Read's excellence in vain for England Academy

A stand of 46 for the last wicket between Bilal Shafayat and Nick Thornicroft edged England Under-19s to a thrilling one-wicket win over the ECB Academy at Adelaide.

Shafayat made 31 and Thornicroft nine to pluck the Under-19s from the threshold of oblivion. They eventually reached their target of 240 with just four balls to spare. They also ensured that an innings of 73 made earlier by Samit Patel did not go to waste.

Earlier, Notts wicket-keeper Chris Read hit an excellent 95 off 123 balls, while Durham's Gordon Muchall chimed in with 46.

The Under-19 team included Andy Flintoff and Ashley Giles, who were continuing their warm-ups for the World Cup. Neither man shone, with Giles returning one for 35 from 10 overs and making a duck, while Flintoff bowled just three overs and made 14.