Broad, Davies Give England Hard Earned Win

Dubai: Steve Davies and Stuart Broad shared a resolute seventh stand of 61 to help an unimpressive England to win the three-day tour opener against ICC Combined XI by three wickets on Monday.

It was a case of second batting failure for the tourists as, chasing 261 to win, England owed the win to captain Andrew Strauss (78), Ian Bell (39) and Jonathan Trott (35) on the final day at the Global Cricket Academy ground.

Kevin Pietersen (1) and Eoin Morgan (3) flopped a second time in the match and when Bell departed at 199-6, England looked down and out before Davies (37 not out) and Broad (31) saved their blushes.

Despite the win England's batting looked rusty ahead of the first of three Tests against Pakistan which starts from January 17.

England will have another opportunity to settle their batting on the slow, dusty pitches as they play the second warm-up game against a Pakistan Cricket Board XI, also in Dubai, from January 11-13.

Strauss and Alastair Cook (26) looked solid during their opening stand of 63 but Afghanistan's spinner Mohammad Nabi (3-66), George Dockrell (1-28) and Majid Haq (1-42) derailed on the run chase.

Strauss and Trott added 70 for the second wicket but England lost five more wickets before reaching the 200-mark. Strauss hit 13 boundaries and a six during his 96-ball innings but his departure put England in trouble.

It was left to Broad and Davies to carry their team within one run of the victory.

Earlier, the ICC Combined XI declared their second innings at 164-9 with Afghanistan's wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Shahzad notching a second half-century of the match with a defiant 74.

Shahzad, who scored 51 in the first innings, held the Combined XI innings and added 43 for the eighth wicket with Haq who scored 256 not out. Shahzad hit 13 boundaries during his attractive 104-ball knock.

Broad finished with 3-22, a match haul of seven wickets, while James Anderson took 2-62.

Brief scores
ICC Combined XI 281 (Viljoen 98, Broad 4-46) and 164 for 9 dec (Shahzad 74, Broad 3-22)
England XI 185 for 8 dec (Cook 76) and 261 for 7 (Strauss 78, Nabi 3-66)
Result England XI beat ICC Combined XI by three wickets

Scores	Upcoming	Results
South Africa vs India - 4th T20I 2nd T20I - Australia v Pakistan - November 16, 08:00 GMT 4th T20I - West Indies v England - November 16, 20:00 GMT 3rd T20I - West Indies v England at St. Lucia England won by 3 wickets (with 4 balls remaining) 1st T20I - Australia v Pakistan at Brisbane Australia won by 29 runs

Related links

Pakistan vs England 2011/2012 News

England Maintain Top Spot in T20 Rankings [+]

World champions England continued their domination of the ICC T20I Rankings while 2007 edition winners India occupied the sixth place in the latest chart.

England Take T20 Series in Thriller [+]

England bowlers kept their nerves in the final overs to pull off a sensational five-run win over Pakistan in the third and final Twenty20 to take the series 2-1

England Bat in T20 Decider Against Pak [+]

England captain Stuart Broad won the toss and elected to bat in the third and final Twenty20 international against Pakistan at Abu Dhabi Stadium.

After Two Whitewashes Series End With Decider [+]

After two whitewashes we now have a series decider following England's slick victory in the second Twenty20 international in Dubai.

Bairstow Shines as England Level [+]

Jonny Bairstow hit a fifty and Steven Finn took three wickets to guide England to a comfortable 38-run win in the second Twenty20 match against Pakistan.

Gul, Malik Haul Brings Pakistan Home [+]

Pacer Umar Gul took 3/18 to inspire Pakistan to a thrilling eight-run win in the first of three Twenty20 internationals against England at Dubai stadium.

Pakistan Look to Redress Balance in T20 [+]

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq said his side are desperate to redress the balance in a Twenty20 international against England Thursday after a one-day series whitewash by the tourists.

Pietersen Successive Ton Secures Whitewash [+]

Kevin Pietersen hit his second successive ton to help a resurgent England beat Pakistan by four wickets in the final ODI on Tuesday for a 4-0 whitewash.

Briggs, Buttler Debut; Pakistan Bat [+]

There were plenty of changes for both sides in the 4th ODI. Jos Buttler and Danny Briggs are making their debut for England.

Pakistan Seek to Avoid Clean-sweep Against England [+]

Mohsin Khan said his team will need to raise their standards in all three departments to stop England from a clean sweep of the one-day series in the fourth match on Tuesday.