Advertisement

England open Pakistan tour with heartening display in Sharjah on day one

England open Pakistan tour with heartening display in Sharjah on day one

England posted four heartening individual half-centuries as they rediscovered the difficulty of facing Pakistani spin in the UAE.

Captain Alastair Cook (53), his deputy Joe Root (59), then Jonny Bairstow (66 not out) and Adil Rashid (51no) helped the tourists to 286 for five against Pakistan A in Sharjah, after they had chosen to give their batsmen the first chance to acclimatise to stifling conditions on Monday.

But there were less convincing contributions in particular from Cook’s prospective Test opening partner Moeen Ali, and then Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler – who both went cheaply.

- INDvSA: Crowd trouble cannot stop South Africa
- ZIMvPAK: Asif shines as Pakistan claim series win
- Cricket Xtra: West Indies cricket is crumbling
- GALLERY: England team practice at ICC Academy

The first instalment of this two-day match, on a slow-motion surface, therefore amounted to a work in progress as England search for a foothold in the desert before next week’s first Test.

Moeen put in an inconclusive audition, with a patchy 22 before a mis-pull at Zia-ul-Haq – but based on selection for this first of the week’s warm-up fixtures, still app- ears favourite ahead of the uncapped Alex Hales for a new Test role at the top of the order.

Moeen appeared less composed than Cook, but there were no alarms until, in the 18th over, he tried to control a loopy short ball and got a little too much on it to be caught by a tumbling Ehsan Adil at deep backward square leg.

Joined by Pakistan Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq, when he was called up at the last minute from outside the published squad, the hosts used all six frontline bowling options before lunch – and England found run-scoring a painstaking process on a pitch with precious little pace or bounce but some turn.

That did not worry Cook, who waited for his chance to find four boundaries as he dug out a 126-ball 50 in only his second innings since leading England to Ashes success two months ago.

He fell four deliveries later, though, glancing to leg slip to become a second victim for Zafar Gohar (three for 72).

The slow left-armer had already seen off Ian Bell, lbw aiming a fine sweep and departing with rueful indications he had felt wood on leather unnoticed by the umpire.

The all-Yorkshire combination of Root and Bairstow served England well either side of tea – until with his half-century on the board, the vice-captain retired out to give others a chance to attune themselves.


Related Links