England In UAE 2012 Tour Stats

Tests
Most Runs = Azhar Ali
Highest Batting Average = Azhar Ali
Most Time At Crease In Balls = Azhar Ali
Most 50s or more = Azhar Ali & Misbah ul Haq
Most Catches = Asad Shafiq
Most Dismissals = Adnan Akmal with 5 more than Prior
Most Wickets = Saeed Ajmal
Best bowling average = Saeed Ajmal
Most Economical bowler on show = Mohammad Hafeez going at under 2
Most Runs In An Innings = Azhar Ali (157)
Most Runs In A Match = Mohammad Hafeez (103 for 1 wicket)
Most Wickets In An Innings = Saeed Ajmal (7 wickets)
Most Wickets In A Match = Saeed Ajmal (10 wickets in the 1st test)
Most 5 Wicket Hauls = Abdur Rehman and Monty with 2 each
Most Maidens Bowled = Monty with 44 in 2 tests
KP, Bell and Morgan all averaged below 14
Most 4s = Hafeez
Most 6s = Misbah ul Haq
ODIs
Most runs = KP
Highest average = KP
Most 50+ = Cook
Most wickets = Finn
Most dismissals = Kieswetter
Highest Individual Score = Cook
Most 4s = Cook
Most 6s = KP
Most catches by non keeper = Trott
Most runs by a Pakistan batsmen = Misbah ul Haq
Highest average by a Pakistan batsmen = Azhar Ali
Most wickets by a Pakistan bowler = Saeed Ajmal
Best economy by a Pakistan bowler = Abdur Rehman
Best bowling figures = Saeed Ajmal
T20
Most runs = KP
Highest batting average = Bairstow
Most wickets = Swann
Best economy = Swann
Best bowling average = Swann
Most catches = Bairstow & Dernbach
Highest individual score = KP
Best bowling figures = Swann & Gul
Most runs from Pakistan's side = Misbah ul Haq (SR in the low 80s though)
Highest batting average from Pakistan’s side = Misbah ul Haq
Most wickets from Pakistan’s side = Ajmal & Gul
Best bowling economy from Pakistan’s side = Mohammad Hafeez
Best bowling average from Pakistan’s side = Saeed Ajmal
Most catches from Pakistan’s side = Umar Gul
Most 4s = KP
Most 6s = Awais Zia

England In UAE T20 Series Stats

Time For Pakistan To Win a DECIDER

In one day cricket deciders which have been lost with the series poised at the following result before the decider. I know this is 20/20 cricket, but Pakistan have never been in this position before in 20/20 cricket so referring to one day cricket:

2-2 vs. South Africa going into the last one 2010

2-2 vs. England going into the last one 2010

1-1 vs. New Zealand going into the last one 2009

1-1 vs. Sri Lanka going into the last one 2009

2-2 vs. South Africa going into the last one 2007

2-1 vs. England going into the last one 2006

2-2 vs. India going into the last one 2004

2-2 vs. South Africa going into the last one 2003

The Key Men For The T20s

Dernbach – The Surrey Lions bowler is a deceptive operator with a unique approach towards bowling. With such a range of skilful well disguised slower deliveries of the hardest calibre Dernbach is the sort of bowler who can mesmerise the opposition. What stands out about Dernbach is the dip and drop his slower balls get in the air whilst batsmen look to execute their strokes. Dernbach can still bowl the off stump line and clock top speeds which makes him even more dangerous because you simply never know what’s coming down. The South African born Dernbach can bowl 6 different deliveries an over with multiple cutters and changes of pace. The Greens wouldn’t have seen much of him before which would make him a greater threat as it can be difficult to adjust and adapt to facing him as you don’t find bowlers like him around the world often. After taking 4 wickets in his first outing of the tour Dernbach would be fairly confident going into the 20/20s.

Swann – An off spinner who can deceive the batsmen in the air with his dip, drift and tidy lines of attack. Swann claimed 5 wickets in 2 T20s against Pakistan in the UAE here in February 2 years ago for a brief 2 match series. Against Pakistan at home in Cardiff during the 20/20 series in 2010 Swann bowled beautifully, memorably dismissing Umar Akmal through the gate as Umar charged him once more after the youngster had clubbed him for 2 maximums back past his head a few balls before. Swann followed that up by dismissing the left handed Fawad Alam with a sharp turner that found the edge for a caught behind to give him 2 in 2. Swann has captained England in their last 3 20/20s so should be consulting with Broad who is the new to the job by sharing his suggestions and advice.

Eoin Morgan – A genuine match finisher who can play shots 360 degrees all around the wagon wheel. Morgan is also the vice captain of the 20/20 side so will want to make an impact with the added responsibility. Morgan can hit them big, improvise and strike the ball in strange places. Not an easy batter to set a field to by any means.

Kieswetter – The Somerset wicket keeper batsmen who was MOM in the 2010 WT20 final in Barbados on May 16th 2010 with that blazing half century against the Baggy Greens. Kieswetter can play explosive strokes and utilise the power play up front with his fearlessness, hand eye coordination and self confidence. There have been suggestions he will be returning to the top of the innings as usually has been the case in this format. Pakistani opening bowlers will like to see the back of him early.

Awaiz Zia – T20 is a stage for youngsters to make their name and impress one and all with their talents and freshness. Zia has been selected in the Pakistan squad as a T20 specialist. Zia possesses a phenomenal strike rate and has captured the headlines in domestic T20 competitions where he opens the batting for Rawalpindi Rams who won the inaugural Faysal Bank Super 8 tournament in July which was held at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.

Misbah ul Haq – Pakistan’s leading T20 run scorer with an average in excess of 35 which is considered extremely high for the format. Misbah has a safe pair of hands in the field with his sharp reflexes and bucket hands. Misbah will most likely be positioned at mid wicket saving the single when the spinners are in business which is a key position so he’ll always be in the action. Misbah recently scored 48* from 38 balls to guide Pakistan to a 5 wicket win in a one off T20 against Sri Lanka who came into this encounter having won all their previous 5. In 7 successful 2nd innings chases Misbah has been there at the end to knock off the winning, guide the team over the line and remain unbeaten on 4 occasions. Misbah can be innovative in his strokes, but can also lift them big when needed & run them hard between the sticks.

Mohammad Hafeez – Struggling for form of late against England, however his T20 form has been exceptional with 3 man of the match awards in his last 5 internationals in this format with his all round credentials. Hafeez was Pakistan’s leading run scorer and leading wicket taker in T20s last year. Will the extra freedom of the format enable his form to return?

Saeed Ajmal – England have struggled to pick him throughout the test and ODI series no matter how hard they have tried. Ajmal already has 34 wickets against England in their tour of the UAE. The number 2 ranked T20 bowler in the world on the ICC T20 bowling rankings will be looking for more scalps in these final 3 matches. Ajmal is a difficult customer to get hold of when looking to attack. The off spinner has all the toys to outsmart the English batsmen who can easily get stuck at the wicket against him in the middle overs. Pakistan’s go to man will be equally as influential in the shortest form of the game.

Unfair to dismiss Shahid Afridi: Mr Twenty20 cricket. The former Pakistan captain is the leading T20 wicket taker in the world at international level. A man who has been signed with Hampshire Royals, Deccan Chargers, Melbourne Renegades, Dhaka Gladiators, awarded captaincy of Karachi Dolphins and signed for endless T20 teams around the globe with his glamorous appeal as the crowd come flooding through the gates to see him in action. The leg spinning all rounder is probably highest profiled T20 cricketer in the world. Afridi bowled poorly in the one day series and struggled to make an impact averaging over 66 per wicket in the 4 day night matches, but showed promising and threatening signs with the bat which Misbah ul Haq will be hoping comes off in this series. When on fire, few can match him.

Pakistan V England ODIs In UAE 2012 Stats

Pakistan V England T20 Stats Preview

England has a 5-2 record against Pakistan in Twenty20 internationals, winning the last 3 games.

