Record for Younis, ton for Malik

Abu Dhabi - Pakistan take first day honours; Hafeez misses century by two runs

Five years in the wilderness is a really long time. It can either make you or break you. Luckily for Shoaib Malik, it has been the former and he has come out on the other side, a better cricketer, a Malik version 2, if you will.
Recalled to the Test team after five years, Malik conjured an unbeaten century to put Pakistan in a good position on the first day of the first Test against England at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
At times, it felt like he was never away as he held the batting together along with opener Mohammed Hafeez, who fell two runs short of what would have been a ninth Test hundred.
Malik, who came in for the injured Azhar Ali, scored his third Test hundred and his first since 2009 and also his first against England.
His previous best against them was 39 in Multan in 2005. Malik is unbeaten on 124 and Pakistan will resume on 286 for four, on the morrow.
The day also saw Younis Khan surpass Javed Miandad as Pakistan's leading run scorer. He had needed 19 runs to get past Miandad's 8,832 runs and the veteran batsman went on club a quick 38.
England would be ruing what might have been after Ian Bell dropped two catches, that of Hafeez and Asad Shafiq, while paceman Stuart Broad's no-ball had given Malik a reprieve.
Earlier in the morning, Pakistan captain Misbah ul Haq called right for the seventh time in eight Test matches at this venue and had no hesitation in opting to make first use of the surface. And although opener Shan Masood gave England an early gift, fellow opener Hafeez and Malik made it a hard day of toil for the visitors.
England had made the early incision in the third over of the day with Anderson serving up a bouncer. Southpaw Shan Masood was caught like a rabbit in the headlights by taking his eyes off the ball. He couldn't quite properly evade it and it hit the side of his helmet grille before disturbing the woodwork.
Anderson could have had two and given England the advantage in the seventh over but Bell fluffed his lines at second slip.
Hafeez, who scored the first boundary of the day when he drove Anderson through covers, poked at one outside off but Bell butter-fingered it at second slip. Hafeez was on seven and Pakistan were 12 for one at that point.
Spin was introduced in the 13th over with England captain Alastair Cook thrusting debutant Rashid in. But after four overs which cost 21 runs, no maidens and no wickets, Cook had seen enough and took him off.
Moeen Ali came on and the off-spinner controlled the flow of boundaries Pakistan were logging ever over, since the 11th over. Pakistan took lunch at 82 for one with Hafeez on 44 and Malik on 36.
Malik earned a reprieve from a no ball, which was to be the first extra of the day. He drove Broad straight to Joe Root at gully and the umpire had given him out. But a review showed Broad had overstepped.
Hafeez was homing in on a ninth Test hundred but fell two short of it. Hafeez, who had spent 10 balls on 98, missed a flick and was adjudged leg before off Ben Stokes. Hafeez's dismissal brought an end to the 168-run partnership with Malik and also saw early tea being taken.
Younis Khan walked out to hero's welcome and despite looking a bit edgy after Broad returned to the attack, the Pathan, cracked Moeen over deep midwicket for a six, to reach the milestone.
Malik edged Broad for a boundary to reach his hundred, while Younis raced away to 38 from 57 balls with three boundaries and a six before Cook's funky field setting gobbled Pakistan's mainstay.
Cook had four men close in on the on-side and the captain himself held on to the offering at short straight mid-on, off Broad. The Younis-Malik partnership was worth 74.
Misbah fell cheaply after a faint edge off Anderson, was lapped up by wicketkeeper Jos Buttler and that wicket moved Anderson into the top 10 of the highest wicket takers in Tests.
He went past Pakistan's Wasim Akram with 415 wickets from 108 Tests.
Malik and Asad Shafiq then saw off the remaining overs in the day.
james@khaleejtimes.com

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