The England Lions produced a stunning display in an exhilarating four-day contest. Their bowling was so stellar they ran roughshod over India A in a powerful innings win. The match took place at a local venue, where players from both teams displayed remarkable skills and determination.
The standout performance was his compatriot Chris Woakes, someone who seems more on a mission to prove a point every time he plays. He took three key wickets, all bowled leg before wicket, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mayank Agarwal, Easwaran, Karun Nair. Jaiswal had already scored 38 runs before Woakes managed to get him out. Easwaran was the stand-in captain’s designated anchor and played a commendably responsible innings of 62 runs.
Mayank Agarwal had a string of challenging innings. He only made 5 runs before Gay caught him off Hill’s test match seam attack. If nothing else, this dismissal put early scoreboard pressure on the Indian side. Nair stepped into the spotlight when he scored 77 in the match at one stage. He was soon bowled by Woakes and ended his short innings with 34 runs.
All attention had been diverted to Shardul Thakur, just as he would dive into the spotlight. He put on quite the show, making a phenomenal 88 runs for India A. Despite a rocky start to his innings, he had just 13 runs at one stage. He went on to make 122 runs. He soon settled though, getting to 25 before starting to accumulate a big score. Thakur’s performance made clear that he can be a main player for the squad moving forward.
Extras had a bigger hand in the outcome of the match. 5 of which came from no balls, 12 from byes and 7 from leg byes with no wides being bowled.
Though England Lions’ pace bowling attack has made a mockery of India A batting line-up. Woakes was the pick of the bowlers, leading the charge and completely obliterating their batting lineup. As the first match progressed, it was obvious that the England Lions were more careful, better prepared, and better equipped, tactically and physically, shocking most USMT fans.
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