Wickets tumble on wild opening day

Andrew Strauss

Published: 2:00pm, 3rd February 2012
Updated: 7:09am, 4th February 2012

Stuart Broad and James Anderson hustled Pakistan out for 99, yet England could take only a minor advantage on a hectic first day of the final Test at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Anderson (three for 35) struck in the first over, and there was no let-up from him and Broad (four for 36) after Misbah-ul-Haq had chosen to bat first.

But Pakistan, bowled out in mid-afternoon, hit back to have the tourists 104 for six at stumps - despite Andrew Strauss' dogged defiance in a 120-ball 41 not out.

Only number six Asad Shafiq (45) had managed significant resistance as England, in danger of a 3-0 whitewash after back-to-back defeats, unleashed Broad and Anderson to devastating effect with the new ball.

Immediate impressions were that England had bowled well and Pakistan batted especially poorly on a perfectly feasible pitch of decent pace, with just occasional seam movement. But that premise looked ropy as the reply stumbled to seven for two before tea.

Alastair Cook chased a wide ball, to be well-caught behind off Umar Gul by a diving Adnan Akmal, and then Jonathan Trott fell to the same bowler - lbw to a full-length delivery, and ignoring a DRS option only for Hawkeye to suggest the ball would have gone on to miss leg-stump.

Strauss and Kevin Pietersen convinced as England batsmen so rarely have, over the past two weeks, in a third-wicket stand of 57 in which the latter appeared in notably good form. But Pietersen was to become the eighth lbw victim of the day, and world-record 34th for any three-match series.

He was perhaps unfortunate too to see Simon Taufel's decision confirmed by DRS, even though technology indicated the delivery from Abdur Rehman (three for 23) - Pietersen's slow left-arm jinx again - would have barely shaved leg-stump.

There was to be an element of bad luck about England's next dismissal too - Ian Bell undone by a Saeed Ajmal doosra, over-balancing only momentarily yet just long enough for the ball to ricochet straight back off the wicketkeeper's gloves just before his foot had slid back behind the crease.

There was still time too before the close of an uncanny day for Eoin Morgan to go lbw and Matt Prior bowled to Rehman's orthodox spin.