Desert storm buries England in Dubai
Pakistan took full advantage of another brittle England batting performance to crush the world's top-ranked Test team by 10 wickets and win the first Test inside three days in Dubai.
Pakistan took full advantage of another brittle England batting performance to crush the world's top-ranked Test team by 10 wickets and win the first Test inside three days in Dubai on Thursday.
Having conceded a 146-run first-innings lead, England collapsed to 160 all out second time round, failing to recover after Umar Gul had wrecked their top order with a three-wicket burst.
Pakistani opener Mohammad Hafeez alone scored the 15 runs his team needed to complete the formality of victory.
“We did not expect it to be so easy for us... a wonderful performance from the team, especially Saeed Ajmal... his seven wickets in the first innings put us on the way to victory,” said Pak captain Misbah-ul-Haq.
England were shot out for 192 in their first innings and in the second, Jonathan Trott (49) was the lone top-five batsman to reach double figures. Gul took four for 63 while off spinner Ajmal claimed three wickets to complete his second 10-wicket test haul and earned himself the man of the match award.
Left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman also chipped in with three second innings wickets.
“He’s been a matchwinner for us for a longer period of time,” Misbah said of Gul. “Whenever we need him he bowls his heart out.”
Not just enough
England captain Andrew Strauss made no excuses for England's feeble efforts with the bat. “All credit to Pakistan, I thought they played exceptionally well. Once they got ahead of us in the game they did not allow us back in,” he said. “I thought our bowlers did a pretty good job but in both innings our batsmen should have done better so we need to learn a lesson from it. We won't be panicing and we'll come back strong in the second Test.”
Trott looked largely unperturbed and hit six boundaries before abandoning his usual restraint and chasing a wide Gul delivery to give Adnan Akmal his fourth catch behind the stumps. Graeme Swann (39) counter-attacked, hitting a few lusty blows, but his cameo only succeeded in making Pakistan bat again.