Catches win matches!

Well what a match that turned out to be? A close game, right up until the last few overs when a couple of things went England’s way, that turned a 1-0 series lead into 2-0, with England now unable to lose the series. An unchanged team, compared to Pakistan’s three, emphasised their comfortable position as they led the way in how to win an ODI in style. Again we weren’t spared from brilliant cricket, the batting, bowling and fielding were nothing less than fantastic, as two teams fought for victory. At one stage I did doubt that England would be able to cross the line, with Pakistan on the charge and England unable to take those vital wickets. Never fear though, for the likes of Cook, Finn and Kieswetter, each created match winning chances; as England managed to keep the boundary count down towards the end, bowling Pakistan out wonderfully for 230. Winning by a margin of 20 runs, who stood out for me today?

• Alastair Cook – Supreme batting and captaincy from Cook yet again, with successive 100s he has become the first England captain to do so in ODIs. Despite losing KP and Trott by the 27^th over, Cook remained on top and hit his way to a crisp 102 from 121 balls. Keeping the critics at bay, Cook really has proved his worth, and hopefully we will see him in great form on Saturday. Remaining calm at the presentation Cook isn’t thinking about a 4-0 whitewash, but hopefully this will be the case!
• Ravi Bopara – Picking Bopara again as one of my star performers he has kept up his form, and I would now say cemented his place for the rest of the tour, with a rather speedy 58 form 66. Despite sending one sky high to Akmal on the last ball, Bopara played a great supporting role for Cook with yet another substantial partnership… these two Essex lads certainly know how to roll!
• Steven Finn – What a bowler Finny is turning out to be? His improvement over the past year has been incredible, as he matched his last ODI figures of 4-34, however, this time clearing up the tail-enders when it really mattered. First having ‘keeper Akmal with Patel taking a superb low catch at cover to make the ever important breakthrough; Rehman was next with a beautiful swinging delivery, clean bowled. Then finally Gul and Cheema were soon gone, as Finn soared toward four wickets, sealing victory in the process, beautiful bowling all round!
• Craig Kieswetter – Not featuring with the bat today, it was his ‘keeping skills that caught my eye. Captain Misbah was set to reach his half-century, Pakistan had a slight chance of winning the match had he stayed at the crease, yet he creates a big top edge off Broad, and sends the ball towering. Taking an absolute beauty, Kiesy running back behind him misjudged the ball’s landing, and at last minute dives full stretch. It was a stunner… no wonder Swanny launched himself at Kiesy as he lay bewildered on the pitch!

Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson also played their part in today’s game, Broad having Farhat run-out, as well as obtaining the captain’s wicket; whilst Jimmy had Hafeez caught at slip early on, then took the prize-wicket of Afridi late on in the day. An all-round performance from England yet again. Although it was a hard fought match, England were once more the team on top as they proved the extent of their cricketing ability. Two more games are left in the series, as Saturday approaches the question will be raised over whether or not England can make it 3 in a row. I believe they can, and predicting an unchanged team again, if no injuries occur, I feel that England are now definitely the team to beat. Another fantastic team performance has propelled them back into winning ways, and if such performances are repeated we will have no problem defeating any opposition. Despite losing the Test series 4-0 (sorry to remind you all), England can learn from their mistakes, and things should hopefully look up when they take on Sri Lanka from the end of March.

I’m already anticipating another great day’s cricket coming up on Saturday especially if today is anything to go by; England fans are once more in happy spirits so we can all rest assured that we have 2 in the bag. So I’m off for another day, and yet still after everything that’s happened in the cricket, I still can’t stop think about Craig Kieswetter’s catch – just outstanding! :D

Cook bats his way to glory! Photo Credit: AFP (espncricinfo.com)

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England wallow in series whitewash!

