 The tide has seemingly turned as the talk heading into the second test match between England and Pakistan has been more of England's character and strength
in the subcontinent than their No. 1 ranking as was the case leading in to the
first test match. The two sides face each other in Abu Dhabi from Wednesday in
the second of three-match test series with Pakistan leading 1-0.
Click for Live Score Card of Pakistan Vs England
No one expected England to capitulate the way they did - inside three days
and below 200 runs in each innings. Concerns have yet again been raised over
their ability to succeed in Asia as they look to justify their No. 1 slot. While
India's poor run in Australia may not cause alarm bells to England's top ranking,
the gap is significantly under threat ahead of the 1st April cut-off date for
the No. 1 test side prize money. Matt Prior was the only notable performer
with the bat and he sounds confident of England staging a comeback. The bowlers
toiled hard but were rewarded for adjusting their length accordingly to fold
Pakistan out for 338.
Pakistan have picked from strength to strength and have gradually started writing
off the unpredictable, underachievers tag. Astute captaincy by Misbah ul Haq
coupled with bamboozling bowling from Saeed Ajmal was enough to get England
undone. Umar Gul and Abdur Rehman provided handsome support in
the second innings while Taufeeq Umar-Mohammed Hafeez opening partnership has
given Pakistan a comfortable slot at the top of the order.
As is the case with England-Pakistan series, the last match was again not short
of controversy. On the first day, analyst Bob Willis raised doubts over Ajmal's
action leading to an outcry amongst Pakistani fans. In addition, Ajmal was victim
to an outrageous error of the Decision Review System (DRS). And the DRS protocol
did not please England coach Andy Flower either as skipper Andrew Strauss
too was on the receiving end of a rather controversial decision.
The two test matches played at this ground so far have ended in draws as Misbah
ul Haq's safety-first approach meant Pakistan did not give a go at the
potentially-reachable target.
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