England's top ranking at stake in final Test against Pakistan

Dubai: The million dollar question on the eve of the third Test between England and Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium is can England can win the $175,000 (Dh642,809) prize for the side that tops the world Test ranking? Defeat in the third Test could see England lose their Test No 1 ranking should South Africa win their series in New Zealand, with the cut off point on April 1.

England players arrived here with their heads held high following their sterling performances in recent years. Today their heads are spinning unable to counter Pakistan's spin attack.

Meanwhile, Pakistan are on the threshold of a historic moment. A victory in the third Test too can earn them the honour of being the first side to record a clean sweep in a series between the two countries.

Pakistan have nothing to lose having already won the series but everything to gain. They came here with their reputation as a cricketing nation at stake following three of their players being imprisoned for their involvement in the spot fixing scandal during the last series against England.

Reached the zenith

Skipper Misbah-ul-Haq and his boys continued their mission of proving that the shameful incident is history but as players and a team they are formidable. By beating England they have reached the zenith of cricketing glory though the number one Test rank is still far away. If the team can continue to display such spirit and performance it is just a matter of time before clinching the top slot.

Tony Hemming, head curator of the International Cricket Council Global Cricket Academy has readied pitch number three at the stadium for this Test match. "No Test match has been played on this wicket but it won't be much different from the first Test match wicket," he told Gulf News.

Despite crashing to huge defeats, England have not blamed the wickets here for their debacle. This reveals that England's main problem is a mental block against playing spinners. In the second innings of the Abu Dhabi Test match their batsmen were in two minds as to whether to attack or defend. In the process they allowed Pakistan spinners to dominate and crashed to a total of just 72 runs.

A series win can often lead to complacency and Pakistan will have to guard against it in this Test match. Unlike England they need to achieve much more than what they have achieved under their skipper Misbah-ul-Haq and coach Mohsin Khan. Pakistan players are such that they can easily be distracted by events off the field and this is the time the Pakistan Cricket Board has to ensure that this winning combination is not disturbed over the appointment of new coach Dave Whatmore who is waiting to step into Khan's shoes.

Both teams have trained hard. A win in the third Test can give England the consolation of finishing on a high whereas a win for Pakistan can be another step towards glory and a warning to all cricketing nations that they are the new invincibles of the world cricket today.