UAE captain Ahmed Raza insists there’s plenty of positives to take, despite losing the three-match practice series against the England Lions on Friday.

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Jake Ball broke UAE’s hearts with a last-ball winning boundary as England Lions warmed up for their Twenty20 series against Pakistan A, with a tense two-wicket victory.

Batting first at the ICC Academy, the UAE had posted 132 for six, aided by Gulam Shabbir’s fluent half-century. The top-order batsman struck two sixes and four boundaries in his 56-run knock which came off just 42 deliveries.

In reply, England Lions had to battle hard after being restricted to 25 for three. Surrey’s Ben Foakes hit 49 and by the time he was removed by Waheed Ahmed in the last over, England Lions were in the driving seat.

Jamie Overton levelled the scores with a single before Ball held his nerve to hit a boundary off the last delivery. It was a game that could have gone either way and Ahmed hailed his players for their character.

“It was a really close game and we played some good cricket,” said the 27-year-old spinner. “It was a really good test of our character and skill. Defending a small total is not easy. We put in a lot of effort and at times they were cruising and eventually pulled it back to a point where it was difficult to call a winner.

“Overall, I’m pleased we gave them a good contest over three games and we can take a lot from this series.”