Canterbury, June 2 (H.S.): On the third day of the Canterbury Test, the England Lions showcased strong batting, led by Dan Mousley (113) and Max Holden (101), which significantly diminished India A’s first innings lead. Tom Haines also impressed with a solid 175 runs. The day’s play concluded with Mousley’s lbw dismissal to Karun Nair, leaving England Lions at 527/7, now just 30 runs behind India A’s total. In the morning session, Haines and Holden initially assessed the wicket before Holden accelerated scoring, reaching his century in 99 balls and showcasing dominance, particularly against Harshit Rana.

Mukesh Kumar ended the impressive 281-run partnership by dismissing Holden and then quickly took out James Rew and Rahman Ahmed, claiming three wickets in a brilliant spell. Mousley joined the attack, scoring quickly after Haines reached 150, but Shardul Thakur dismissed Haines. Zaman Akhtar then supported Mousley effectively, and together, they added a quick 50 runs. Mousley completed his century with a four off Mukesh Kumar, but was dismissed by Nair at the end of the day. Brief scores: England Lions – 527/7 (Haines 175, Mousley 113, Holden 101; Mukesh Kumar 3/75) trailing India A’s 557 (Nair 204).

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar