all of us. We are basically four-nil down and we have to comeback. Just tell everyone to keep the chin up."
Time for the post-match presentations.
4:39 PM IST, 3:09 PM Local Time: A one-sided show as England A have registered a thumping victory by nine wickets with more than 25 overs left in the game. They were absolutely brilliant today in all three departments of the game. Asa Tribe finishes the match in style and also brings up his half-century. England Lions take a 1-0 lead in this five-match unofficial ODI series. Pakistan Shaheens will have to do a lot of work if they want to bounce back in the second game.
After being asked to bat first, Pakistan Shaheens were bundled out for 152 in 38.3 overs, struggling to build substantial partnerships against a disciplined Lions attack. Abdul Samad top-scored with a fighting 44 off 57 balls, striking three fours and a six. He found brief support from Saad Khan (21) and Saad Baig (18).
However, regular wickets halted momentum as the Lions bowlers maintained control throughout the innings.
Leggie Calvin Harrison was the pick of the bowlers, taking 3/37. He bowled very well in tandem with James Coles, who also picked up a couple of scalps. Chasing a modest target of 153, England Lions made the batting look very simple. It seemed that, unlike the Pakistanis, the Lions were batting on a belter of a wicket.
Openers Ben McKinney and Asa Tribe added 77 runs for the first wicket. McKinney attacked right from the start and hammered the Pakistan A bowlers for multiple sixes. He eventually got stumped after scoring 42 off 41 balls.
Tribe then anchored the innings and added another 77 runs for the second wicket with James Rew (48*). Tribe hit the winning boundary to complete the chase inside 25 overs and bring up his own half-century.
None of the Pakistani bowlers looked threatening and failed to make any significant impact.
The win gives England Lions a 1-0 lead in the unofficial ODI series, with Pakistan Shaheens left to rue missed opportunities in both departments.