Dubai: England looked far from being the world's best Test team as they surrendered meekly before the might of Pakistan's attack at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on the third day of the first Test match yesterday.
The tourists were all at sea against Pakistan's pace, as well as spin, on a wicket that offered nothing unusual to the bowlers, allowing the nominal hosts to race to a ten-wicket victory.
If not for Jonathan Trott's fighting 49 runs and Graeme Swann's brave 39, England would have been bowled out for their lowest total against Pakistan since their 130 at the Oval in 1954 and also crashed to an innings defeat. It was England's first defeat in ten Test matches, since their loss to Australia in Perth in November 2010.
Saeed Ajmal followed his seven-wicket spell in the first innings with three more wickets in the second to return match figures of 10 for 97. It was his second ten-wicket haul in a Test match. He was backed up by left-arm spinner Abdul Rahman, who picked three wickets for 37 runs, and the fiery pacer Umar Gul with 4 for 63. Pakistan opener Mohammad Hafeez then hit the 15 runs required to win in just 3.4 overs.
Pathetic batting
It was a pathetic batting display from England after Pakistan posted a lead of 146 through a fine fighting knock from Adnan Akmal. He hit 61 using his last three batsmen as foils despite Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad ensuring Pakistan did not further swell their lead.
Akmal also sparkled in the role of wicketkeeper with four catches in the second innings for a total of seven in the match.
However, even the lead of 146 turned out to be too much for the England's reputed batsmen. If in the first innings England feared Ajmal, in the second innings they played even pacer Gul uncomfortably.
Gul began by dismissing England skipper Andrew Strauss caught down the leg side by Akmal for just six. Gul also went on to remove Alastair Cook by having him caught by Akmal again off the glove down the leg side.
Worse was to follow with Kevin Pietersen ballooning a top edge to Abdul Rahman at deep square leg off Gul on nought. Three down for 25 runs, Pakistan went for the kill by introducing Ajmal. And he struck right away by trapping Ian Bell leg before to win the sixth LBW verdict of the match.
Gloom sets in
To make matters worse, Abdul Rahman forced Eoin Morgan to give Akmal his third catch of the innings with an arm ball.
With half the side back in the pavilion for 74 runs and with another 72 more runs to get to avoid the innings defeat, gloom set in among the English fans.
Trott, who looked confident among the batsmen and went on to hit 49, offered Akmal his fourth catch off Gul in his second spell. All eyes turned toward Matt Prior, who waged a lone battle in the first innings with a knock of 70, but he lasted only 17 balls before becoming another Ajmal leg before victim.
Broad, who bagged three Pakistan wickets for 84, and Swann, who returned with figures of 4 for 107 to restrict Pakistan in the first innings, were forced to play the role of the rescuers with the bat as well. Keeping their heads down, they put on 48 in ten overs.
Swann tried to hit England out of trouble by going on his knees and hitting Rahman for a six to mid-wicket. But two balls later Broad attempted a six but only picked out Asad Shafiq at long on.
Chris Tremlett fell to the very next ball from Rahman, caught by Hafeez at first slip. Swann and James Anderson then put on 25 for the last wicket to prevent an innings defeat.
England 1st innings: 192
Pakistan 1st innings:
(overnight 288-7)
- Mohammad Hafeez lbw b Swann 88
- Taufiq Umar b Broad 58
- Azhar Ali c Prior b Broad 1
- Younis Khan lbw b Trott 37
- Misbah-ul Haq lbw b Swann 52
- Asad Shafiq c Prior b Anderson 16
- Adnan Akmal st Prior b Swann 61
- Abdul Rahman b Anderson 4
- Umar Gul c Morgan b Broad 0
- Saeed Ajmal c Cook b Swann 12
- Aizaz Cheema not out 0
Extras: (b2, lb5, nb2) 9
Total: 338
Fall of wickets: 1-114 (Umar), 2-128 (Ali), 3-176 (Hafeez), 4-202 (Younis), 5-231 (Shafiq), 6-283 (Misbah), 7-288 (Rahman), 8-289 (Gul), 9-319 (Ajmal).
Bowling: Anderson 30-7-71-2, Tremlett 21-6-53-0 (nb1), Broad 31-8-84-3 (nb1), Swann 29.5-3-107-4, Trott 8-2-16-1
England 2nd innings
- A. Strauss c Adnan b Gul 6
- A. Cook c Adnan b Gul 5
- J. Trott c Adnan b Gul 49
- K. Pietersen c Rahman b Gul 0
- I. Bell lbw b Ajmal 4
- E. Morgan c Adnan b Rahman 14
- M. Prior lbw b Ajmal 4
- S. Broad c Shafiq b Rahman 17
- G. Swann c Shafiq b Ajmal 39
- C. Tremlett c Hafeez b Rahman 0
- J. Anderson not out 15
Extras: (b4, lb1, nb2) 7
Total: 160
Fall of wickets: 1-6 (Strauss), 2-25 (Cook), 3-25 (Pietersen), 4-35 (Bell), 5-74 (Morgan), 6-87 (Trott), 7-87 (Prior), 8-135 (Broad), 9-135 (Tremlett)
Bowling: Gul 19-5-63-4 (nb2), Cheema 7.2-1-9-0, Hafeez 2-0-4-0, Ajmal 17.3-4-42-3, Rahman 12-2-37-3.
Pakistan 2nd innings:
- Mohammad Hafeez not out 15
- Taufiq Umar not out 0
Total: (for no loss) 15
Bowling: Anderson 2-1-7-0, Broad 1.4-0-8-0.
Result: Pakistan won by 10 wickets
Toss: England.
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