Abu Dhabi: Pleased by his team's comeback in the final hour of yesterday's play, Pakistan paceman Umar Gul said his team would like to restrict England — who overnight trail by 50 runs, with five first innings wickets in hand — to a total lower than their own effort of 257 all out.
Speaking at a media briefing, Gul said: "We had a good comeback, especially the two spinners did well for that. We had a plan, but it didn't work out in the morning. Saeed (Ajmal) and (Abdur) Rahman did very well and this match is open now and we have good chances to keep them down.
"We will try to bowl them out within the next 50 runs and, even if they take the lead, we would try to keep it to minimal. We will try and get early breakthroughs on Friday (today)," he added.
Gul said that even when England were on top at 166 for one, Pakistan played to a plan. "We had a plan and we were successful in that. We just wanted to check the flow of runs and we knew we could get wickets."
Commenting on the wicket, Gul said: "It was difficult from the first day. It helped seamers on day one as it was giving a good grip, but today, there was no support. But then, in the last session, it did break and help the spinners."
Gul admitted that they rued the missed chance when they did not ask for a referral when Ajmal had Jonathan Trott trapped in front of the wicket when he was on 22.
"I think at that time, the bowler and the keeper were not sure that it was out and we thought that it hit high, so that's why we did not take the review. Definitely later on, we thought that we missed the chance," he said after Trott went on to score 74 and star in a 139-run stand with Alastair Cook for the second wicket.
