Rob Yates led the England Lions with a half-century of 68 balls, while Sri Lanka lost their first-class warm-up match at Worcester by seven wickets.After bowling Sri Lanka out for 309 on the third afternoon, the Lions resumed with victory in sight at 47 for 2, needing just 19.5 overs to complete the task on the last morning. They were chasing a modest 122 for victory.
Yates, who was 17 not out at the close, went on to add 40 more runs at the top of the order. The only wicket Sri Lanka managed during the day’s play was when England’s Under-19 captain, Hamza Shaikh, was pinned leg before wicket for 16.
“With a half-century from Rob Yates, England Lions win by seven wickets.”
James Rew, a recent addition to the Under-19 squad, however, joined Yates in an uninterrupted 53-run partnership for the fourth wicket. He eventually finished on 23 not out from 41 balls after hitting the winning single off Dhananjaya de Silva.Next, Sri Lanka travels to Emirates Old Trafford, the site of Wednesday’s first Test matchup between England and Sri Lanka.
Brief scores: England Lions defeated Sri Lanka 139 and 306 (Nishan Madushka 77, Dhananjaya de Silva 66, and Angelo Mathews 51) by seven wickets with 324 and 122 for 3 (Rob Yates 57*).
(Cricinfo)
