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Key Points

The second unofficial Test between England Lions and India 'A' saw a commanding performance by Tom Haines and Emilio Gay at Northampton's County Ground. After India 'A' were bowled out for 348, the Lions batsmen took control, reaching 192/3 and trailing by just 156 runs. Haines and Gay both scored impressive fifties, with Gay remaining unbeaten at 71 when bad light prematurely ended the day's play. The match showcased the Lions' batting depth and resilience against a challenging Indian 'A' bowling attack.

Key Points: Tom Haines Lions Dominate India 'A' in Unofficial Test

  • Tom Haines smashes unbeaten 54 before edging behind
  • Emilio Gay reaches solid fifty with impressive strokeplay
  • Bad light forces early stumps on Day Two
  • India 'A' struggle to maintain bowling consistency
3 min read

2nd Unofficial Test: Bad light forces early stumps, England Lions' trail India 'A' by 156 runs

England Lions battle hard with Tom Haines and Emilio Gay fifties, trailing India 'A' by 156 runs after bad light halts play

"Lions continued to dominate - Match Report Narrative"

Northampton, June 7

Tom Haines and Emilio Gay smashed fifties each before bad light forced an early end to the second day of the second unofficial Test between England Lions and India ‘A’ at County Ground in Northampton on Saturday. At stumps, England Lions had reached 192/3 in 46 overs and trailed India ‘A’ by 156 runs.

Resuming Day Two’s play from 319/7 in 83 overs, India ‘A’ received early blows when Josh Tongue removed overnight batters Tanush Kotian and Anshul Kamboj quickly. Khaleel Ahmed and Tushar Deshpande tried taking India ‘A’ to 350, but a direct hit from Tongue caught the latter short of his crease to wrap up the visitors’ innings at 348 in 89.3 overs.

In reply, Ahmed and Kamboj found swing but were either bowling too straight or gave lots of width, resulting in Haines, the centurion from the first unofficial Test, keeping the scoreboard ticking. While Khaleel bowled three overs, Kamboj had an extended spell.

After Haines was given a reprieve when his catch was put down at backward point off Kamboj, the seamer finally had something to cheer when he had Ben McKinney caught behind.

Post lunch, resuming from 28 not out, Haines continued to be solid with Emilio Gay for company and was also helped by Shardul Thakur bowling five no-balls, as the former raised his fifty with a thick outside edge flying past second slip for four.

But just after the drinks break, Haines fell for 54 off 88 balls when he gave a thick outside edge behind to Dhruv Jurel off Tushar Deshpande’s bowling. Gay was also rock solid and reached 46 not out before a drizzle forced the tea break to be taken early, as England Lions made 88 runs in 17 overs of the second session.

In the final session, Gay got to his fifty off 88 balls with an on-drive off Tanush Kotian for four. Lions continued to dominate, as Jordan Cox also found a few boundaries, especially with Kotian and Nitish Kumar Reddy operating from both ends.

Kotian eventually broke the 69-run stand for the third wicket by trapping Gay lbw for 71 off 117 balls. Skipper James Rew played only five deliveries before players from both teams went off the field due to bad light, and eventually ended day two early, which was defined by England Lions being dominant and India ‘A’ failing to be consistent with the ball.

Brief scores:

India 'A' 348 all out in 89.3 overs (KL Rahul 116, Dhruv Jurel 52; Chris Woakes 3-60, George Hill 2-56) lead England Lions 192/3 in 46 overs (Emilio Gay 71, Tom Haines 54; Tanush Kotian 1-21, Anshul Kamboj 1-38) by 156 runs

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
Our bowlers need to be more disciplined! Too many loose deliveries and no-balls giving away easy runs. Hope they tighten up tomorrow. KL Rahul's century was the only silver lining. 🇮🇳 #Cricket
P
Priya M.
England Lions are playing smart cricket while we're making basic errors. That dropped catch of Haines proved costly! Our fielding standards need to match international level if these players want to graduate to Team India.
A
Amit S.
Tanush Kotian showing some promise with both bat and ball! Hope BCCI is watching - we need good all-rounders in the national team. The future looks bright if we nurture these talents properly.
S
Sneha R.
Weather interruptions are frustrating but that's English cricket for you! 😅 Still, 156 run lead is decent. If our bowlers can take early wickets tomorrow, we can put pressure on them. #BelieveInBlue
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Vikram J.
Shardul Thakur bowling 5 no-balls in an 'A' match? Very disappointing from an experienced player. He should be setting examples for youngsters, not making basic errors. Needs to pull up his socks!
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Neha P.
Dhruv Jurel continues to impress with both bat and keeping! With Pant's return uncertain, he might be our future wicketkeeper-batsman. Good to see young talents getting exposure in these matches.

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