Josh Bohannon scored 57 as England Lions batted out the final day to draw with Sri Lanka A in the first unofficial Test in Galle.
England were set 333 for victory after Sri Lanka A declared on 662-9 following a collapse of six wickets for eight runs from 654-3.
The Lions were wobbling at 71-4 once Tom Abell (11) – named in the senior England team’s white-ball squads for the tour of Bangladesh in March – joined Alex Lees (1), skipper Haseeb Hameed (15) and Tom Haines (20) in being dismissed.
Bohannon and Jack Haynes (43) steadied the innings with a fifth-wicket stand of 84 and when they fell within the space of three overs, Jamie Smith (39no) and Liam Patterson-White (25) added a further 62 as England ended on 221-7.
Patterson-White (3-230) and fellow spinner Jack Carson (4-173) picked up seven wickets combined in the Sri Lanka A second innings, one in which Nishan Madushka made 241, Oshada Fernando 114 and Nipun Dhananjaya 128.
Highlights for England across the match included a five-wicket haul for Yorkshire seamer Matt Fisher in Sri Lanka A’s first innings and a century for Sussex batter Tom Haines in the Lions’ opening dig.
England will face Sri Lanka A in a second four-day Test from Tuesday, before the sides contest three one-day matches on February 15, 18 and 21.