England is the currently number 1 ranked T20 side. They are also defending champions of the World T20 which they will be defending later this year in Sri Lanka.

Pakistan have won 62% of their T20 internationals with 31 wins in 50 encounters.

Pakistan have won 7 out of 14 T20 internationals since the 2010 World T20 & 13 out of 26 since winning the 2009 edition.

Misbah ul Haq has won all his 5 T20 internationals as Pakistan captain. The statesmen captain is also Pakistan’s leading run scorer in the format with an astonishing career average of above 35 whilst maintaining a SR of above 110.

Stuart Broad has captained England in 2 T20 internationals, winning against India, but losing to Sri Lanka.

The last time these two sides met in T20s was in September 2010 for a 2 match series with England winning both matches easily.

Pakistan played their very first T20 international against England in Bristol 2006 with Pakistan winning.

England played Pakistan in 2 T20 internationals in the UAE with the series drawn at 1-1, Pakistan winning the latter.

Awais Zia may only average 13 in List A matches; however the explosive left handed dasher was an integral part of the Rawalpindi Rams team which won the Faysal Bank Super 8s in Faisalabad last summer. Awais was Pakistan’s stand out performer in the SAARC Under 25 tournament in the Maldives.

Pakistan’s record for T20 Series in the UAE

2009 beat Australia 1-0
2009 beat New Zealand 2-0
2010 drew with England 1-1
2010 lost against South Africa 2-0
2011 beat Sri Lanka 1-0

England have 7 T20s scheduled before the defence of their title

Umar Akmal Batting Position For ODIs

To those saying Umar Akmal needs to be promoted up the order:-

It's pretty logical to why he is batting at #6

1) Azhar Ali and Younis Khan are steady accumulators and therefore as they are in the starting XI they have to bat in the top 4 so they can set the platform with some solidity at the top, otherwise it's pointless asking them to play if they are going to be pushed down the order & asked to play catch up like explosive hitters

2) Umar Akmal has never batted above Younis and Misbah in an ODI and both these senior batsmen have a duty to lead by example. If Umar Akmal bats before them they will be accused of 'hiding behind youngsters' rather than taking on the responsibility themselves

3) At #6 Umar Akmal will be able to utilise the batting power play which is usually enforced on the team in the 36th over & this is a time he would usually be in if he is coming at 4 down

However, Umar Akmal has been batting in the top 4 in Twenty20s, but until the Younis - Misbah era is over there is no realistic chance that he will be pushed at the top of the order in the ODI format. Even after that, the likelihood is Shafiq and Azhar will be occupying the 3 and 4 spot with their batting styles. At best Umar Akmal coming in at #5.

Cook and Finn Do It Again

Alastair Cook once again won the toss and elected to bat first at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium for the 2nd one day international of the series, a match which the Greens needed to win in order to stand any chance of winning the series. It was a crucial toss to win. England went unchanged. Pakistan made 3 changes with Azhar Ali coming in for Asad Shafiq, Abdur Rehman taking the place of the out of sorts Shoaib Malik and Aizaz Cheema replacing Wahab Riaz as the 2nd seamer to partner Umar Gul.

Once again Cook and KP put on a solid opening stand of above 50 runs without losing any wicket in the first 10 overs, before Saeed Ajmal struck in his first over and the 16th of the innings by getting the better of the flamboyant KP with an off break and KP didn’t bother referring as it looked pretty adjacent. Cook and Trott got together for the 2nd wicket as often is the case with England and milked the bowling around with efficient strike rotation before Aizaz Cheema was brought back for his 2nd spell and provided the breakthrough as the 2011 ICC cricketer of the year departed, edging behind to make shift arrangement, Umar Akmal.

Bopara and Cook put on another significant stand for the 3rd wicket just like they did on Monday evening before Afridi broke the partnership in his 3rd spell towards the latter stages of the innings as Cook was caught and bowled with some extra bounce by the Pakistani all rounder after silencing his critics with back to back centuries. Morgan lasted the duration for an unbeaten knock and got some form under his belt. There were not many boundaries in his cameo except for a mighty blow all the way into the leg side stands in the 49th over of the innings against Saeed Ajmal. Bopara reached his 2nd half century in 2 innings before being dismissed by an off cutter on the final delivery of the innings to give Cheema his 2nd wicket. Pakistan required 9 less than what they did on Monday evening to win the match, but were hoping Azhar Ali’s inclusion would provide some stability at the top of the order which was badly lacking in the last one. Alastair Cook was once again the highlight of England’s innings as the left hander bossed the Pakistani bowling.

Pakistan fell 20 runs short of the target as the Greens were bowled out for 230 in the 49th over with Imran Farhat and Misbah ul Haq top scoring. Azhar Ali made an impressive 32 batting at one down and showed a calm head in anchoring the chase for the power houses down the order before Samit Patel bowled him just before the batting powerplay was enforced on them. Both Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi showed potential, but were dismissed at critical junctions in the match when they were looking dangerous and threatening to run away with the show. Earlier Mohammad Hafeez and Imran Farhat put on over 50 for the 1st wicket for the 4th time when they have been batting together as a pair. For England Steve Finn was once again the shining light with 4 wickets as the Middlesex bowler is currently the leading wicket taker in the series at the half way point.

Pakistan will be hoping to take inspiration from 2006 where they were 2-0 up in 5 match series with one match in Wales washed out due to bad weather, but England came back with 2 wins to level the series 2-2. The next ODI is in Dubai on Saturday as is the final one. Misbah ul Haq will be hoping this time that he wins the toss and can bat first for a change. Samit Patel has voiced his hopes of England completing a whitewash on Pakistan in this series as Cook's side will be looking to wrap up the series come Saturday. England will return to Abu Dhabi for the final time in the tour during the 3rd T20 international on Monday 27th February, but for now the action moves on to Dubai where Pakistan will be hoping and expecting better things.

When a Team Dominates a test Series, things like this are Bound to Happen

Just going be memory here:-

West Indies lost 4-0 during a test series in England in 2004 and won the Champions Trophy which followed

Pakistan beat India in a test series in 2006 1-0 and then lost the ODIs 4-1

England were whitewashed 5-0 in the 2006/07 Ashes series and went on to win the triangular series which followed

England won the 2009 Ashes series at home 2-1 and lost 5-1 in the ODIs which followed

England won the 2010/11 Ashes series down under 3-1 and lost 6-1 in the ODIs which followed

South Africa won a test series in England in 2008 and lost 4 ODIs which followed

Personally, I think there is bound to be complacency once you have won a high profile test series and it’s easy to take the foot off the gas and begin to take the opposition for granted once the major format is done with, especially when you win the series in such dominating style. Perhaps the ICC should start to schedule tours more with T20s and ODIs at the beginning rather than at the back end of the tour as a leading up process to the test series almost as a first look at the opposition. It can be seen as preparation for the series which really counts.

30 Predictions and Wants Reviewed vs England

1) Undefeated in all 3 series formats, winning 2 of them.

1 down 2 to go

Updated: Not achieved

2) Same top 6 to be played in all 3 tests.

Achieved – continuity and stability in selection has been a feature of MUHs captaincy. It has been backed with consistency in on field performance and off field conduct

3) Graeme Swann to have a SR of above 100 whereas Ajmal has one below 80. Swann to have an average nearing 40 whereas Ajmal to have one below 32.
Ajmal to have 5 more wickets than Swann and out bowl him in terms of average and SR as well as the overall wicket tally.

Ajmal had 24 scalps in 3 tests – 6 innings
Swann had 13 scalps in 3 tests – 5 innings

4) Win at least 5 of the 10 internationals and lose only a maximum of 3.

Already won 3 now just need 2/7 more to achieve that

Not achieved
5) All the Pakistan batsmen from 3-5 to have an average in excess 45 from Pakistan during the course of the test series.

Azhar Ali achieved an average of above 50.
Younis and MUH had averages in the high 30s.
However, none of the opposition even had averages in the 30s!