Sorry for the delay with today’s write-up so I hope you’re in for the long haul, but with so much work to do and trying to get over the series whitewash I have had quite a lot on. So yeah there we have it, Pakistan win the series 3-0 leaving England looking a little worse for wear. The bowlers no doubt have excelled throughout; it is our batting prowess that seems to be lacking skill never mind finesse. So what can England do and how did we get into such a position? I can’t put my finger on it, and I don’t think there is an obvious answer… just a mixture of playing conditions, superb spin bowling as well as little cricket during the winter months. However, as disappointed as I am, surely we can improve from hereon in? We have an excellent squad, let alone some great young talent coming through in the Lions. I would love to hear what opinions everyone has on the performances shown this series, I am sure there are many insights out there! But what actually happened over the course of the final test?

Day 1 was surprising to say the least, 16 wickets fell in what was an astonishing days play. Bowling first England seemed to be on fire and on course for victory so early on. Broad was the pick of the bowlers once again, taking four wickets for 36, amazing! The first over brought around the first wicket, that of Umar who was trapped LBW to Jimmy for 0, however only 5 overs later new man to the crease Ali was departing to Broad after edging behind to the ‘keeper for 1. So two wickets down Pakistan only had 8 on the board and England were on a high. What was to come though was certainly unexpected, in the space of 5 overs three more wickets fell, those of the experienced Kahn, Hafeez, and captain Misbah with a collective number of 18 runs between them. This wonderful spell from England was down to Anderson and Broad, the latter started off having Kahn caught behind for 4, whilst having Hafeez LBW for 13 two overs later, then Jimmy chipped in to claim Misbah for 1. Pakistan were at this stage 21-5, and quite rightly too I couldn’t believe my eyes… this certainly justified my early alarm call of 5.45. As Shafiq and Akmal tried to resurrect the innings they could only scrape together 18 runs before Akmal LBW to Broad had to depart; whilst his replacement, Rehman, lasted only 3 overs before following in Akmal’s footsteps back to the pavilion; this time falling to the spin of Swann for 1. My disbelief was ever present as Pakistan stood on 44-7, despite a tail-end surge by Shafiq of 34 runs with the help of Gul and Ajmal hauling their side to 78-8. Ajmal was the next man to go with Panesar picking up his first wicket of the innings, followed shortly by Shafiq who made a solid 45 but became the 6^th LBW victim of the innings… well DRS had a field day by the looks of things! To wrap up, Jimmy bowled Gul perfectly to wrap up for 13 leaving Pakistan with a woeful score off 99 all out. Wonderful.

Not so wonderful however when that is put into context with the whole of the test, but nevertheless England were back to their best, well at the moment anyway. So to England’s first innings, where each and every supporter felt after their morning luck, England would dominate once more, this was certainly not the case. Put aside two reasonable scores from Strauss and KP, and well England’s batting represented once again nothing more than irrational shots, and an inability to play spin. The only success of the seamers was seen early on, as Cook left in the 3^rd over to Gul for 1 caught behind, whilst Trott, the man who we rely on, fell LBW, again to Gul for 2. Strauss and KP put on a decent partnership to take England from 7-2 to 64-3 before KP departed caught LBW for 32 by Rehman, with the second highest score of the innings. Bell managed 5 runs before his run of poor scores became even worse as he was stumped off the bowling of Ajmal and merely 5 overs later Morgan joined him LBW to Rehman for 10. England were at this stage 88-5, but with the final wicket of the day being ‘keeper Prior misjudging the spin, bowled for 6 by Rehman, England were in a sorry state. Yet with 4 wickets left in the bag all hope was not lost, especially with the captain still at the crease. Roll on day 2, where England fans brought in the day by witnessing night-watchman Jimmy Anderson depart for 4, as Rehman continues his supreme form of the day before, bowling him through the gate. Broad didn’t last long either, managing just 4 runs he was just another batsmen who failed to pick the spin of Ajmal, out LBW, and to be honest I wasn’t surprised… it is Ajmal we’re talking about. So with Strauss and Swann at the crease on 121-8, and only Monty waiting in the wings, all hope was placed on this pair. Strauss tried his best, but just four runs into his half-century he tried his hand at a risky shot, misses, and is reluctantly stumped off the bowling of Rehman; all joys for Pakistan as Rehman picks up another 5 wicket-haul. Swann hits a quick 16, then hits one into the air and straight to Rehman in the deep, Monty was the only man left standing as England were disappointingly bowled out for 141, a mere lead of 42 – not exactly match winning is it?!

