One-day tri-series final, Worcester:
England Lions 279-5 (48.4 ovs) beat India A 278-7 (50 ovs) by five wickets
Match scorecard

Gale has been in fine form with the bat as Yorkshire captain this season

Andrew Gale hit 90 and Darren Stevens an aggressive 68 as England Lions beat India A by five wickets in an exciting tri-series final at Worcester.

India posted 278-7 after being asked to bat by returning skipper Alastair Cook, with Cheteshwar Pujara hitting 87.

Cook fell cheaply in response, but Steven Davies steadied the ship with 55 from the top of the order.

Ravi Bopara only managed 30 and, although Gale and Stevens fell after getting in, England eased to victory.

It was something of an unsuccessful personal return for Cook, who was available to play after missing the previous three games with a back problem.

The England opener was hoping to prove his fitness ahead of the Test series against Pakistan which begins at Trent Bridge on 29 July but was trapped in front third ball by paceman Jaide Unadkat.

But England recovered well though, with Gale and Stevens doing their hopes of a full call-up later in the summer the power of good.

606: DEBATE Who from the current crop of England Lions players do you think deserves a call-up to the senior England side?

Lancashire spinner Steven Parry - called up to replace James Tredwell who had joined up with the senior one-day squad facing Bangladesh - was the pick of the bowlers earlier in the day, as India posted a challenging total after being asked to bat.

Opener Abhinav Mukund put on 62 before he became 24-year-old Parry's first victim while two further wickets rocked the Indian middle order.

Durham paceman Liam Plunkett claimed 2-51 off nine overs while Somerset all-rounder Peter Trego was once again the unsung hero with a tidy 0-37 off his full allocation of 10 overs.

But no bowler was able to get the better of Pujara, whose excellent knock ensured England would not have it easy when they walked out to bat.

After Cook's early dismissal, Davies played with fluency to reach a second successive 50 against India - off 52 balls with nine fours.

Bopara was bowled after attempting to work the ball to leg and although Gale looked in complete control, when he was caught behind the game was in the balance.

But Kent's Stevens provided the necessary acceleration with nine fours and a six as the Lions ultimately reached their target with eight balls to spare.

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