England Lions beat Pakistan Shaheens in T20 Series opener

2026-02-20 - 16:13

England Lions beat Pakistan Shaheens by four wickets in the first T20 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium Nursery One in Abu Dhabi on Friday. After being put into bat, Pakistan Shaheens posted 152 for seven in their allotted 20 overs. Skipper Shamyl Hussain led from the front with a well-compiled 57 off 39 balls, featuring four fours and as many sixes. Shamyl added 56 runs for the opening wicket with Maaz Sadaqat (17), while Saad Baig (21) and Abdul Samad (21) provided momentum through the middle overs. Arafat Minhas, coming to bat at number seven, finished strongly with an unbeaten 13 off nine balls, which included two fours, helping Shaheens cross the 150-run mark. For England Lions, James Coles and Saqib Mahmood picked up two wickets each. In turn, Pakistan Shaheens made early inroads as Akif Javed struck twice inside the powerplay to remove Will Smeed and England Lions captain Jordan Cox, leaving the opposition under pressure in the chase. Ahmed Daniyal, Saad Masood and Sufiyan Muqeem chipped in with a wicket apiece, keeping Shaheens in the contest through the middle overs. That the Lions were able to achieve the target in 19.1 overs was due to an unbeaten 64 from Asa Tribe, who struck six fours and a six. Pakistan Shaheens will look to bounce back in the second T20, which is set to take place at the same venue on Sunday, March 22. Scores: Pakistan Shaheens 152-7, 20 overs (Shamyl Hussain 57, Abdul Samad 21, Saad Baig 21; James Coles 2-20, Saqib Mahmood 2-29) England Lions 153-6, 19.1 overs (Asa Tribe 64 not out, Ben McKinney 24; Akif Javed 2-22) Player of the match – Asa Tribe (England Lions) Pakistan to tour Bangladesh in March for three-match ODI series