With such a small lead England had to obtain quick wickets, a repeat performance of the first days play would be ideal, the opposite scenario however would be somewhat damaging. Unluckily for the England boys, the other scenario it happened to be. Despite two early wickets of openers Umar (6) and Hafeez (21) to Jimmy and Monty respectively leaving Pakistan on 28-2, Ali and Kahn decided on a completely different approach. Playing with their bat and defying the England bowlers, these two put on a mammoth partnership, as the quartet of bowlers toiled and toiled with no luck. The sheer skill and talent was definitely on show, as Ali and Kahn both brought up centuries, the first of the series astonishingly. They seemed to be at the crease for what seemed like a lifetime, yet a ray of hope emerged in the form of Stuart Broad who gets one to nip in, and even though it is referred by Kahn, remains out LBW. He could hold his head high though as he returned with 127 runs, Pakistan already on 244-3, the test looked to be slipping away from England’s reach. Misbah was next to go with a reasonable 31 as he is given out LBW to Monty, hence sparking what was needed at the start of the innings – an influx of wickets. Shafiq and Akmal left within the space of two overs, both to Panesar LBW for 0 and bowled for 1 respectively, so this sudden turn around taking Pakistan to 345-6 improved England’s morale. Taking the remaining wickets in 13 overs for 20 runs, as once Swann claimed Rehman and Ajmal for one apiece, both caught in the safe hands of Jimmy (the latter I must state was purely fantastic!) meant that even the longstanding Azhar Ali let down his guard. Tallying up a magnificent 157, Ali finally succumbed to Swann pushing one to Cook at short leg and what a beautiful feeling it was. Finally, finally, we’d got the prize wicket. Three overs later it was all over as Gul departed with 4, LBW to Panesar giving him yet another well-deserved 5 wicket-haul… on a side note though, honestly how many LBWs was there this match, seriously?!

As Pakistan racked up 365 all out, they had a comprehensive lead of 323 and on this pitch in Dubai it was fair to say that only if England somehow had a miracle would they be able to reach 324 to win the test and restore their pride. As expected they couldn’t keep up, ending day 3 on 36-0 the foundations were steady, but as day 4 approached a collapse was once again imminent. The top 8 all managed to reach double figures, just not decent double figures unfortunately. It all started with Strauss, with 48 on the board for England, the captain fell to yet another LBW for 26 to Rehman. It was then Trott’s turn to return to the pavilion, as something came across him which was totally out of the ordinary, as he played a slog-sweep – yes you read right –to Ajaml for 18. I am still trying to get over the shock… a slog-sweep! Anyway, Ajmal remained undeterred as he snatched up the next two wickets of KP and Cook, the former also left with 18 as he was bowled through the gate with a normal off-spin delivery. Cook however did look promising; on 49 I was ready to applaud his half-century – but no such luck as Cook somehow edges one to slip allowing Kahn to take a very respectable catch.  As already mentioned Bell has struggled all series with his form, only just reaching double figures, Gul claims his first of four wickets, having Bell caught at cover point. His second came two overs later as Morgan edged to the ‘keeper for 31, whilst he picked up his third wicket in the 83^rd over having Broad hole out to long on for 18. So England were 196-7 and like twice already this series were facing defeat. From bad to worse (if it can get any worse) two overs later Swann is caught at point for 18, which did take England over the 200 mark, rewarding Gul with his 4^th wicket of a fine spell. With two wickets left and a deficit of 120 it was time to face the facts, as once Jimmy returned to the pavilion with 9 after edging Ajmal’s delivery to slip it was just Prior and Monty left to do the damage. Panesar didn’t last long though as expected, trying the sweep shot he was trapped LBW by Rehman, stranding Prior on 43*… cue the celebrations. Pakistan sealed a 71 run win, and a historic victory over England as it is only the second time in the last 100 years that a team has won a test after being bowled out for less than 100 runs.

