MCA XI v England Lions, Mumbai, 3rd day

Shreck and Kirby seal Lions win

Cricinfo staff

January 31, 2008

England Lions 311 for 8 dec (Carberry 91, Trott 67, Rashid 54*, Malvi 4-41) and 114 (Trott 34, Kulkarni 5-33) beat MCA XI 165 (Revendkar 48, Panesar 5-38) and 230 (Gurav 46, Shreck 4-52, Kirby 3-12) by 30 runs
Scorecard

Charlie Shreck and Steve Kirby shared seven wickets as England Lions completed a 30-run victory against a Mumbai Cricket Association XI in a warm-up match. The pair, neither of whom were in the original touring party, ensured the MCA XI fell short of their 261-run target and allowed the Lions to head into their opening Duleep Trophy match in good spirits.

The Lions began on 86 for 7 and extended their second innings to 114 before Jonathan Trott was last man out for 34 to hand Dhaval Kulkarni a five-wicket haul. Mumbai were soon in trouble as Liam Plunkett claimed his first wicket of the match and Shreck struck twice with the new ball to leave them tottering on 48 for 3.

Hiken Shah (23) and Aditya Tare (39) began to repair the damage with a fourth-wicket stand of 55 before Kirby snared both in the space of five overs. Shreck worked away at the middle order and Adil Rashid, given his first bowl of the match ahead of Monty Panesar who sat out the second innings, collected Kulkarni as the Lions closed in.

However, they were made to wait by a feisty last-wicket stand of 42 between 19-year-old Omkar Gurav and Usman Malvi. They chipped away at the target, but just as it was coming into view Kirby returned to remove Gurav for a battling 46.

England now travel to Vadodara ahead of their opening Duleep Trophy match, against Central Zone, starting on February 3.

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