England Lions 153 for 6 (Tribe 64*) beat Pakistan Shaheens 152 for 7 (Hussain 57) by four wickets

Asa Tribe's unbeaten 64 led England Lions to a four-wicket win over Pakistan Shaheens in their opening T20 in Abu Dhabi.

Tribe, who has played international cricket for Jersey, reached his half-century from 42 balls, anchoring the run chase from No. 4. He guided the Lions to a victory target of 153 with five balls to spare.

Sussex allrounder James Coles was the pick of the Lions bowlers, claiming two for 20 from his four overs, as he combined with fellow spinners Dan Mousley and Nathan Sowter to put the clamps on in the middle overs.

Opener Shamyl Hussain top-scored for Pakistan Shaheens with 57 before he was bowled by Sowter when attempting to give himself room to cut.

Ben McKinney gave the Lions a fast start with three sixes inside the first four overs, highlighted by a pair of dismissive back-foot strikes straight back down the ground.

The Durham opener made 24 from 13 balls and while the Lions were in some trouble at 38 for 3 when he top-edged a sweep, Tribe took control of the chase.

The 21-year-old Glamorgan batter, who played for Paarl Royals in the SA20 this winter, struck six boundaries and a six, and added an unbroken 32 in 18 balls with Scott Currie for the seventh wicket to seal the win.

The second match of the three-game T20 series will be played on Sunday. A five-match one-day series will follow, with all matches staged in Abu Dhabi.