6) Azhar Ali to face 750 deliveries in the 3 match test series and set the benchmark, preferably even spend more deliveries at the crease than Trott.

727 in 5 innings out of a potential 6 this was the highest BF quantity in the 3 match series

7) Misbah to face 450 deliveries in the 3 match test series in the 1st innings alone.

MUH got in the 300s with 2 dogged first innings half centuries in the first 2 innings he had

8) 3 centuries from Pakistan’s batsmen.

We had 2 centuries in the series and both came from the hosts in Younis Khan and Azhar Ali who made 127 and 157 in the 3rd innings of the 3rd test

9) Azhar Ali averaging higher than Trott

Azhar almost doubled Trott’s average and outperformed him at #3

10) Misbah averaging higher than Strauss and taking more catches than Strauss.

Misbah clearly won the battle of the captains in batting, but he didn’t get any catches coming his way during the series which is somewhat of a surprise

11) Having at least 4 Pakistan batsmen averaging in the best 7 from the 3 match test series.

They had 5 in the top 7 from their top 6 with Taufeeq missing out

12) A Pakistani batsman to play a 300 ball innings.

Azhar Ali’s 442 ball vigil in Dubai for the 3rd test 3rd innings

13) Hafeez going at under 3 and taking 4 wickets during the test series.

Hafeez claimed 5 wickets and went at under 3 RPO

14) Rehman going at under 3 and taking 9 in the tests.

Rehman went at well under 3 with 19 in the series

15) Leading overall tour wicket taker to be a Pakistani.

Saeed Ajmal with 39 wickets

16) 3 Pakistanis in the top 5 test series leading wicket takers.

The top 2 leading wicket takers were Ajmal and Rehman in the series, but Gul was the 6th leading wicket taker in the series and just missed out on the top 6 – nevertheless Ajmal and Rehman were both ahead by a long way and had 5 higher than the next best

17) Gul and Ajmal to have at least 25 wickets combined in the test series at an average of under 33 and an economy of well below 3.

They had 35 between them out of the 60 wickets which fell

18) To post at least 330 in all first innings and ensure the innings duration lasts longer than 130 over mark and even take that to above 155 and overall total of above 450 once in the test series.

338 257 99

19) 2 50s from the Pakistan openers as a bare minimum individually in the series combined and post above 50 for the 1st wicket the same amount of times as a minimum expectation.

We saw 2 50+ stands during the first 3 innings including a century stand
Both Hafeez and Taufeeq registered one half century

20) Misbah to score 4 50s and a valuable 35+ including an unbeaten one in the 10 internationals and average higher than Cook as well in the one day internationals. Not allowing Cook to pass more than 50 twice in the 4 ODIs whereas Misbah gets at least one if not two. Overall Misbah should be targeting above 500 runs aggregate in this tour in all 3 formats combined at an average in the 40s or higher.

7 LOIs to go

21) Avoid any controversies on Pakistan’s side.

Ajmal’s interview and bowling action was a talking point, but nothing major compared to what we have been used to for Pak – Eng series in the past

22) Only lose 1 wicket or less per session on 8 occasions which will be a sign of the batting continuing to click and the team’s hopes to be on track.

We did it 4 times

Azhar and Shafiq - test 2 day 3 3rd session (1 lost)
Azhar and Younis – test 3 day 2 2nd session (none lost)
Azhar and Younis – test 3 Day 2 3rd session (none lost)
Azhar and MUH – test 3 Day 3 1st session (1 lost)

Opposition did it once

Cook and Trott – test 2 day 2 2nd session (none lost)

23) Younis and Misbah to pile on over 100 for the 4th wicket if and when they get together in the tests or if not for the 3rd wicket in ODIs.

ODIs to follow where they will inevitably be at the crease at the same time at some point with time on their hands

24) Highest tour runs scorer and catcher to also be a Pakistani in all 3 formats combined.

On track

25) To bat more overs than England during the first innings in at least 2 tests and also win the first innings as a result 2 times. Overall to bat for at least 35-40 overs more than England in the first innings and show a level of endurance and resilient batting durability.

1st test – Pak had a lead of 146
2nd test – Eng had a lead of 70
3rd test – Eng had a lead of 42

26) Winning an ODI by 60 runs or 6 wickets. A really comprehensive show along the way.

Will happen for sure

27) 2 Pakistani MOMs in the test series and the MOTS to also be a Pakistani.

1st test – Saeed Ajmal DUBAI
2nd test – Abdur Rehman ABU DHBAI
3rd test – Azhar Ali DUBAI

MOTS – Saeed Ajmal

28) Ensure we do not go 1-0 down in either test or ODI or even T20s and overcome series LOI decider choking tag should the series go down to the wire which surely will happen in either the T20s or ODIs with it being a 4 match and 3 match series respectively.

Did not happen in the tests as the Greens went 1-0 up

29) A half century and a 40+ from numbers 7-11 in the test series. Lower order needs to show some depth and all roundedness.

Adnan Akmal notched up a vital half century in his 1st innings of the series so we saw a half century from numbers 7-11

30) A Pakistan bowler to take double figured ODI series wickets and really dominates proceedings and show why they are ranked so highly. Hafeez and Ajmal to take 12 between them in the 4 ODIs or more at an economy of under 4.5 and average of below 25.

10 wickets combined all belonging to Ajmal

31) Most productive tour partnerships to be Pakistanis in the test series. 3 in the top 5 aggregate if not better. Pakistan to continue their success in knitting together long, reliable, frustrating, composed and tiring partnerships even if the tempo is circumspect and old fashioned if you like during the process.

Highest was between Azhar and Younis in Dubai for the 3rd test 3rd innings for a 3rd wicket stand of over 200

32) Ajmal to take at least 15 wickets in the 3 tests.

60% higher than that

33) Overall the batsmen from 3-6 battling it out for overall 2100 deliveries combined or more in the test series and all spending valuable time in the middle.

1900 odd in 5 innings so effectively achieved

34) Remove the last 4 for a maximum of 120 or under consistently during the test series.

35) 3 batsmen from Pakistan to score over 300 in the test series and all batsmen to score at least 150 in the test series. To have 13 scores of 50 or above from Pakistan's batsmen.

No batsmen scored an aggregate of 300 in the series from either side
Barring Taufeeq all batsmen scored 150 or more in the series as an overall aggregate 9 batsmen scored 50 or more

Top Performers Prediction

PAKISTAN

Youngsters in Tests

Azhar + Junaid

Experienced names in Tests

Younis + Ajmal

Overall Key Batsmen: Younis Khan – the 127 was a masterpiece
Overall Key Bowler: Saeed Ajmal
Overall Key Fielder: Azhar Ali

MOTS: Azhar, Younis, Misbah, Ajmal

Azhar got a MOM
Ajmal got MOTS

ENGLAND

Youngsters in Tests

Cook and Bresnan (now Broad)

Experienced names in Tests
Trott and Swann

Overall Key Batsmen: Trott
Overall Key Bowler: Swann
Overall Key Fielder: Cook

MOTS: Trott, Bell, Swann, Prior


PAKISTAN

Youngsters in ODIs

Umar Akmal + 2nd opener depending on who is selected + Wahab Riaz

Experienced names in ODIs

Misbah + Hafeez + Gul

Overall Key Batsmen: Misbah ul Haq
Overall Key All Rounder: Mohammad Hafeez
Overall Key Bowler: Wahab Riaz
Overall Key Fielder: Younis Khan

MOTS: Mohammad Hafeez

ENGLAND

Youngsters in ODIs

Kieswetter and Finn

Experienced names in ODIs

Trott and KP

Overall Key Batsmen: KP
Overall Key Bowler: Swann
Overall Key All Rounder: Patel
Overall Key Fielder:

