Dubai: England batsmen put up a better show in their second innings to pull off a morale boosting three-wicket victory over International Cricket Council (ICC) Combined Associate and Affiliate XI in the first warm-up match at the ICC Global Cricket Academy grounds here yesterday.
England skipper Andrew Strauss showed the way through an elegant 78 off 96 balls with 13 boundaries and one six. He set the stage for victory with a 63-runs opening partnership with Alastair Cook (26).
The day started with Stuart Broad dismissing Combined XI's overnight batsman Mohammad Nabi for 13 runs. Mohammad Shahzad continued to executive his shots with confidence and kept the scoreboard moving despite wickets falling at the other end.
Christi Viljoen, the Combined XI's first innings star batsman was tragically run out for three runs. Combined XI still added another 74 runs to the overnight score and declared their innings setting England a target of 261 runs to win in 69 overs.
Shahzad hit 74 runs off 104 balls with 13 boundaries before being dismissed by Kevin Pietersen. He was caught at long off by Broad and received a standing ovation from the spectators for his fine knock.
Combined XI bowlers fought hard after Williams broke England's opening partnership through Majid Haq's brilliant one handed catch to dismiss Cook. Strauss fell at the score on 133 when he hit Haq to Williams at mid wicket.
Kevin Pietersen lasted just four balls. Coming down the wicket, he hit young left-arm spinner George Dockrell to Boyd Rankin for one run. Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell put on 44 runs for the fourth wicket before Trott edged a ball to William Porterfield at short leg off Nabi for 35.
Eoin Morgan (3) too lasted only 11 balls. He edged a ball from Rankin and wicketkeeper Shahzad took a tumbling leg side catch. Nabi took his second wicket when Bell went for a paddle sweep and top edged to Paul Stirling at leg slip for 39 runs.
England still needed 62 runs for victory. Broad and Steve Davies were made to work hard for their runs by the Combined XI bowlers. In fact, Broad escaped a run out when Nabi fumbled with the ball when England still needed 17 runs to win. Broad became Nabi's third wicket when England needed one run to win.
Davies unbeaten on 37 along with Graeme Swann ensured the victory with nine overs left for the day.
Scoreboard
ICC Combined XI 1st innings: 281
England 1st innings: 185-8 dec
Combined XI (2nd innings)
- W. Porterfield c Davies b Anderson 0
- P. Stirling lbw b Broad 0
- K. Coetzer b Anderson 31
- Saqib Ali c Davies b Broad 2
- C. Williams c Bell b Swann 11
- M. Shahzad c Broad b Pietersen 74
- Mohammad Nabi c Cook b Broad 13
- C. Viljoen run out 3
- M. Haq not out 26
- B. Rankin b Finn 0
Extras (lb1, nb3) 4
Total (for nine wkts dec) 164
Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Porterfield), 2-2 (Stirling), 3-8 (Ali), 4-31 (Williams), 5-71 (Coetzer), 6-101 (Nabi), 7-119 (Viljoen), 8-162 (Shahzad), 9-164 (Rankin).
Bowling: Anderson 18-7-62-2, Broad 14-7-22-3, Swann 10-1-33-1, Finn 10.3-4-34-1, Pietersen 3-0-12-1
England 2nd innings
- A. Strauss c Williams b Haq 78
- A. Cook c Haq b Williams 26
- J. Trott c Porterfield b Nabi 35
- K. Pietersen c Rankin b Dockrell 1
- I. Bell c Stirling b Nabi 39
- E. Morgan c Shahzad b Rankin 3
- S. Davies not out 37
- S. Broad c Dockrell b Mohammad Nabi 31
- G. Swann not out 1
Extras: (b8, lb1, nb1) 10
Total (for seven wkts) 261
Fall of wickets 1-63 (Cook), 2-133 (Strauss), 3-136 (Pietersen), 4-180 (Trott), 5-187 (Morgan), 6-199 (Bell), 7-260 (Broad).
Bowling: Rankin 15-1-58-1, Viljoen 4-0-28-0 (nb1), Nabi 17-1-66-3, Williams 4-1-20-1, Dockrell 6-0-28-1, Haq 12.1-1-42-1, Stirling 2-0-10-0
Overs: 60.1
Toss: England
Result: England win by three wickets