All the credit must go to Pakistan, they have really shown England how to do it and to be fair England were not up to scratch. Let’s look towards the one-day series and the T20’s and hope that it goes England’s way, apart from that nothing much can be really said about England’s performance over the series as they were totally outshone! In the next few days I’ll keep you updated about the tour info, as well as my thoughts on the squads released today for the limited overs games, as well as a reflection on the surprising test series just gone… as for me I’m off to reminisce about the wonders of the 2011 summer, or namely the 4-0 India whitewash :)

A mutual feeling felt by England players and fans alike. Photo Credit: AFP (espncricinfo.com)

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Over and out… Well 72 all out!

Let’s just say I am still trying to get over the shock of yesterday, my buoyant mood after the 3^rd day has well and truly vanished. If you recall I felt that England were in the driving seat, and that this was the test in which we would see the England boys back to their best. In fact it was quite the opposite, don’t get me wrong our bowling unit has been fantastic throughout, but our top-order batsmen… well they sure enough did not step up to the mark. Pakistan beating England yesterday by 72 runs means they sail to a 2-0 series lead with one left to play, if our boys don’t pick up soon it could be a series whitewash. Returning back to Dubai for the 3^rd test next Friday, one can only hope for an England revival, and quick!

What exactly happened to England though on the fourth day? Pakistan resumed the day on 125-4, Azhar Ali and Shafiq were at the crease, but England was soon to break this partnership. Eight overs into the day Panesar was the man on form, having Shafiq nick a thick edge to Anderson at slip for 43, the first wicket of the day and England were in high spirits. Next to go was Ali, having compiled a neat 68, he and Akmal had put on a decent partnership of 28 taking Pakistan to 170, before Anderson with the new ball had Ali edging behind to the ‘keeper. Six wickets down, it didn’t take long for England to take advantage of the new ball. The following over it was Broad’s turn to snatch a wicket on day 4, Akmal chased a wide one which carried perfectly to the safe hands of Strauss at slip, with 13 runs he reluctantly had to leave. So having taken three early wickets yesterday it looked like England were on a roll, they were in a great position, but it was not over yet. Swann was next to strike, capturing Rehman LBW for 10 as he attempted that dreaded sweep shot , he fell to a straight one from Swann and had to depart. Pakistan were now 198-8 and were not yet over the 200 mark; but once they did the star man Panesar soon took charge. Five overs after Rehman’s dismissal Ajmal provided Panesar with his 5-wicket haul, turning away from the right-hander it edges to Anderson at slip for 17, and Panesar claims his 5^th. Monty didn’t stop there, he wasn’t happy until his next over where Kahn got tangled, misjudged the spin and saw his middle stump removed for a glorious 0. Monty reaped 6 wickets in total, and how magnificent he was. His skill and precision were spot-on, and he showed the England side what they have been missing – it truly was a fantastic lesson in spin!

So with Monty’s magic, Pakistan were all out for 214, leaving England with a 145 deficit, and one which they had a day and a half to achieve. Easy. Or so I thought, despite our bating difficulties so far this series I honestly believed that 145 was a respectable total and one that should not prove hard to obtain. But then, I feel most people misjudged the pitch, and misjudged the skill and fighting spirit of the Pakistani bowlers as they weren’t just great as they have been all series, they went above and beyond. Our batsmen were totally outplayed; astonishingly they collapsed in a heap as Pakistan spun rings around them, certainly not what I was expecting. Strauss and Cook started off well, slowly but well. They put 21 on the board and seemed so far to be undisturbed by the fact that Pakistani captain, Misbah, brought in spin to open, yes open, the bowling. Cook’s wicket was the first to fall, Hafeez was the man who had him caught and bowled, and he departed with 7 leaving England on 21-1. Now Trott was currently absent due to illness, so in came Bell at three. He only lasted 3 overs however, returning to the pavilion with 3 to his name as Ajmal straightened one which unfortunately rolled back onto his stumps. That’s just what we needed, but could KP provide the stability we needed? Not quite, again lasting just 3 overs, Rehman claimed his first of the innings, falling for 1 after being trapped LBW even the review could not save Pietersen. From bad to worse, the apparently best player of spin within the side, Morgan, also fell in the same over, his leg stump removed as he left with 0 – England on 37-4 needed more than luck at this stage, still 108 runs behind.

