By Andy Wilson
England’s Development Programme Under-17s lost their opening one-day match against Pakistan in Dubai despite a half-century from captain Max Holden.
Holden, a 17-year-old opener from Cambridge who was a second-team regular for Middlesex last season, made 63 from 100 balls but the EDP were all out for 176 in the last of their 50 overs.
Somerset’s George Bartlett and Surrey’s Sam Curran were the only other batsmen to pass 20.
Pakistan needed less than 36 overs to complete a seven-wicket victory despite an early scalp for Holden’s Middlesex team-mate Arthur Godsal. Warwickshire’s George Panayi and Martin Andersson, a third Middlesex player, took the other wickets.
For Iain Brunnschweiler, the head coach, the game was a valuable learning experience, despite the defeat.
“Obviously the guys are very disappointed to lose the game today,” he said. “We have prepared well, but for many of these lads it is their first trip away at this level, and today will have been an eye-opener in terms of the standard of the opposition.
“The Pakistani spinners bowled extremely well, and although we showed some really good intent, we ultimately lost wickets at vital times, and were short of a competitive total.
“There were some good individual contributions, and also we had periods when we came together well as a unit. Overall we were outplayed in all departments, though.
“We have come here specifically to sample tough opposition, and tough conditions. It is the learnings that the players take from these experiences which will be the most important.”
The EDP youngsters have a first chance to show how quickly they have learned in the second match of the one-day series on Thursday, also in Dubai.
