Pakistan vs England: First Test ends in draw with England an agonising 25 runs from unlikely victory

Bad light stopped play as England chased 99 for victory

Joe Root and Ian Bell of England leave the field after bad light stops play on day five (GETTY IMAGES)

In the end the only thing that came between England and a sensational, logic-defying victory against Pakistan was the fading Abu Dhabi light. Alastair Cook’s side kept believing when nobody else did, and their faith was almost rewarded with an audacious Arabian ambush that would have ranked as one of the finest wins in England’s Test history.

When the umpires called the players off for bad light at 5.46pm local time, Cook’s men were just 25 runs shy of their target of 99. After hustling Pakistan out for 173 in their second-innings, a haul of 5 for 64 from the leg-spinner Adil Rashid helped to spark a collapse that saw their opponents lose their final five wickets for 14 runs in 30 balls.

England were allocated 19 overs to reach their target but in reality, given bad light had stopped play at 5.37pm local time the previous day, those overs were never going to be bowled – especially by a Pakistan side happy to resort to gamesmanship to run the clock down.

That meant England faced a race against time and, after 11 overs were bowled in 56 minutes, a batting line-up that opened with Moeen Ali and Jos Buttler fell agonisingly short.

In terms of drama on the subcontinent, perhaps only England’s last-gasp win against Pakistan in the fading Karachi light 15 years ago can rank with this. Back then, an England side led by Nasser Hussain reached their target of 176 in near-darkness to seal a first series win in Pakistan for 38 years.

However, the playing regulations have changed in the intervening years, and where once the batsmen had the final say on whether they wanted to continue, it is now solely up to the umpires’ light meter. It meant there was no option but to go off once the reading that had been taken when play was halted on Friday was once again reached.

Despite their obvious frustration, Cook and his team can take much from this performance, especially as it was the captain’s monumental first-innings 263 that initially set up this unlikely opportunity after Pakistan, batting first, had racked up 523 for 8 declared.

When England resumed the final morning 49 runs ahead on 569 for 8 in their first innings the draw looked an absolutely certainty, such was the slow pace of the match for the first four days. That advantage was stretched to 75 by the time England declared on 598 for 9, and with a potential 79 overs left in the day, it set up an outside chance of victory.

What happened next increased that chance exponentially. When Pakistan began their second innings, James Anderson struck twice in the space of four balls in the third over, removing Shan Masood and Shoaib Malik to reduce Pakistan to 3 for 2.

Rashid, in his second over, was denied what looked a good appeal for caught behind against Mohammad Hafeez in the final over before lunch, England reviewing the decision in vain. But Hafeez departed six overs after the interval thanks to a brilliant run-out by Ben Stokes.

That reduced Pakistan to 47 for 3, and they appeared to have lost their fourth wicket when Misbah-ul-Haq was given out caught behind. Pakistan successfully reviewed that decision, but Misbah’s 66-run stand with Younis Khan was broken when the latter slogged Rashid to Stokes at cover.

After 45 overs and 193 runs conceded it was Rashid’s first Test wicket, and he had his second when Asad Shafiq edged a turning leg-break behind to leave Pakistan 139 for 5, 64 runs ahead.

Misbah’s departure six overs later, bowled dancing down the track to Ali, sparked a collapse that brought England right back into the game. Wahab Riaz, caught off Ali at short leg, was next to go as Pakistan slipped to 165 for 7. And just eight more runs had been added by time Rashid finished running through Pakistan’s tail, taking the final three wickets of Zulfiqar Babar, Sarfraz Ahmed and Imran Khan Jnr to become the first England leg-spinner to take a five-wicket haul in a Test since Tommy Greenhough against India at Lord’s in 1959.

It set up that frantic run chase, but despite an unbeaten 33 in 29 balls from Joe Root, England could not prevail against the light.