In a pretty tough outing for UAE Blues players, Lancashire registered a huge margin victory over them by 225 runs in their 50-overs clash at ICC Academy grounds in Dubai. Lancashire are currently on their pre-season tour in Dubai along with Surrey and Glamorgan.
Batting first, Lancashire amassed a huge total of 395/4 in their 50 overs. Skipper Haseeb Hameed (85 off 82) and Karl Brown (65 off 69) gave the perfect start to Lancashire’s innings with a 116 runs partnership for the opening wicket. UAE Blues managed to pick up few wickets thereafter to have them placed at 194/3 in the 33rd over.
But it all went downhill from there as a destructive partnership of 197 runs for the 4th wicket in only 101 deliveries between Steven Croft (95 off 56) and Jordan Clark (117 n.o off 58) took Lancashire to their eventual total of 395. Karthik Meiyappan (1/38) bowled brilliantly among the carnage suffered by Blues bowlers.
In reply, UAE Blues could manage to score 170/9 in their 50 overs with the inexperienced batting line-up unable to accelerate more against a disciplined bowling attack with Toby Lester (3/40), Danny Lamb (3/19), Aaron Lilley (1/22) and Jordan Clark (1/23) dominant over the Blues batters.
Ansh Tandon (37 off 46) and Neil Lobo (43 off 90) managed to spend time in the middle for UAE Blues as the experience will help the youngsters in the long run as they eye spots in the UAE national squad, who are currently in Zimbabwe for ICC World Cup Qualifiers.