MOTS: KP

PAKISTAN

Youngsters in T20s

2nd opener (Awais Zia) + Aizaz Cheema

Experienced names in T20s

Misbah and Afridi

Overall Key Batsmen: The 2nd opener depending on who is selected
Overall Key All Rounder: Mohammad Hafeez
Overall Key Bowler: Saeed Ajmal
Overall Key Fielder: Misbah ul Haq

MOTS: Misbah-ul-Haq/Abdul Razzaq if utilised properly and fit


ENGLAND

Youngsters

Bairstow and Dernbach

Experienced Names

Morgan and Swann

Overall key Batter: Morgan
Overall Key All Rounder: Bopara
Overall Key Bowler: Jade Dernbach

MOTS: Morgan

Most catches: Younis and Misbah

Most runs: Misbah

Most wickets: Ajmal

Pakistan’s 5 most valuable players
Misbah
Ajmal
Hafeez
Younis
Gul

England’s 5 most valuable players
Cook
Trott
Swann
Anderson
KP

Outsiders who will shine will be Azhar Ali and Steve Finn:

Azhar Ali – leading run scorer in the test series with 2 vital knocks
Steven Finn – Tremlett was preferred in the 1st test as the 3rd seamer and England went in with 2 finger spinners for the next 2 tests – watch out for him in the ODIs as he was one of the bright spots in England’s ODI tour of India in October


Players who MAY struggle
Cook – 4 out of 6 times failed to get into double figures & apart from that made 94 and 49 when he did get into double figures
Morgan
Broad
Anderson
Taufeeq
Swann - least effective of the spinners on show
Rehman

Pakistan



England

Top Order Analysis – Pak vs. Eng Test Series 2012 – Pakistan Perspective

Mohammad Hafeez 6/10 – Mohammad Hafeez scored 1 half century in 5 innings, held on to important catches and had 5 wickets at just an average of 16 including dismissing either Cook or Strauss 3 times early in their innings to break the opening partnership with a relatively new ball each time. 4 times he was trapped LBW in 5 times he was dismissed and the vast majority came against the spinners. Monty got him 3 of the times in the 5 dismissals whereas Swann and Anderson got him LBW one time each.

Taufeeq Umar 5/10 – Taufeeq had a noteworthy test match at Dubai in the 1st test with a half century followed by an unbeaten stay to get the hosts over the line untroubled to take a thumping 10 wicket win. However, Taufeeq was dismissed cheaply in the next 4 innings with Swann getting him in Abu Dhabi bowled both time on the off stump line and Anderson removed him in his first or 2nd over with the new ball both times in the 3rd test with one delivery swinging back and the other shaping across as Taufeeq edged behind. Taufeeq also spilled a regulation catch in the slip cordon of Alastair Cook which could have proved to be costly. Taufeeq did put on 50 or above with Hafeez twice in the series for the opening stand. Taufeeq has now featured in 15 consecutive tests or 7 full series opening the batting with Hafeez, which is the most by any Pakistani opening pair.

Azhar Ali 9/10 – Forget the low scores and trouble caused by Broad as we witnessed 2 vital innings in pressure situations during the course of the series. Azhar piled on an invaluable stand of 88 for the 5th wicket with Shafiq in Abu Dhabi to provide the bowlers with something to bowl at and prevent England from running through the line up on the evening session of the 2nd test day 3 when they had Pakistan 55/4 with the best part of 2 hours left in the day and only the youngsters and tail left, but they managed to survive to stumps without further loss and take the score to 125/4 to keep Pakistan’s hopes alive at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

It was encouraging to see 2 young technically and temperamentally well equipped batters in their mid 20s digging their side out of trouble and demonstrating utmost character and responsibility with their resistant, disciplined, spirited approach. Azhar top scored in the 2nd innings of the 2nd test. In Dubai for the 3rd test Azhar complied a marathon effort for his 158 which he spent approximately 9 hours at the crease. The match was in the balance and if anything England had their noses in front when he walked out to the middle as the Greens looked to cut off the 42 run deficit they had conceded and then going on to lose both their openers whilst they were still trailing behind. Azhar managed to survive and looked solid in defence as he was 1* from 29 as tea closed in. Then, batted 2 full sessions without losing a wicket alongside Younis Khan who was having a stinker of a series up to this point as the Greens concluded day 2 at 222/2 for stumps after England had been shot out for 141 and Pakistan had been bundled out for 99 having won the toss on the opening day. This was a remarkable recovery.

Their stand which was the highest of the series grinded England down mentally and physically and even if the rest of the order collapsed in a heap which they did in the middle session of the 4th day it was always going to be a mountain to climb from their perspective. What stood out about Azhar was how he eliminated DRS out of the equation, fluently tackled the spinners and showed endless persistence and perseverance early in his innings to get set for a long composed determined vigil as the test drifted away from England’s hands the longer he was out there.

The KRL batsmen churned, wore, worked over, pro longed the innings duration, earned England’s respect, provided a firm platform for further easier accumulation/consolidation and frustrated the bowling into dust over a longer period in order to reach his career best test score as he negotiated with Swann and Monty securely in the 442 deliveries he spent at the middle which is the longest he has batted as a firm defensive founder, stodgy accumulator, workhorse, traditional blocker and innings holder. The true test virtues of discipline, mental toughness, determination, temperament unflappability, resistance, stamina and technical solidity were on display.

Azhar was the leading run scorer in this tour and the only batsmen from either party to score over 200 runs as he ended on 251 in 5 innings at an average of 50+. This was the highest average of the series in what has been a bowler dominant low scoring series. Azhar made the highest individual score in the series, just like he did for Pakistan on Pakistan’s tour of England in 2010 where we saw that unbeaten 92 in a match winning cause at the Oval.

The classical old school crease occupier also faced the most deliveries in the series with 727. In all 3 series which have been contested in the UAE against the South Africans, Sri Lankans and now England, Azhar has ended the series as the 1st or 2nd in the most runs, balls faced, 50+ scores registered and highest average. Azhar has only lost 1 in 9 series as a player since debuting at Lords in 2010 against the Aussies. Azhar has now entered the top 10 on the ICC batsmen test rankings alongside SRT. The future captain has 13 50s and 2 centuries in 39 test innings with both his centuries coming at the DSC.

In all 4 sessions which Pakistan had on this tour where they only lost 1 wicket or less featured Azhar Ali which is a significant period in the context of the match scenario due to wickets falling quickly in the series and Azhar alongside his partner managed to block the passage, interrupt the pattern of wickets falling quickly, pick the bowling to negotiate with what was being sent down at them and ultimately this led to getting some partnerships rolling.

Pak - Wash Is Not Finished Yet......

The 3-0 mission accomplished in the most significant format was monumentally, pleasantly surprising jubilance which no one could have seriously thought about in terms of a series score-line along those lines, but the job is not completed yet by any stretch of the imagination and there is more dominance to follow and many more victories although they won’t quite be as resounding as the test ones, but ODI cricket is Pakistan’s forte which they take equally as seriously. Generally the ODI format in this part of the world has higher viewership, crowd attendances and genuine excitement. Going by how pessimistic some of the England supporters are about their team’s chances in the one day internationals which start next week over winning even a single one day international let alone draw or win the 4 match series, there is almost every chance for Captain Misbah’s Team Pakistan to whitewash the visitors in ALL formats and end up with a 10-0 score line once the whole tour concludes on Monday 27th February in Abu Dhabi.

England have been woeful in sub continental conditions and lost 5-0 in India last year whereas in the World Cup only managed 3 victories in 7 encounters. They are below the men in green on the ICC ODI rankings by some way. Last two ODI series they have played against the men in green away from home have ended in defeats for them. Cook and Broad are inexperienced captains and England is vulnerable to spin on the slow and low wickets.

For the hosts majority of the overs will be bowled by the slower men who control the flow of runs, take wickets and are consistently reliable performers. It’s a squeezing process to overcome for the batsmen and each of the trio of spinners is different which never allows you to settle as a batter. With anything even over 200 on the board batting first and Pakistan will fancy their chances by turning to their spinners under lights, who get through their overs quickly not allowing batsmen to think on their feet, build pressure with dot deliveries, can come on early with the new ball to surprise the top order and with varieties in repertoire can break partnerships and cause panic in the dressing room at any moment. Lastly, they also have the skill, experience and confidence of bowling in the batting power play and can be extremely difficult to get hold of and subsequently trigger collapses courtesy of Saeed Ajmal’s mesmerising mysteries.

The off spinners Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez are ranked at 1 and 2 on the ICC ODI bowling rankings which just shows how impressively they have delivery in ODI colours over the last year whereas the multi talented leg spinner Shahid Afridi was the 2nd leading ODI wicket taker last year with 45 scalps in 27 outings including 4 5 wicket hauls with his canny flattish sharp drifting leg spinners, sliders and top spinners. The talismanic leg spinning all rounder has kept him busy by playing for the Melbourne Renegades down under while the national test team were up against Bangladesh and England and had a decent time of it over there from a personal point of view. How well England can negotiate and tackle these gifted, accurate and unorthodox spinners will be the deciding factor in the brief ODI series. The Men in Green are firm favourites, looking forward to the contests and the tourists will be up against it. We shouldn’t be surprised to see Pakistan win this series 4-0. It will be a challenging ride for Cook’s side and even harder than what they were up against during the test series which they’ll want to put behind them as quick as possible after suffering the humiliation of a clean sweep.

The visitors will be taking on their Lions squad for a warm up fixture on Friday who have just beaten the Sri Lankan A team 3-2 in a 5 match unofficial ODI series whereas Misbah and company they will be heading to Sharjah for a one day international against Afghanistan on the same day where they will be looking to dominate and perhaps experiment.

Only 2 of 8 KP writers had The Asian Side definitely claiming the series in the preview which was published on the 3rd of January titled: “England will be put through a tough Pakistan test”and that too by only a 1 match margin with a 1-0 scoreline. 1 of our writers hesitatingly sat on the fence at 1-0 either way, 2 said 1-1 including myself, 2 said 0-0 whereas one thought England would bag the series 1-0. Few of us expected Pakistan to win the series, compete and draw respectably perhaps yes, but winning it was not what we expected in all honesty. None of us said we would win the series by a 2 match margin, but it turned out to be by a 3 match margin. In the preview I also mentioned that 2 results was pushing it and 3 results was close to impossible, but as it stands the Greens have won all 3 tests with all 3 tests having results. We expected docile tracks, high scoring draws and uneventful action, but it was nothing but fast paced test cricket with wickets falling in clusters and tests continuously progressing forward towards an outcome with every session and none of the 3 tests went into day 5 believe it or not. 110 wickets fell in 11 days with over 3 wickets falling per session.

There were several reasons for this –

a) High quality bowling, both teams bowled exceptionally and it was refreshing to see some top class spin bowling in particular from both of the sides because as Nasser mentioned we had seen some ordinary, average, mediocre spinners for some time in world cricket, but here we had talented finger spinners from both sides and a mystery bowler from Pakistan in the form of Ajmal who injected fear in batsmen and posed some serious questions
b) DRS and batsmen being paranoid as a result of getting struck on the pad with a record number of LBWs falling for a 3 match series in this tour
c) Out of form batsmen who were short of runs and confidence
d) England’s batsmen struggling to adapt to the slow paced nature of scoring rates in this part of the world and lacking patience and application to play long old fashioned dogged test match innings
e) Ajmal’s pre series talk really playing in the minds of England’s batters
f) England’s preparation not being up to scratch while Pakistan were playing the Sri Lankans and Bangladeshis as I incidentally said in my preview for why they had a slight advantage over England coming into this series
g) England Not being able to lift themselves after losing 5 wickets in the opening session of the series of their top 5 batsmen without 60 on the board at the lunch interval with Ajmal bagging 3 wickets in his first 10 deliveries he sent down. Starting a series well is so often so important for what goes to happen at the end of it all
h) Underestimating the Pakistan team after the spot fixing scandal and how far they had come under Misbah ul Haq and talking of underestimating they also did so for the Pakistani bowler Rehman and Gul whereas they were taken a bit by suprirse by Hafeez who got 5 left handers dismissed at just 16 as all the talk was surrounding Saeed Ajmal

Combined Series 11

1) Mohammad Hafeez
2) Alastair Cook
3) Azhar Ali
4) Younis Khan
5) Misbah ul Haq (C)
6) Asad Shafiq
7) Matt Prior (WK)
8) Stuart Broad
9) Abdur Rehman
10) Saeed Ajmal
11) James Anderson

Pakistan’s ODI Squad

Batsmen

Misbah ul Haq (C)
Younis Khan
Azhar Ali
Asad Shafiq
Imran Farhat
Shoaib Malik (added on the request of Misbah ul Haq)

Wicket Keepers

Umar Akmal
Adnan Akmal

All Rounders

Mohammad Hafeez
Shahid Afridi
Hammad Azam

Fast Bowlers

Umar Gul
Wahab Riaz
Aizaz Cheema
Junaid Khan

Specialist Spinners

Saeed Ajmal
Abdur Rehman

Sessions WON

Pak 21
Eng 12

1st test: 6-3 Pak
2nd test: 6-6
3rd test: 9-3 Pak

Statistics Round Up : Test 3 | Day 1

The 99 AO was the lowest score by Pakistan under Misbah’s captaincy and only the 3rd time the team has been bundled out for under 200 in a test match under him in the 15th tests

38 of the 46 wickets which Pakistan have taken in the series have belonged to the spinners: Ajmal, Rehman and Hafeez with Gul claiming 7 along the way and Cheema taking a solitary wicket in the 1st test opening day here in Dubai when Trott was strangled down the leg side in the morning session

86 wickets have fallen in effectively 8 full days of cricket in this series, meaning on average there has been well over 3 wickets falling per session

All 4 times in this series Misbah ul Haq has been dismissed LBW, 3 times he referred unsuccessfully

Azhar Ali has been caught behind 3 innings out of 4 in this series and has fallen to Broad 3 times and all of the times he has fallen to the pacers which have brought his downfall

Mohammad Hafeez has been trapped LBW 3 times out of 4 in this series

Saeed Ajmal has also been trapped LBW 3 times out of 4 in this series

Pakistan has batted first having won the toss twice under Misbah’s captaincy and won both times. However, the 3 times they have batted first including today they failed to reach 300

Abdur Rehman has fallen to the spin of Graeme Swann 3 times out of 4 in the series including the dismissal today

Younis Khan is the only Pakistan batsman who is yet to register a 50 in the series after 4 innings. However, Bell, Morgan, KP has not done so for England either

Cook has fallen in single digits 4 times out of 5 in the series

The last time England were whitewashed in a test series was in 2006/07 Ashes where they lost humiliatingly 5-0

Sessions: Pakistan 2 England 1
Overall: Pakistan 14 England 10

Proportional Verdict

Pakistan win = 80%
England win = 20%

10 to remember

Broad to Taufeeq: It shaped in and straightened from around the wicket to shatter the furniture and clip the top of the off stump bail which is exactly what coaches’ order for fast bowlers. It was England’s 1st wicket of the series and it was a peach of a delivery to break the opening stand. It was a dream delivery from Broad.

Test 1 Day 2 Session 1 Pak 1st innings

Monty to Younis: This was bowling of the highest order as Monty was setting Younis up with arm deliveries angling in to the right hander, but he managed to get one to turn and escape through the defences at speed which Younis had no answer to as the off stump was pegged back by the Sussex man.

Test 2 Day 4 Session 2 Pak 2nd innings

Rehman to Broad: The left arm spinner bowled him through the gate as he enticed him to drive through the off side, but the ball spun back between bat and pad, handsomely, as Broad was on his way without troubling the scorers after scoring an enterprising unbeaten half century in the first innings. This was the 2nd wicket of the over as England lost their 7th and Rehman had his first 5 wicket haul at test match level after getting many 4 fors before.

