England Lions had to settle for a draw against Cricket Australia XI in a high-scoring encounter at the Blundstone Arena, Hobart.
Resuming 144 runs behind the Lions’ first innings total of 613, Jack Edwards and Mitchell Perry took their ninth-wicket partnership to 89 to halve the deficit.
Perry finally became a rare scalp for the part-time off-breaks of Dom Sibley, caught by Craig Overton for 28, and the Lions wrapped up the innings two overs later.
Man of the Match Dan Lawrence took his third wicket of the innings, to add to his 190 runs from England’s first innings, removing Edwards for 192 to end the CA XI innings on 546 – 67 behind the Lions’ total.
With the game hurtling towards a draw, the Lions batsman enjoyed 31 overs of time in the middle before the captains shook hands. Sibley fell early, unable to follow up on his first-innings century, with Zak Crawley and Keaton Jennings adding exactly 50 for the second wicket.
Sam Northeast, batting at four, hit an unbeaten 46 from 57 balls with Tom Abell not out on six when the draw was agreed.
The Lions’ next match is a day/night encounter against Australia A at the MCG, starting on Saturday.
Richard Dawson said: “There were a lot of positives to come out of the match in all phases of the game. It was tough for the bowlers on the pitch, but our bowlers stuck to their task during the last couple of days, especially with a couple of injuries.”
“The batting was an obvious highlight and it was pleasing to see three centurions in the first innings, with Dan Lawrence’s ability to push on on day two really putting us in a good position.
“We’ll face another tough match at the MCG against Australia A later this week, but it’s a great opportunity for the lads to experience a different challenge playing under lights. Our preparation over the past two weeks has been very good and we will be continuing this leading into the game.”
