Pakistan vs England: Shoaib Malik makes comeback double century as tourists toil in First Test

Pakistan 523-8 dec England 56-0: The Pakistan batsman survived a potential dismissal yesterday after Stuart Broad's over-step

Chris Stocks
The Sheikh Zayed Stadium
Wednesday 14 October 2015 10:45 BST
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Shoaib drives a shot through the field on the second morning of the First Test
Shoaib drives a shot through the field on the second morning of the First Test

When Ben Stokes came on for the final over before tea and started bowling off-spin, you did not need to be Hercule Poirot to deduce that things were not exactly going to plan for England.

However, this was not a day for Belgian detectives but Pakistani batsmen, namely Shoaib Malik and Asad Shafiq. Pakistan’s fifth-wicket pair shared a 248-run partnership that was the bedrock of their team’s imposing first-innings total of 523 for 8 declared.

Shoaib was on 40 when caught off a Stuart Broad no-ball on the opening day of this first Test. It was an error that proved costly as the 33-year-old, playing his first Test for five years, went on to plunder a career-best 245.

Shafiq, dropped on 10 by Ian Bell late on day one, also made the most of his good fortune, scoring his eighth Test century before becoming the first of four Pakistan wickets to fall in the final session.

In all, the three errors in the field on the first day – Bell also dropped Mohammad Hafeez on seven before the opener was eventually dismissed for 98 – have cost England a grand total of 393 runs. It means the tourists will have to bat out of their skins on the remaining three days of this match to survive with a draw.

They have at least made a good start to that task, Alastair Cook and Moeen Ali, the England captain’s seventh opening partner in three years, surviving the final 21 overs of the day unscathed.

Broad described this pudding of a pitch as a “batsman’s dream” at the end of the first day. It was showing few demons 24 hours later and, with Pakistan missing their premier leg-spinner Yasir Shah through injury, England have every chance of heading into next week’s second Test in Dubai at 0-0 in the series.

Alastair Cook and Moeen Ali getting England’s reply under way (Getty)

Whether Adil Rashid will play in that match is open to question. The Yorkshire leg-spinner’s return of 0 for 163 from 34 stultifying overs means he has, statistically at least, made the worst debut by a bowler in Test history.

It is to be hoped that, unlike Simon Kerrigan, the Lancashire leg-spinner who has not been seen since his horrible debut against Australia at The Oval in 2013, Rashid will come again. Indeed, the 27-year-old is likely to have a chance to redeem himself in Pakistan’s second innings.

England, though, will have to ensure they bat well enough to make that happen. To that end reaching the follow-on target of 324 is the first thing they must do.

Shoaib and Shafiq illustrated how difficult life can be for bowlers on this pitch once batsmen get set. How quickly the surface deteriorates and how well Zulfiqar Babar, the only front-line spinner in Pakistan’s team, can exploit any assistance will be key.

At least in Cook England have a batsman who relishes these situations. The Essex opener may not always be easy on the eye with bat in hand but he is a master of grinding opposition bowlers into the dirt. Think back to the first Test against India in Ahmedabad three years ago when Cook spent more than nine hours at the crease in scoring a second-innings 176.

England may have ultimately lost that match but Cook, in his first series as Test captain, had shown the rest of his team the way to bat in subcontinental conditions. England went on to win their first Test series in India for 27 years.

It was similar diligence at the crease that let Shoaib accumulate his best Test score here, the Pakistani, batting at No 3 for the first time in Tests, spending nine hours and 15 minutes at the crease for his highest score in any form of cricket.

Ben Stokes tries to run out Shoaib Malik

Shoaib eventually fell in the evening session, a lazy pull off Stokes landing in the hands of Bell at short midwicket. That came during a flurry of wickets in the hour after tea, started by Mark Wood when the Durham fast bowler trapped Shafiq leg before with the third ball of the evening session.

Stokes, Wood’s county team-mate, took over from there, the nihilism that had led to him bowling only the second over of off-spin in his professional career immediately before the interval replaced by a return to seam bowling and a hunger for wickets.

Sarfraz Ahmed, the wicketkeeper who had been padded up for 70 overs during Pakistan’s monster fifth-wicket stand, was Stokes’ first victim of the day, sending a leading edge to Bell at midwicket. After shelling his first two chances on day one it was a case of third time lucky for Bell even if it was also too little, too late.

Shoaib was the next to fall before the dismissal of Babar, edging Stokes to James Anderson at midwicket, sparked the Pakistan declaration.

England’s latest opening combination were left with an awkward 21 overs to see off before the close. But Moeen, scoring just 15 off 65 balls, showed admirable application as he reined in his attacking instincts to survive alongside Cook.

On Thursday it will be up to that pair to drain the enthusiasm out of Pakistan’s attack in unrelenting heat and humidity. Coming in at No 3, Bell, too, will also be expected to atone for his costly drops that mean he is effectively 188 runs in arrears.

And it does not need a detective to work out that, at the age of 33 and with his form in decline, Bell is playing for his England future.

Highlights of the day

Shot of the day

For its significance, it has to be when Shoaib Malik steered James Anderson through gully for two to bring up his maiden Test double hundred.

Ball of the day

Mark Wood’s delivery which clattered into the pads of Asad Shafiq, finally ending a 248-run fifth-wicket stand for Pakistan.

Moment of the day

When, in the second delivery of England’s innings, Alastair Cook played on to Rahat Ali and almost emulated Graham Gooch, just managing to resist the urge to swat the ball away, unlike his mentor, who was out handling the ball against Australia at Old Trafford in 1993.

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