Pathan and Salvi squeeze out winning runs for India A

India A's visit to Blackpool ended happily enough, with a thrilling one-wicket victory against Lancashire's second string. The A team owed their success to the three quick bowlers, Irfan Pathan, Avishkar Salvi and Lakshmipathy Balaji, who took them past the target of 191 after they had slumped to 133 for 8.

Earlier, the trio had reduced Lancashire to an embarrassing 61 for 8, before Chris Schofield and Gregor Maiden added 130 for the ninth wicket.

India A were never at the races in reply, collapsing to 88 for 6 before the lower order spared their blushes. Only Ambati Rayudu, Hemang Badani and Vijay Bharadwaj crossed 20 at the top of the order, as John Wood, Oliver Newby and Sajid Mahmood did the damage with the ball. Maiden also did his bit, taking a return catch off Satyajit Parab, before bowling Badani.

Lancashire's great escape earlier in the day was a bitter blow for the bowlers who had dominated the early exchanges. Pathan was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 19, while Balaji chipped in with 3 for 37. Salvi took the other three wickets to fall, including Maiden, who chiselled together an 84-ball 62.

Schofield remained defiant to the end, and was unconquered on 69. In conditions that were never ideal for batting, his effort appeared to be beyond anything the Indians could come up with, until unlikely heroes emerged.