Thursday 22 November 2018 23:54, UK
Sam Billings produced a captain's knock as England Lions reached 240 before taking two late wickets on day one of their Test against Pakistan A in Abu Dhabi.
Billings hit 74 to help the tourists set a competitive total, ably assisted by Jason Roy (59) and Dominic Bess (42).
Mark Wood and Jamie Overton took a wicket apiece to reduce Pakistan to 33-2 at close at Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
Middlesex duo Nick Gubbins and Max Holden opened up for the Lions after Billings had won the toss and elected to bat, but Holden only managed to score 10 before being clean bowled by seamer Shaheen Afridi.
Afridi, fresh from impressing with the white ball at international level, would end on figures of 3-50 with Mark Wood (22) and Jamie Porter (0) also falling victim to his deliveries.
The Lions looked in trouble at 58-4 after Gubbins (20), Ollie Pope (0) and Joe Clarke (0) all joined Holden back in the pavilion but Roy and Billings put on 51 for the fifth wicket.
After Roy departed - caught by Khurram Manzoor off the bowling of Mohammad Asghar - Billings continued to impress in the company of Bess before he was left with no partner at the crease.
England made a promising start in the field as Overton took the catch off Wood's delivery to dismiss Shan Masood (8) before Billings ended a fine day's work by holding on from Overton's devilish ball to remove Abid Ali (11).
Those early breakthroughs mean the hosts trail by 207 runs with eight wickets remaining in their first innings.
