Bowls of fire
Electrifying start of third Test match between England and Pakistan as 16 wickets fall with only 203 runs scored
Dubai: It was a day of the bowlers at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Sixteen wickets fell with only 203 runs scored on a first day's wicket for an electrifying start to the third Test match between Pakistan and England yesterday.
The fierce battle to gain the upperhand was at its best with England bowlers bowling out Pakistan, who elected to bat, for a paltry 99 runs and Pakistan bowlers striking back taking six wickets. England has managed a five-run lead with their skipper Andrew Strauss holding fort with an unbeaten 41 runs.
Stuart Broad stood tall among the English bowlers with a deadly spell of 4 for 36 backed by James Anderson with 3 for 35. England spinners Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann shared the rest of the wickets.
So lethal was England's pace attack that at one stage Pakistan were 21 for 5 forcing one to recall the 2002 Pakistan's Sharjah Test match against Australia when they were bowled out for 59 and 53 in the 2002. It also looked like Pakistan may be shut out before their lowest score of 72 against England at Birmingham in 2010.
Asad Shafiq stood amid the ruins with a fighting knock of 45 runs to wipe away their threat of their lowest score. Anderson commenced Pakistan's destruction by trapping Tawfiq Umar in front of the wicket with a fine in-swinger with the last ball of the first over. Two balls later Stuart Broad would have got Mohammad Hafeez's wicket, but Strauss at first slip failed to take the catch.
Bigger shocks
However, in the sixth over Broad picked the wicket of Azhar Ali caught behind by wicketkeeper Matt Prior off an inside edge. Broad also went on to take the prize wicket of Younus Khan gaining a bit of extra bounce off the wicket and Prior taking another catch that came off the shoulder of the bat.
Bigger shocks were in store for Pakistan with Broad trapping Hafeez and Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq leg before. Six down for 21 and Broad went on to also dismiss Adnan Akmal leg before to make it 39 for 6.
England spinners also struck with Graeme Swann picking the wicket of Abdul Rahman. Shafiq along with Saeed Ajmal put on the biggest partnership of the innings. They added 34 invaluable runs for the eighth before Monty Panesar trapped Ajmal leg before. Panesar also dismissed Shafiq five short of his half century to ensure Pakistan does not reach the three figure mark.
England also began badly with opener Alastair Cook lasting only five balls. Cook literally steered Umar Gul's delivery into the gloves of wicketkeeper Adnal Akmal. Jonathan Trott lasted just ten balls before Gul won a leg before decision. Television replays showed the ball missing the leg, but strangely this decision was not up for review.
Pietersen and Strauss put on 57 runs for the third wicket in 15 overs.
Scorecard
Pakistan (first innings)
- Mohammad Hafeez lbw b Broad 13
- Tawfiq Umar lbw b Anderson 0
- Azhar Ali c Prior b Broad 1
- Younus Khan c Prior b Broad 4
- Misbah-ul-Haq lbw b Anderson 1
- Asad Shafiq lbw b Panesar 45
- Adnan Akmal lbw b Broad 6
- Abdul Rahman c Pietersen b Swann 1
- Saeed Ajmal lbw b Panesar 12
- Umar Gul b Anderson 13
- Aizaz Cheema not out 0
Extras:(lb 3) 3
Total: (all out; 44.1 overs) 99
Fall of wickets: 1-1 2-8 3-18 4-21 5-21 6-39 7-44 8-78 9-85
Bowling: Anderson 14.1-3-35-3, Broad 16-5-36-4, Panesar 13-4-25-2, Swann 1-1-0-1.
England (first innings)
- A. Strauss not out 41
- A. Cook c Adnan Akmal b Umar Gul 1
- J. Trott lbw b Umar Gul 2
- K. Pietersen lbw b Abdur Rehman 32
- I. Bell st Adnan Akmal b Saeed Ajmal 5
- E. Morgan lbw b Abdul Rahman10
- M. Prior b Abdul Rahman 6
- J. Anderson not out 3
Extras: (b 1, lb 3) 4
Total: (for six wickets; 43 overs) 104
Still to bat: S. Broad, G. Swann, M. Panesar
Fall of wickets: 1-5 2-7 3-64 4-75 5-88 6-98
Bowling: Umar Gul 7-1-28-2, Aizaz Cheema 4-0-9-0, Saeed Ajmal 17-5-40-1, Abdul Rahman 15-4-23-3
