Malan hundred helps Lions to another victory

England Lions 314 for 5 (Malan 114, Whiteley 50*) beat Pakistan A 245 (Zaman 61, Nawaz 51) by 69 runs
Scorecard

Dawid Malan continued his productive few months for England Lions as his 114 set-up a 69-run victory against Pakistan A to put them 2-0 up in the series.

Malan's hundred led a complete batting performance, anchored by a succession of solid top-order partnerships then given a final flourish by Ross Whiteley's 30-ball fifty as he and Joe Clarke, his Worcestershire team-mate, pummelled 66 off 31 deliveries for the sixth wicket.

Pakistan A reached 172 for 4 in the 31st over after Fakhar Zaman hit 61 off 69 balls to give them a chance of making an impression on the target, but they fell away despite Mohammad Nawaz's 51. Toby Roland-Jones and Liam Dawson picked up three wickets apiece.

After being put into bat, Malan and James Vince - who added 103 in the first match - provided another solid start with a stand of 50. Malan and Sam Billings (31) then added 70 for the third wicket followed by a fourth-wicket stand of 69 alongside Dawson (33).

Malan's century came from 103 deliveries as he continued to make his case for consideration in England's white-ball sides, most realistically the upcoming World T20 in India. He was the leading run-scorer in the T20 leg of this tour before Christmas when he made 253 runs in five matches. He fell shortly after launching his second six, but that did not prevent England from making a strong finish.

Whiteley, the Worcestershire left-hander who plundered county attacks in limited-overs cricket last season, showed off his striking power as the final four overs of the innings included five sixes between him and Dawson.

Roland-Jones, who was wicketless in the opening game of the series, found success early in Pakistan A's chase when he had Sami Aslam lbw and Jake Ball struck with his first delivery when Khurram Manzoor dragged on a pull.

Zaman and Umar Siddiq scored at a good tempo for the third wicket before Dawson, with his left-arm spin, made a telling contribution by removing both to leave Pakistan A 129 for 4 in the 24th over. A sharp piece of work from Billings from behind the stumps ran out Fawad Alam then it was back to the seamers as Roland-Jones and Tom Curran worked through the lower order.