Pakistan A tame England Lions

Pakistan A 149 for 6 (Umair 49, Kirby 3-33) beat England Lions 146 for 4 (Kieswetter 50, Abdur 2-21)
Scorecard

Pakistan A gained some revenge over their England counterparts with a six-wicket win off the penultimate ball in their Twenty20 match in Abu Dubai. Led by a 47-ball 49 from Umair Khan, Pakistan A chased down' 147 with a ball to spare to consign the Lions to their first defeat since arriving in UAE.

With six still needed off the final over from Sajid Mahmood, Naeem Anjum was run out from the first delivery to set up a tense finish. Tanvir Ahmed then found a crucial boundary to ease the pressure on Pakistan A as he and Kashif Siddiq scampered home with one ball remaining.

It is a frustrating result for the Lions after they responded well to Mohammad Hafeez's invitation to bat first, reaching 58 without loss inside the first six overs. Craig Kieswetter and Steven Davies looked well set, with Kieswetter in particular in good order. He is pushing for a berth in the senior side having qualified for England on Tuesday and earned special mention from Andy Flower on Monday.

After Davies departed for 17, Kieswetter clubbed his way to his second half-century of the tour, hitting five fours and three sixes, including one which sailed over midwicket, on his way to 50 from 31 balls. His dismissal in the 10th over, stumped running down the wicket at former Test left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman, robbed his side of a chance to post a really imposing total. While Ian Bell and Michael Lumb played tidily it was only Peter Trego that attempted anything expansive. He hit 14 from nine balls to help lift the total to 146.

Pakistan A were reduced to 18 for 2 inside the first three overs of their reply, with the openers falling to each of the opening bowlers. Asad Shafiq then set about reviving Pakistan A's hopes in a 61-run stand with Umair, carrying the total to 79 before he was out in the 12th over.

At that stage the game was evenly poised and Pakistan A did well to work the ball around and calmly lay the foundations for the victory. Umair was bowled one short of a deserved 50 by Steve Kirby but England Lions couldn't quite take decisive control of the game. Aamer Sajjad picked off two boundaries and ran well between the wickets to take his side within nine runs of the target with nine balls to go. In the end they had just enough to take them over the line.