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