Finn impresses as England dominate

Steven Finn led from the front as England made the most of their full day in the field by taking 12 Pakistan A wickets while restricting their hosts to just 192 runs in Sharjah.

Finn’s opening burst set the tone, the tall fast bowler ending his first spell with excellent figures of 7-5-2-2.

The 26-year-old finished with 4-16 off his 15 overs, while Adil Rashid took three wickets and Liam Plunkett and Samit Patel marked their first action of the tour with two apiece.

Moeen Ali took an early scalp to continue his good start to the trip with the ball, and he will aim to impress at the top of the order on day two of the second warm-up match, which sees both teams bat a full day in turn.

England found helpful conditions on the first morning and Finn took full advantage, inducing an edge from Khurram Manzoor which was taken by Jonny Bairstow behind the stumps before seeing Ali Asad’s attempted drive caught by Ian Bell at second slip.

Moeen left Pakistan A 23 for three when Fawad Alam, an inclusion in Pakistan’s Test squad and fresh from a fifty in the first match, edged to Ben Stokes at slip.

Stokes then saw Bairstow drop a tough chance but there would be no repeat of Iftikhar Ahmed’s unbeaten 92 in the opener as Finn trapped him lbw with the first delivery of the afternoon session. 

Finn made it two wickets in the over when Usman Salahuddin was caught by Bell in the slips to depart for the third duck of the innings and leave Pakistan A 47 for five.

Rashid claimed his first scalp of the tour after Sami Aslam found Stokes at slip but England were made to work hard for their next wicket as Umar Amin and Adnan Akmal enjoyed a healthy stand.

They had taken their partnership to 83 when Patel had Amin edging an attempted cut behind to Buttler, who took over the gloves after 50 overs.

Patel was celebrating again soon after as Stokes pouched a catch at long-off to dismiss Manzoor and Ali suffered the ignominy of recording a second duck in the same ‘innings’ when he was bowled on the back foot by Plunkett.

Rashid took the 10th wicket after Zafar Gohar top-edged into the hands of Finn and had his third when Salahuddin picked out Anderson.

Plunkett rounded off a good day’s work for England by demolishing Ehsan Adil’s stumps.

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