India ‘A’ side thrashed

LONDON: India’s ‘A’ side crashed to a 253-run defeat against England Lions after the tourists collapsed in a failed run chase on Thursday. The Indians had been set 421 to win at New Road but restricted to 167 for nine with last man Ankit Rajpoot absent hurt. Against an Indian team packed with international experience, England selectors Ed Smith and James Taylor had picked six players with Test caps in the Lions XI, including former captain Alastair Cook.

Cook’s 180 in the first innings was the third-highest individual score in an A Test for the Lions or the England A and B teams who preceded them. Nick Gubbins helped Cook set the tone with 73 on the first day, Dawid Malan eased back into red-ball mode with a half-century in each innings, and Ollie Pope marked his Lions debut with a sparky unbeaten 50 on day three.