Cue a mini revival which lifted the hopes, even if just a little, of every England fan. Strauss and Prior seemingly looked like they were staying put, with a partnership of 19 runs it was not what you could call ground-breaking, but it was much needed. However the one thing we certainly did not foresee was that the captain was next to be struck down, another LBW shout that went in the favour of Rehman, even though it was referred Strauss left with 32; England in dire straits at 56-5. The ill Trott finally was present at the crease, only remaining for six overs and running up a score of 1 he was trapped at the crease, plumb LBW to Rehman who picked up his 4^th wicket of the day. I suppose it was now, as England stood at 68-6 that I knew they were staring defeat in the face, after the hard-work of the bowlers, our position could take us nowhere. For some reason I also did declare that “Rehman will want to get his five wickets now, won’t he?” I then decided to keep quiet, as 2 balls after Trott’s dismissal Broad was also following. Rehman bowled a superb delivery straight through the gate, smacking the off-stump as Broad walked away with 0. Swann also failed to score as the following over Ajmal got to work, first catching Swann LBW, then next ball Prior who failed to clear Shafiq at cover for 18. This being Ajmal’s 100^th test wicket, the celebrations broke out, England were 72-9 and Pakistan were in touching distance of victory. It didn’t take long to achieve either, as Rehman claimed his 6^th and final wicket of Anderson, sweeping but catching the top-edge, Jimmy sends one straight to the hands of Gul for just 1. And there it was England all out for 72, Pakistan wrapped up a famous victory, beating the Number One Test side in the world. England were dejected, ashamed, disappointed. Pakistan on the other hand truly deserved such a win; they had played superbly throughout the test and reaped the rewards of their hard-work.

With a 72 run victory and a 2-0 lead in the series Pakistan are the outstanding performers of this test series, and one which England will most probably want to forget. It is such a shame after the beautiful work by the bowlers that our batsmen just could not withstand the pressure, and it shouldn’t be forgotten that Broad and Panesar in particular were fantastic throughout. Looking on towards the next test surely the batting line-up will be altered? England fans for sure will not want to witness a terrible collapse again; our form from last summer will be a grateful return. So hopefully it is onwards and upwards from Friday, let’s see the England of old! I’ll be back to report on the England Lions performances very soon so keep a look out, as they are currently outshining the senior team winning their second match today by 67 runs, with their next match on Tuesday.

For now I am off to beat the post-test match blues! FB.

This says it all! Photo Credit: Getty Images (zimbio.com)

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England currently on top in the 2nd Test!

What a wonderful three days of cricket we have seen! Fortunately for every England fan out there, it is fair to say that yes, we are almost back to our normal selves. Over in Abu Dhabi England have finally put the wheels in motion meaning we can finally witness a test in which both teams are in contention for victory. First up the big selection news that was casting a shadow over this current test, Monty returns due to Tremmers being injured. I am delighted, oh and not because of Tremlett, I just can’t believe how long Monty has waited in the side-lines and now finally gets a game. His crazy wicket celebrations are back people, so rest assured! It also has turned out to be a very successful move by Flower and Strauss also, as Monty has been one of the stars within the team to date, pitching in as the second spinner and proving to be worthy of his England place.