Test 2 Day 5 Session 3 Eng 2nd innings

Ajmal to Bell: Ajmal had his 2nd wicket in 2 deliveries after Bell was caught behind to the perfect doosra which brought him forward, but not totally committed and turned enough to find the edge which Adnan did not spill. The length was perfect, the variation was disguised expertly and the turn was sufficient enough to do the trick as Bell, arguably England’s best player of spin was on his way back with a golden duck. What followed was an abysmal series for Bell with 3 innings without any big score as Ajmal’s uniqueness had him in screws.

Test 1 Day 1 Session 1 Eng 1st innings

Hafeez to Cook: Intelligent bowling change from Misbah to employ him into the attack early in the piece and the Professor did the trick by dismissing Cook on the 3rd delivery of the over. The first two balls were interesting as Cook got a leading edge on the first ball looking to work towards the on side and on the 2nd delivery pushed back, but just managed to get the piece of wood down in time to survive, but 3rd time lucky for Hafeez and he had his man as Cook attempted to cut but got a thin edge as Adnan ensured he held on. It was the 1st breakthrough of the series and unsurprisingly it was the professor coming on with the new ball hardness and nipping out a left hander.

Test 1 Day 1 Session 1 Eng 1st innings

Trott to Younis: Sharp seam movement from the innocuous Trott who was doing a decent job with his handy medium pacers. Trott got the prize scalp of a 6000+ test run scorer and the hosts most capped batsmen as Younis was looking in pretty sound nick but Trott brought his downfall and prevented him from going on once he got a start.

Test 1 Day 2 Session 2 Pak 1st innings

Swann to Rehman: Shoaib Akhtar who was providing his thoughts on the series on a new local TV channel said Manna could no do anything differently on this ball and I agree with him. It spun at speed angling into the stumps and turned enough away from the left hander to brush the top of the off stump bail as Rehman departed in the penultimate over of the day without troubling the scorers.

Test 2 Day 1 Session 3 Pak 1st innings

Broad to Ali: It was an attacking length inviting the drive as Ali was tempted into one, but the ball came back and found the way through to send the off stump cart wheeling as Ali departed in the 20s on a test venue where he’s had a stupendous record.

Test 2 Day 1 Session 2 Pak 1st innings

Rehman to Trott: This broke the 100+ stand for the 2nd wicket between the left hand right hand combination between Cook and Trott which looked like taking England well into the lead as Trott was castled with a sharp turner from Rehman which pitched down leg and knocked back the off stump. Trott walked off acknowledging the delivery as the 2011 ICC cricketer of the year had his stumps sent down. Rehman removed the set batsmen with an inspirational moment.

Test 2 Day 2 Session 3 England 1st innings

Rehman to Swann: It turned marginally as Rehman got his opposite number in the final session of the opening day of the series as it pitched on middle and did enough to find the way past and give Swann the long walk back. There was rare turn on that one on a pitch which was doing little.

Test 1 Day 1 Session 3 England 1st innings

Half Way Through

After cleaning up the visitors for 327 with 9 of the wickets belonging to the spinners, the hosts trailed by exactly 70 going into the critical 3rd innings which could make or break the outcome of this Abu Dhabi test.

Andrew Strauss’s woes continued as a tentative prod against Mohammad Hafeez brought his downfall as the ball ballooned up in the air for the simplest of catches for Asad Shafiq under the helmet as the England captain departed. Cook and Trott got together and piled on over 100 for 2nd wicket with an antirational approach at the crease as they grinded and nudged the ball around and dug hard to provide some direction and stability to the innings with an effective left right combination. However, Trott was denied a 3 figure score as the slow left arm spin of Rehman foxed him with a splendid delivery that castled Trott. Cook was removed on 94 when he decided not to go upstairs for a DRS when Ajmal spun one back into the pads for an LBW from a doosra delivered from over the wicket just shortly after he had been whipped on the back foot through mid wicket and mid on by Cook for a well timed boundary.

Ian Bell who was struggling to read Ajmal looked scratchy and was beaten regularly by sharp turn and bounce, but managed to stay to the end, but down the other end KP drove loosely to an off break and got an inside edge which popped up from the boot to slip where Hafeez held on. Eoin Morgan was in a tangle against Ajmal unsure of the spin imparted outside the off stump as he looked to defend tentatively and was on his way back to the pavilion in the final over of the day as a dismissed batsmen as Ajmal struck in the final over of the day with an off break which found the edge as Hafeez claimed yet another catch in the slip.

England went in to day 5 50 behind with 5 wickets left in the tank as Prior and Bell resumed proceedings. Prior was dropped at deep square leg in the early phases of day 5 by Junaid Khan who dropped a dolly, but soon perished as he pressed back to a sharp turning Ajmal off break as he was dismissed in similar fashion to what happened in Dubai last week as Ajmal got his 4th of the innings and 14th of the series.

Broad came in and looked positive and dangerous immediately as he got off the mark with a paddle sweep to the very first delivery he faced and looked to take the bowlers on with selective and powerful hitting, unafraid to go over the top. The Nottinghamshire bowling all rounder raced to a timely half century at approximately a run a ball to take England well into the lead with an attacking counter attack. However, Bell fell when Misbah finally decided to take the 2nd new ball before that with one nipping back off the seam as Bell reviewed unsuccessfully. Swann played some cracking strokes through the off side against Junaid who was ineffective and unimpressive, but his stay was short lived as Rehman got him with a straighter one which would have undoubtedly gone on to hit to stumps as Swann was dismissed by spin for the 3rd time in the series. James Anderson managed to survive until tea and played some surprisingly fine strokes against the hard-to-pick Ajmal, allowing Broad to extend his counter attack even further as Strauss’s men were 66 in front at lunch with 2 wickets left and Broad looking in sublime touch still there as 112 were added in a productive and critical session.

Nonetheless, Hafeez completed the job by dismissing the two tail ended left handers from around the wicket to strengthen his formidable tendency of getting left handers as the bulk of his scalps even more.

The pitch here in Abu Dhabi has surprised quite a few and provided appreciative turn and purchase for the slower men which is expected to get progressively worst and harder for batting. Some deliveries are kicking off and going square, literally. It’s made an intriguing and fascinating contest from what was supposedly meant to be an unresponsive track and the curator deserves to be applauded for preparing a fine sporting wicket. Anything above 200 will be tricky and examining to chase down in the 4th innings and 250-300 in front and the hosts will certainly be favourites to go 2 up and subsequently seal the series. However, they must bat with character in the 3rd innings and avoiding getting blown away by the balanced and penetrative English attack and bat for at least 3.5 and preferably 4 sessions and reach the 130 over mark to get at least 300 on the board. Even 10 or 15 over 200 will give them somewhat of a sniff. Ideally, 350 would be great with just around a day to bowl out England. A total of 400 will really send the chances of an England win out of the window and would be a dream total. The likes of Younis and Azhar need to stand up and make an impression like they did throughout 2011 as they are the only two batsmen who are yet to score a half century in the series from the Pakistan top 6 and both were expected to do well against England, Younis in particular. The inform batsmen and captain Misbah ul Haq who has 3 successive test 50s will need to continue his successful run in the middle order. The tail who all had 0s next to their name from 8-11 will need to take a leaf out of England’s book and show some resistance as their contributions can be vital with 15, 20s, 30s. They for sure will need an improved display and not let England rattle them so easily. The key for the batsmen will be all about being positive and precise in their foot work and defence, using their bat as much as possible and picking up on the subtleties from the finger spinners to avoid LBWs, taking on the bowlers every now and against just to remind them that they are serious about winning so they can break the shackles and occupy the crease easier and perhaps even push the field back and judging the length well against the English seamers and not getting enticed into those loose drives and understanding the bounce of the surface properly. They will need to deal with the mental stress being implied with bat pads who will be chirping away with plenty of noise.

