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Zaman Akhter takes three wickets for England Lions vs South Africa Select XI

12 December 2024

Gloucestershire pace bowler Zaman Akhter took three wickets for England Lions during a tour match against a South Africa Invitational XI in Cape Town this week.

The 25-year-old SACA graduate used his pace and bounce to claim a three-for in the opening innings of the three-day tour match in which he also scored 32 with the bat.

Jean du Plessis, Matthew Boast and South Africa's captain Sinethemba Qeshile were all dismissed by Akhter, whose efforts were thwarted by the hosts, who ran out as eventual and deserved winners by a margin of 284 runs.

Having scored 289 all out in their first innings, South Africa then restricted England Lions to 154 all out before following up with a second innings of 256. Set a big target for victory, England Lions were bowled out for 107 as the hosts imposed their dominance on the match.

The four-day game was the Lions’ only match of a three-week tour that has focused on providing the 19-player squad with individualised and high-quality training.

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