Onto the action then, and we started on Wednesday with Pakistan winning the toss and choosing to bat (Cheema replaced by Junaid Kahn). It was Swann who claimed the first wicket of Taufeeq, after Strauss decided to bring in spin after just 12 overs, dislodging the off stump for 16. Making the breakthrough of the opening partnership of 51, it was Swann’s spinning partner, Panesar, who then took his first wicket after a long-awaited return, bowling Hafeez through the gate beautifully for 31 leaving Pakistan on 61-2. A decent partnership between Ali and Kahn ensued of 37, but before Pakistan could bring up three figures, it was Broad who with a perfect delivery nipping back, knocked back Kahn’s off stump for 4. Broad was currently in fantastic form and was bowling beautifully (I do remain unbiased here), so it was no surprise to see him just four overs later removing Azhar Ali’s off stump also, beating the edge and having him out for 24. So with the top four in the batting line-up all bowled and standing at 103-4, Pakistan needed a saviour, who came in the form of captain, Misbah, along with Shafiq, who together compiled a 100 partnership. Shafiq soon however, misjudged a sweep shot, leaving him LBW to Swann on a much-needed 58. Having defied Monty’s spin, sending him towering over the boundary rope for consecutive sixes, Misbah seemed to be in very good touch and was leading from the front. With the ‘keeper Akmal at the crease with his captain, the partnership lasted merely 7 overs before the ‘keeper departed LBW for 9 to Broad. However controversy followed as the mode of dismissal was questioned as to whether or not an edge was present – nevertheless Akmal walked without referring. So Pakistan were 216-6, a decent total bearing in mind four wickets remained, adding 27 runs, Misbah looked settled bringing up a worthy 50, Rehman however was yet to get off the mark. He failed to score a run before his dismissal, leaving him with a duck as Swann got one to straighten and pass the bat. No more wickets graced day 1 and Pakistan ended the day on 256-7, Misbah remained not out on 83, Ajmal 0*.

As day 2 approached I had high hopes for England to get the three early wickets, I did not however expect Pakistan to add only 1 run for 3 wickets – perfect sums it up really. Misbah was the first to go with a great innings of 84, falling LBW to Broad, even with a review on Pakistan’s part. Then the following over brought the remaining two wickets and Jimmy Anderson’s first of the match, as he claimed Ajmal (0) and Kahn (0), LBW and caught respectively. A triumphant England returned to the pavilion in high spirits, and I felt sure that 257 was a respectable total for our boys to chase and build up a, hopefully, substantial lead. Things didn’t go quite to plan as Strauss departed in the 14^th over for 11 being caught at short leg off the bowling of Hafeez once again. However the pair now at the crease, Cook and Trott, were there to stay, and as Atherton wonderfully put it “When Cook and Trott are batting, they’re not that scintillating often”. Very true words but we don’t expect them to be, as these two bat in their own glorious way, and most times rescue us from a sticky patch. As they toiled away they piled up a partnership of 139, it was Trott who broke this partnership with his footwork, as Rehman passed the outside edge and removed the bails in the process for 74. No century for him then this time, but as I seem to jinx a situation during a test series I thought that I would be right in saying that Cook on 75 at this time, would easily sail to 100. Erm, Cook was next to depart on 94! Not able to judge Ajmal’s doosra (he isn’t the only one) Cook was trapped LBW, and selflessly did not review – what a team player. At 198-3 it only got worse for England, as 5 runs later KP left with 14 caught at slip off the bowling of Ajmal, leading to a minor collapse, Morgan played an unwise shot one ball before the end of play, also caught at slip in an Ajmal over. England left the day on 207-5; considering they were 198-3 it was just a tad worrying to say the least.

Then finally we witnessed day 3, and without breaking into song… what a difference a day makes! Despite Prior falling early on 3, LBW to Ajmal, Bell had played sweetly with 3 fours taking him up to 29. Broad was the man who was impressing down the other end however, with 6 fours already under his belt, at the time Bell departed he was on 33*. Bell unfortunately was another victim of the LBW, this time to Gul, making way for Graeme Swann to play a brief spell coming in at 268-7. Again another one of our batsmen fell LBW, Swann defending a straight one from Rehman for a reasonable 15 from 15. Once tail-ender Jimmy came to the crease, Broad never gave up the fight, and at 291-8, he and Jimmy created a great 36-run partnership taking England over the 300 mark. During this Broad brought up his well-timed 50, including a wonderful 6 over wide long-on. But once Hafeez took the wicket of Jimmy minutes after lunch, as he miss-read the length and was bowled for 13, it didn’t take long for Monty to fall – one ball in fact – LBW for a golden duck.  So at 327 all out, Broad stood tall with 58* and everyone anticipated what was to come. What did come was actually better than expected, well in my eyes anyway. The openers fell early, Hafeez the first to Monty in the 12^th over, LBW for 2 hitting Hafeez on the inside pad, then Taufeeq followed an over later to fellow spinner Swann, this time bowling him through the gate for a mere 7 runs. Wonderful stuff, Pakistan were 29-2 and things were looking rosy. It soon became 36-3 as Panesar with his second wicket of the innings had the experienced Kahn bowled for just 1, celebrations followed as it was Monty of course. The last wicket to fall for the day was the captain, Misbah, as Panesar picked up another, trapping him LBW for 12, leaving Pakistan in a not so good position of 54-4. Ali and Shafiq rescued Pakistan in the late stages of the day, hauling them to 125-4 before the close, with 46 and 35 respectively. A better performance by these two cricketers meant Pakistan now have a lead of 55, hopefully the England boys will wield their magic as always tomorrow, early wickets are essential to keep that deficit down.

