1st Test report: England struggle in the Middle East

England’s tour of the UAE got off to the worst possible start in the shape of a comprehensive 10-wicket defeat to Pakistan in the first test at Dubai. They were saved from the ignominy of a first innings defeat since January 2010, but only just; Pakistan required just 15 runs for victory in their second innings, a target that was predictably achieved without a hitch. That was one of precious few positives for England, who were embarking on their first test series since reaching the summit of the ICC Test Rankings in August.

Their recently-acquired No. 1 status meant that they were always going to be under an additional layer of scrutiny during this series, and their performance was not the resounding confirmation of their position that they would have hoped for. The batsmen in particular, with the exceptions of Matt Prior and Jonathan Trott, looked hopelessly out of their depth on a pitch which was by all accounts relatively benign.

The top six made a total of 143 runs between them with not a single half-century amongst them, and only Prior’s first innings 70* from No. 7 provided any significant resistance. Ian Bell, scorer of 950 test runs at an average of 118.75 in 2011, was out twice to Saeed Ajmal’s Doosra for scores of 0 and 4 whilst Alastair Cook, who was similarly impressive last year with 927 runs at 84.27, made only 3 and 5. Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen, for so long the go-to men in England’s batting line-up, were also ineffective; the nature of Pietersen’s second innings dismissal, when he as lured into a basic hook trap by Umar Gul without troubling the scorers, was especially worrying. Eoin Morgan, still yet to make a convincing case for his long-term internment at six, played well for brief periods but ultimately failed to press on.

Despite the calamitous nature of England’s batting nothing should be taken away from Pakistan, who were deserved winners. In direct contrast to England the ‘hosts’ looked comfortable in the conditions of their home-from-home in the UAE. Simply put, they outplayed them. The visitors did not bowl badly, and plugged away consistently, but Pakistan batted patiently and sensibly which was all that was required following England’s first day capitulation.

Openers Mohammad Hafeez and Taufeeq Umar both made composed half-centuries, providing the kind of stability at the top of the order which Pakistan have so often lacked in recent years. Captain Misbah-ul-Haq, playing in his first test against England, made a similarly useful if unflashy 52, whilst wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal’s 61 included some audacious reverse-sweeps for good measure. Add to that a competent performance with the gloves and he already seems like a much better option behind the stumps than his older brother Kamran.

But it was with the ball that Pakistan really excelled. Man-of-the-match Ajmal took ten wickets in total, including a career best 7-55 in the first innings, and made England’s experienced batting line-up look like rookies with his subtle variations in pace and flight. In actual fact Ajmal did not turn the ball a great deal, and there was no sign of his new mystery delivery, the ‘teesra’, but he did not need to; England, perhaps more for mental than technical reasons, simply could not deal with him.

Not for the first time there were mutterings from some corners about the legitimacy of his action, but as long as he is cleared by the ICC to play he will be a handful for any team in the world. In England’s second innings, however, the damage was done not by a spinner but by the pace and swing of Umar Gul, who rolled over the top order to take 4-63 and prove that all is not lost in the fast-bowling department following the lengthy bans handed out to Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif for their roles in the spot-fixing controversy of 2010.

So where does this comprehensive defeat leave England? Questions about whether or not they deserve their place at the top of the test rankings are surely premature. Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad on Friday implied that their position at No. 1 was largely down to having home advantage in their most recent tests. Not only does this comment seemingly ignore last year’s resounding Ashes win in Australia, a vital stepping-stone in England’s rise to the top, but it also makes too much of one bad performance.

Having said that, one of the marks of truly great sides is the way in which they respond to defeat, and England will have to issue an emphatic response when the second test starts on Wednesday. The batsmen in particular will have to rapidly overcome their apparent aversion to spin but they have all proved over the years that they are world-class test performers, with the exception of Morgan, and should be able to bounce back.

In any case potential replacements are not exactly crying out for inclusion. In the bowling department it is possible that Monty Panesar will be included as a second spinner, or that Steven Finn will come in for Chris Tremlett, but it is perhaps more likely that no changes will be made. After all, England may have just played a very poor test match but they can silence their doubters with a decent performance in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

_(After the time of writing, Pakistan won the second test by 72 runs to lose the three-match series)_