CRICKET:ENGLAND GRAFTED hard but paid for missed chances too as they had to settle for seven Pakistani wickets on day one of the second Test at the Zayed Cricket Stadium yesterday. The best efforts of a four-man attack, in which Stuart Broad (three for 47) was the most deserving, were rewarded with a stumps score of 256 for seven after Pakistan had chosen to bat first.
But it could have been better for England if they had held their catches. Two drops were not costly. But two more, James Anderson and Andrew Strauss at slip to reprieve Misbah-ul-Haq (83no) and then Adnan Akmal, made a difference.
Broad prised out two frontline batsmen in early afternoon on a surface more conducive to spin than seam. There was turn from the outset once England called on Monty Panesar, on his first day of Test cricket since 2009, and then Graeme Swann (three for 52).
Despite a nervy start as Panesar, like Swann, dropped short too often in his early overs, it was evident both would be in the game if they could get it right. Ironically, both struck with deliveries which did not turn – but batsman error stemmed from doubts sown by spin against the Pakistan openers.
Swann had beaten Taufeeq Umar with bounce past the outside edge on the front-foot defence before the left-hander shouldered arms in the same over and was bowled off-stump. Panesar dropped Mohammad Hafeez, a sharp return catch low to his left. But that was irrelevant after the very next ball went on with the arm and bowled the same batsman middle-and-leg on the back foot.
England’s decision to pick two spinners and just two frontline seamers, as they try to get back in this three-match series, was looking sound. But Broad proved his worth by taking two wickets for two runs, again both bowled, in 13 balls soon after lunch – Younus Khan and then Azhar Ali.
Misbah’s response was to hit Panesar for successive sixes, and Asad Shafiq (58) also cleared the ropes. Shafiq pressed on to a 103-ball 50, survived on 53 when Alastair Cook was not alert to a bat-pad chance off Swann at short-leg but could add only another five before the latter had him lbw sweeping.
The most obvious of England’s missed opportunities came courtesy of their captain when he failed to hold a chance at slip to see Akmal off for a duck. The wicketkeeper made only nine and helped Misbah add 13 before Broad got another one to angle in for lbw – but had he gone for nought, England would have had more momentum to attack the tail.
Instead, they had to wait for the return of Swann for their final wicket, bowling Abdur Rehman with the first delivery. Misbah gave England most cause for regret by chiselling out a 142-ball 50. He then hit Panesar for successive sixes for the second time in his innings.