So I wonder what tomorrow will bring, I am wishing for quick wickets leaving England with a manageable total… minus the batting collapse and it should be a perfect day. Let’s level this series and come back even better next match! I’ll be back with a massive smile on my face hopefully if England can become victorious; I have no doubt that they will fantastic in the remaining two days; Pakistan will resume day 4 on 125-4. Let me know what your highlights have been so far!

FB :D

P.S Don’t forget to keep up to date with the Lions progress. I will soon report in full but they have won their first match versus Sri Lanka A by 68 runs – Buttler 102* from only 56 balls, Hales 94, Kieswetter 53; Buck 4-39 from 8 overs! Brilliant performance by these boys, replicate it next match please.

Photo Credit: Getty Images (espncricinfo.com)

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England struggle in the UAE!

Okay if I’m honest I really did not expect to be writing about the end of the first test match just three days in, but I suppose test cricket does throw in surprises here and there. That is exactly what it did for England yesterday, as their poor batting collapse on day 1 was replicated in their second innings. If I say I am shocked by what I witnessed during the first test it would be an understatement, number one in the world and what we see is a batting line-up incapable of sustaining their place at the crease when facing spin, and then in the latter half of the game fast-medium pace. However before I go off at a tangent I must say that this isn’t the be all and end all of this test series. For sure England certainly didn’t impress, but this doesn’t mean that in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday for the start of the second test that England will once again be mediocre. I will brace the early mornings in hope that I will see that magic returned to the side, and having two more tests to play surely England will be able to defy the Pakistani’s of a series win? Am I being optimistic? Maybe slightly as it is very hard to win two successive test matches on UAE pitches, especially if the team in question struggles to conquer the flat wickets and skill of the Pakistani bowlers.

Well from where I left it last at the end of day 1 Pakistan were 42-0. So on day 2 it was the turn of our bowlers to be in command; however the batsmen had different ideas as our bowlers toiled and toiled away until eventually the partnership between Hafeez and Taufeeq was broken, Broad being the man to have Taufeeq bowled round his legs for 58. The second wicket didn’t take long to be produced as Broad again four overs later had Azhar caught behind with just 1 to his name. After this little spark in the England side, most England fans and I alike, were expecting a flurry of wickets as Pakistan stood at 128-2 with our bowlers threatening the Pakistani line-up. This was not to be though as the experienced Younis Kahn was now at the crease with Hafeez who was settled in nicely on 66. It took another 17 overs and a partnership of 48 until the breakthrough occurred, with Swann niftily having Hafeez LBW for 88, yet only three down for 176 and closing in on England’s first innings total. Kahn was the next to go in what can only be an unexpected dismissal for 37, as Trott, yes Trott, was the man managing to get one to turn in slightly and have Kahn LBW. Now we have seen Trott with a wicket before, but when it does happen it still is quite surprising, but one which England was certainly thankful of. Shafiq was soon to depart with 16 caught behind off a swinging delivery from Anderson, this left Pakistan at 231-5, and a lead of just 39 runs, now England seemed to be a reasonable position if quick wickets were obtained.