Test 2 | Day 1

Toss: Misbah won the toss and elected to bat first. This is only the 2nd time that they are batting first in the 14 tests that he has captained. Last time they did so they beat the West Indies in Guyana to square the 2 match series in May.

Selection: Junaid Khan, the Lancastrian overseas player in 2011 who claimed a memorable 5 wicket haul against the Sri Lankans here in October came in for Cheema whereas for the visitors Monty got a go with Tremlett’s injury ahead of Finn and Onions as England fielded 2 specialist spinners for the first time since the opening Ashes test match at Cardiff in July 2009. Apart from that both parties were unchanged.

Pitch and conditions: It was meant to be placid and extremely unresponsive. A dreading experience for the bowlers was awaited. However, there was turn and purchase and to some degree extravagant turn on day 1 for the slower men and it was chillier than usual in the UAE. The crowd was by and large disappointing and rather empty.

Ball of the day: There were several - Monty getting Hafeez with an arm ball the very next delivery after he spilled a caught and bowled opportunity. Hafeez misread the length as he went back looking to cut, but the ball skidded through straight to shatter the furniture. Monty was delighted.

Shot of the day: Taufeeq off driving Anderson with a firm push down the ground to beat mid off and race away to the fence with excellent timing to open his account and get off the mark on the first delivery he faced in the very first over and 4th ball of the test match with the close to perfect off drive as he capitalised on somewhat of a half volley, probably looking for some swing in the air.

Action: Misbah taking Monty on with consecutive 6s over long with some clean striking early in his innings as he took the attack to the bowler coming in at the usual 3 down position in just the 44th over. In the 94th over Misbah took Monty again, it was the last over of the day and he got back to back 6s again with some big blows.

POD: Misbah ul Haq who registered his 2nd half century of the series with a classical old school test innings where a time consuming crease occupation was demonstrated to grind out the bowling, churn out the runs gradually, frustrate the opposition, overcome passages when the going was tough, hold the innings together, set a foundation and try and squeeze the venom out of the bowling over a longer period. The key was valuing, respecting and priding his wicket as if his life was depending on it and showing a chanceless approach for digging in deep and long. Misbah, the Pakistan captain will want to add at least 40 more to his score tomorrow in order to earn a well deserved and hard fought gutsy and enduring century.

Sessions

Morning: 73/2 (31) – Eng

Afternoon: 104/2 (34) – Pak

Evening: 79/3 (29) - Eng

Day: England

Series:Pak 7 Eng 5 /12

Statistics

Hafeez and Taufeeq have 10 50+ stand in 30 test innings together and got their 2nd of the series in effectively 2 innings

All top 4 batsmen had their stumps pegged

Cook and Strauss will become the 1st English pair to appear in 100 innings together during this test match

Team Pakistan have posted 330 or more 10 times in the 1st innings in 13 tests under the leadership of Misbah ul Haq

Azhar Ali has been dismissed by Broad 4 times in the 36 test innings he has had at test level with 10 coming against England

Pakistan have fielded the same top 6 for 7 tests in a row now

Both test matches which have been played at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium have ended in high scoring draws

The Electric Fence aka Misbah has scored 13 50+ scores in 22 test innings as captain including 7 NOs in that package

Shafiq has 5 50+ scores in 16 test innings

Prediction for tomorrow: Pakistan 345 AO (all depends on Misbah)
England: 179/3

Looking ahead: Misbah needs to bat right to the end and take the odd calculated blow in between and stretch this total as far as possible. If he could last at least 90 minutes or more in the morning and help Pakistan get above 330 that will be a job well done. 300 has to be the minimum target. I feel from an early look that this test will be decided in the 3rd innings and if Pakistan batsmen do not falter they should be able to hang on for at least a draw if not better. It looks like if England have improved on their batting display in Dubai that they will at least get a lead and go in front here and then unleash their spinners in the 3rd innings hoping to get Pakistan skittled relatively cheaply with enough time to knock off the runs and square the series. Pakistan will be more than happy to draw this test and maintain the series lead. The top order MUST bat considerably better 2nd time around, especially Azhar and Younis who have failed so far in the series in order to avoid getting bowled out quickly and give England a strong shout of coming back and pushing for the win. Killing and taking time out of the game will be important from their point of view.

Key Mouth Watering Battles

Strauss vs Misbah

Both leaders are very diplomatic, educated and experienced. They are two of the most well polished individuals in the sport with their off field achievements to complement their on - field sublime consistency and cherishing track records. These qualities will surely be useful in rejuvenating the relations between the two countries as both leaders present a thorough professional account of their side in their mannerisms, level headed quotes and ability to speak professionally with the press. Negative headlines and poor sportsmanship does not serve any healthy purpose to promote sport and both surely will be doing their level best to ensure things do not go out of bounds.

Both captains are tactically and strategically well known for their credentials amongst their team members and both like to lead from the front and set the example. Both of them have top notch slip fielding capabilities. Both of them know how to gel and extract the best out of their teams. Both of them have test averages in the 40s and are willing workers at the crease. Both of them are in their mid to late 30s. Both have a set and well tried workable strategy they employ at the toss if they end up calling correctly. Both have that element of sedateness and classicalness in their batting approaches. Both are controversy free characters. Both are generally rated highly by pundits. Whoever performs better could turn out to be a decisive factor in the final outcome.

I think Strauss is susceptible to spin bowling on the slow and low wickets in the UAE whereas Misbah knows the conditions better than most which will give him somewhat of an advantage to capitalise on. Moreover, some of the Pakistan bowlers have seen Strauss before whereas Misbah hasn’t played a test against England before. Strauss last played an international in August whereas Misbah has been playing all 3 formats regularly. Misbah has the height and physic to counter the tall English seamers and is pretty sound and steady against all types of spin bowling so will negotiate with Swann who will be far less threatening than his dominance in 2010 where he averaged just 12 per wicket. Strauss prefers pace on the ball and spin will be an integral part of deciding this series so the Middlesex opener will need to adapt. There might even be a temptation to give the new cherry to the Professor first up with Strauss and Cook both being left handers. Misbah will know the importance of removing Strauss early and will be doing his level best to give him some headaches in the field when he walks out to bat with his solid temperament, measured approach and firm resistance. One can expect him to outshine his counterpart.

Swann vs Ajmal

The ultimate battle of the series. Saeed Ajmal is the number 1 bowler in ODIs and number 2 in T20 internationals whereas in tests he was the leading wicket taker last year with 50 scalps which no one else had achieved in just 8 tests. Swann on the other hand was considered as the number 1 spinner in the world pre 2011 and in the early stages of 2011 and even still nowadays by many. Swann was phenomenal against Pakistan when they toured in 2010 with his sharp spinning off breaks and nagging guile, albeit against a weakened Pakistan batting line up. He is more of a conventional off spinner who will plug away with dip, drift and focus on maintaining a strong line and length, enabling him to attack both sides of the bat. Against left handed batsmen, Swann is a clever operator bringing the slip and LBW into the equation with straighter ones, non turners and ones which fizz past the outside edge. However, Pakistan only has 1 left hander in their top 7. Saeed Ajmal is more threatening and possesses greater variety with his ability to bowl both sides of the wicket and turn the balls both ways sharply as well as getting his deliveries to skid and zip off the surface, varying his trajectory and bowling at a variable pace in the air. The batsmen always tend to be searching against him and Saeed has played enough at the highest level now that he can figure out batsmen himself and really understand his strengths properly. I expect the solid, dependable, technically well equipped and disciplined Pakistan batting line up to play Swann better whereas the England top order might have more trouble picking up on Ajmal’s wide range of deliveries whereas for the tail they wouldn’t stand much of a chance unless Ajmal is bowling poorly and if recent form is anything to go by, he certainly shouldn’t. Ajmal will be pumped up to show his uniqueness and one expects him to do better, especially considering the greatest player of spin between the two teams is from the hosts, Younis Khan.

