Bad light leaves hard-fought game drawn

Despite declarations from both teams to try and force a result, the first unofficial Test between New Zealand A and India A in Lincoln ended in a draw. India needed two wickets and New Zealand 41 runs from a maximum of 20 overs, when play was called off due to bad light.

India, from an overnight 132 for 2, got to 208 for 4, before declaring just over an hour into the day's play. That meant New Zealand needed 314 from a maximum of 82 overs. First-innings centurion Tom Latham could not fire again in the chase, but a 149-run between George Worker and Neil Broom meant the hosts were in relative control at 169 for 1. However, once Jaydev Unadkat had Broom caught on 72, India struck with regularity to get back into the game. New Zealand lost seven wickets for the next 101 runs in 19 overs, to be reduced to fighting for survival. Vinay Kumar was the pick of the India bowlers, taking 3 for 47 in a tight spell.

The second unofficial Test will be played from Wednesday, at the same venue.