England begins UAE tour with a win

England began its tour of the UAE for the series against Pakistan with a three-wicket win over the ICC Combined Associate and Affiliate (AM) XI on Monday. At the Global Cricket Academy Oval 1, England chased down the target of 261 set by the Combined Associate and Affiliate (AM) XI with nearly nine overs still to be bowled for the day.

Earlier in the day, Combined Associate and Affiliate XI declared its innings closed at 164 for nine with an overall lead of 260.

After resuming at the overnight score of 90 for five, Combined XI lost wickets at regular intervals. Only Mohammad Shahzad (74: 104b, 13x4) offered any resistance. Later Majid Haq made a breezy 26 to add to the total. For England, Stuart Broad with figures of 3-22 was the most successful.

In its chase, England was well served by the opening stand of 63 by Andrew Strauss (78: 96b, 13x4, 1x6) and Alastair Cook. But wickets fell on either side of the tea. In the post tea session England lost three wickets for 19 runs.

But wicketkeeper Steve Davies and Stuart Broad added 61 runs for the seventh wicket to ensure that there was no further mishap as England ran home easy winners in the end. The Combined Associate and Affiliate XI missed a golden opportunity to run Broad out in the closing stages of the game. A fielding lapse by Mohammad Nabi at his bowling end ensured that England did not have any further problems.

But Broad fell with one run still to be scored for a win. For Combined XI, Nabi was the most successful bowler.

England will now play a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) XI from 11-13 January at the same ground.