Trott vs Azhar Ali

This will be a key battle between these two resilient, determined, steady, spirited, mentally strong and workman alike gritty crease occupiers who can scrap, graft and value their presence in the middle with their disciplined approach and exemplary defensive game plans to provide the balance, variation and stability in posting totals and battling through sessions with character, heart and a clear sense of plan. They can tire, frustrate, grind, apply, accumulate and gradually work over the opposition step by step with unflappable concentration, tight line of defence, patience to absorb the pressure and tough it out and also the stamina and self trust to last the duration. Who will be tougher and more irritating to dismantle and dislodge? Both will be looking to outperform each other and provide more trouble than the other to the opposing bowlers. From Pakistan’s point of view, they will be hoping Azhar can show the same levels of gutsiness, application and grittiness to get stuck in or dig in deep and long through long partnerships, wicket less sessions and regular 250-300 minute innings and beyond. Azhar should be targeting to perform to same level if not better than Trott, at least through a 'psychologically imposing angle' with at least 3 fighting half centuries during the course of the tour. His record in the UAE is quite remarkable with 5 half centuries and 1 century in 5 tests. Azhar has only been dismissed once for less than 50 in the luxurious set ups of the Middle East Dessert. Both have played 4 tests against each other and have been performing admirably at the all important one down position since debuting in 2009 and 2010 respectively. I back Azhar to notch up the scores and average above 40 in the series and potentially even do better than his opposing number. Misbah’s men can take plenty of confidence from Azhar’s emergence as the new “Wall” of world cricket, that can really provide the responsibility and dependability which is required at this level on a regular basis with such a chanceless and sturdy style of operation. His approach provides the direction, calmness, structure and re-assurance when taking things into perspective and Strauss could argue the same with Warwickshire batsmen. Ali will compete well with Trott.

KP vs Rehman

KPs struggle against slow left arm orthodox bowlers speak for themselves and has been well documented and picked up on by many columnists and pundits. Rehman is likely to get the nod in the starting line up and surely he can be a threat for the mighty flamboyant aggressor. Either way there will be drama when the two go head to head with KP looking to take him apart. Rehman must ensure he holds his nerve and keeps it simple. He should be studying footage of how other left arm spinners have troubled KP in the past and take that into consideration. Rehman was the joint quickest Pakistan spinner to the milestone of 50 test wickets.

Anderson vs Gul

Anderson was accused of ball tampering by Gul last year so there will be some fierce competition between the two when they go head to head. Both are the senior pacers who will be looking to make a statement on those docile tracks. One can expect plenty of sledging and chin music when one is facing up to the other. Anderson will need to concentrate on penetration and pace as there will not be much sideways movement or swing available whereas Gul will be trying to shape the ball across the English left handed openers with the odd one fuller in length and darting back into those pads as the surprise change up. Gul should be focussing on giving the two a stern test of their patience. Gul will inevitably take the new cherry and will need to ensure he doesn’t provide too much width to Strauss or stray on those legs of either opener where they are very strong. Anderson will fancy getting Taufeeq and Hafeez early by getting it to deviate a fraction in those nagging channels.

Swann vs Younis

YK is a master class at encountering spin and was on an exile from national representation when the hosts toured in 2010 and played Swann woefully as the Nottinghamshire finger spinner averaged a phenomenal 12. Swann would not know what has struck him when he faces up to YK who is so tight at prodding with the full face in front of the front pad when he plants his first stride down and sweeps productively, drives smoothly and nudges around the corener tidily. YK covers the angle and spin, operates with soft hands and dabs the ball on to the turf with a firm sense of authority. If Swann gets him early, the off spinner has seen the back of prolific batsmen of spin bowling. It’s a first class education seeing YK negotiating with the spinners in the manner and ease in which he does. YK will know Swann personally from his Nottinghamshire days in 2005 so there is a possibility that they have faced up to each other in the nets in the past although that all counts for nothing in a match context.

Bell vs Shafiq

Both are technically well equipped. Both are short in stature. Both field as bat pads. Both rely on timing and elegance as opposed to explosiveness. Both bat at number 6 in the lower middle order. Both generally play spin pretty efficiently. There are some key similarities between the two although Bell is far more experienced. Can Shafiq compete and match him? England would not have seen much of the Karachi batsmen before and therefore he could be difficult to figure out first up. The pundits in the sky studio picked up on his deficiencies against short pitched bowling where he looked all at sea and therefore the tall visiting pacers might be testing him out by getting him to smell the leather. Shafiq will need to look to survive against the 2^nd new ball as this is a likely time when he will be out in the middle and will need to be addressing the shorter stuff by dropping his hands and swaying out the line. There may well be times where he will be asked to shoulder the responsibility batting with the tail.

Cook and Trott vs Taufeeq and Azhar Ali

Bothhave been highly effective 2^nd wicket stands for their respectivecountries. Both have a left hand right hand combination. All players involvedaverage in excess of 40 at test match level. Both partnerships have beenextremely reliable for their countries. Both rely on perseverance, resistance,controlled stroke play, mental toughness and grit to get through and look toset up the foundations for a sizeable total. Both enjoy batting with each other for both sides and have a sound understanding of each other. Both are bound to perform, but who will edgeout the other? It will be an intriguing contest seeing the pairs battling it out in the middle against some fine bowling line ups. It’s a close call.

Trott vs Wahab

After the throat grabbing incident on Monday 20^thSeptember at Lords which delayed the toss for the 4^th one dayinternational this was one exciting head to head we all looked forward to, butWahab has been excluded for non cricketing terms is has been understood and itis expected he will continued to be ignored for the forthcoming series, but incase he does make the squad this will be one to keep a close eye on.

Cook vs Junaid

Junaid tends to land his deliveries in the corridor of uncertainty as he probes away trying to get the Essex man pushing forward. The disgraced teenage sensation troubled him in the summer of 2010 with this line of attack and while that disgraced teenage sensation may be in prison now serving his 6 month sentence, this may not be the end of the miseries for Cook because the hosts as ever produce talented fast bowlers who fall like leaves and Junaid is no exception. Cook may be relieved with Amir’s absence; however that’s not to say he will not get through uneasy as Junaid has the potential and firepower to knock him over early in the piece with his whippy action, whole heartedness and splendid control of his line and direction. Surely Cook will be challenged.

Swann vs Taufeeq

This is more of a mini battle. Taufeeq is vulnerable against the slower bowlers. Swann will be licking his lips and will be all over him like a hot knife through butter unless Taufeeq finds a away of hanging in there, getting to the non strikers end and getting the bat down in front of the front pad. Swann is bound to have Taufeeq’s number.

England left handers vs Hafeez

Hafeez has a remarkable track record against left handed batsmen. The ‘Professor’ as he is known in the dressing room and amongst his fans as well because he likes to share his thoughts openly, is a cunning operator and has made many left handers his bunny, namely Devon Smith and Tamim Iqbal. This time he will be up against batsmen with greater pedigree, but even then he has actually troubled batsmen with his own guile and variations in all forms of the sport so we cannot rule him out. England have several left handers in their batting order and Hafeez can work them out if he is thrown the ball by Misbah-ul-Haq. One skids ongoing straighter, one drifts in from wider of the crease with a fair deal of revs, one turns and bounces after pitching. You can regard him as an all rounder. His bowling is mighty effective and consistent with those nagging trajectories, undisputable control, regular economical figures and subtle varieties. He has even opened in test matches and with 2 left handed Poms padding up first, there may be a temptation to give him the new cherry.

Mushtaq Ahmed's Presence In The English Camp

The former Pakistan leg spinner who has was integral member of Pakistan’s victorious World Cup campaign in 1992 with his mixture of leg breaks and googlies has been a regular member of the English coaching staff over the years where they have reached record breaking highs. England will be looking for his advice and services more than ever against Pakistan. Mushy, the Sussex living legend, will undoubtedly be an influential figure. He has already voiced his excitement for the series and was relishing the battle between the spinners. It should be interesting to see if Panesar has worked on his bowling if England do decide that 2 specialist spinners is the formula to go by.