England produced a middle-order rally to beat UAE in an exciting finish by two wickets. Batting first, the UAE posted a credible 191-9 in their innings, even with losing openers Kai Smith for a duck and Shival Bawa for just eight runs. However, Dhruv Parashar and captain Alishan Sharafu hit a combined 62 to keep Emiratis in the contest. Josh Boyden was the pick of England’s bowlers with figures of 5-42.
But Sharafu’s team refused to go quietly, with tailenders Adihya Shetty and Jash Giyanani scoring 21 and 15 respectively. Set 192 to win, England’s response got off to a bad start when George Thomas was bowled by Sharafu with the first ball of the innings. Lancashire rookie George Bell then took centre stage to steer England back on track. Arriving at the crease with his team 23-3, Bell produced a wonderful 75 not out from 120 balls.
Assisted by James Sales (29) and Tom Aspinwall (33) the 19-year-old helped his team secure a narrow two-wicket win ahead of their next warm-up game against Papua New Guinea on Wednesday.