However, captain Misbah-ul-Haq and ‘keeper Adnan Akmal put on a 52-run stand to loosen England’s grip on a reasonable deficit. Once Misbah departed to the spin of Swann, again LBW, Rehman and Gul both returned to the pavilion within the space of two overs for 4 and 0 respectively, Anderson bowling Rehman beautifully to hit the top of off stump, whilst Broad had Gul chasing one straight to Morgan at point. These quick wickets seemed to release the pressure on England somewhat, Ajmal proved to be difficult, racking up 30 with the Akmal, but soon fell to Swann, nicely caught by Cook at short leg. Lastly it was Akmal to fall after compiling 62, as he danced down the pitch to Swann and gave Prior an easy stumping opportunity. Pakistan with the tail-wagging and crisp half-centuries from four key players enabled them to reach 338 all out, with a comprehensive lead of 146, but one which shouldn’t have been too difficult for England if they could defy the spin.

As you probably already know what was to come was shocking, yes I know that the first innings was too, but this… well it was not the England I had come to know over the past few years. So starting their innings just after drinks on day 3, it only took the Pakistani’s until the 5^th over to strike with Strauss caught behind off Gul in a controversial review that saw Strauss return for 6. Things went from bad to worse as Cook was the next to fall for 5 similar to Strauss’ dismissal, this time a clear edge of Cook’s glove to Akmal. At 25-2 things were looking poor for England, however just 2 overs later and with no addition to the score KP left for a duck, holing out to square leg, once again to Gul, who was impressive in the second innings. With Bell and Trott at the crease England fans were hoping, well praying, for some sort of revival, this was not to be as Bell with a measly 4 in the scorebook fell plumb LBW to the spin of Ajmal. Now Morgan new to the crease, along with Trott managed to put up a little bit of a fight, luckily surviving through 13 overs and adding a much-needed 39 to the total pulling England to 74-4. Rehman then claimed his first wicket of the innings to plunge the England fans further into despair, as Morgan clips a thin edge behind just before tea for 14. The next man unwillingly who had to depart was England’s determined Trott, who on 49 seemed to be the saviour, or at least we thought he was until he took a chance at a wide ball, only for it to carry straight to the ‘keeper.

England were 87-6, I thought we can still get out of this rut with Prior and Broad at the crease; surely not all hope is lost? It soon became 87-7 as Prior couldn’t pick Ajmal’s spin (like we haven’t heard this before!) and was LBW for 4. With nothing to lose Swann and Broad took to the bowlers, with six 4’s between them and a rather magnificent 6 from Swann to prove to Pakistan that England were not utterly down and beaten. Broad couldn’t keep up the onslaught for long as he tried to clear the ropes, but instead hit it down long-on’s throat for 17. Fortunately though during this time Swann and Broad took England past the deficit meaning Pakistan would bat again, how long for – well our total wouldn’t keep them batting for another 2 days would it? Tremlett walked off as soon as he made his way to the crease, as a golden duck left Rehman on a hat trick once Jimmy was set to face him. Jimmy wasn’t going to mess around giving England fans a small morale boost slogging a huge six over midwicket, but minutes later, and with a lead of 15, Swann is unable to pick the Ajmal’s doosra and holes out to Shafiq at short cover.

So there we had it 15 runs for Pakistan to win, and they managed to accomplish the total in 3.4 overs with a 10 wicket win… what a close match that turned out to be! :)

Pakistan truly deserved the win as they outperformed England in every aspect; Ajmal obviously won MOTM as his last wicket brought up his second 10-wicket match haul of his career. The test was certainly not shy of pure cricketing entertainment, but for England it was a match full of woeful performances, well mainly on the batting front. Looking ahead I feel that possibly Monty should enter the side at the expense of Tremlett, giving England that second spinner, where the batting line-up is concerned I think England will stick to their set-up, it isn’t like them to chop and change after one poor test. However having said that, knowing my luck they may do the exact opposite!

Anyway let’s hope it’s onwards and upwards for next week, and the rest of the series, fingers crossed for a role reversal in the result with England coming out on top. Stay tuned for the results of the ‘Morgan Report’ survey, as well as England’s escapades on their winter tour in the UAE. That’s all for me today, but if you have any views on England’s performance that you want to share then feel free!

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Photo Credit: ecb.co.uk

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