Sedate England stay in hunt

Sharjah - Taylor's unbeaten 74 frustrates Pakistan as visitors end second day 12 runs behind

"Test cricket needs to be played in a positive way. The days of 1.5 and 2 runs per over are long gone. Australia have set a new benchmark by scoring 3 ½ to 4 runs an over. That's how Test cricket has to be played - aggressively."
These were the words of England great Ian Botham only a week ago at an event in Dubai. Sadly, it didn't seem to pep the England team up as they were in no mood to play to the gallery - not that the Sharjah Cricket Stadium was packed to capacity.
On the second day of the third Test match against Pakistan, England laboured, or rather scored at 2.4 runs per over, to put up a total of 222 for four to trail Pakistan by 12 runs in the first innings.
James Taylor, making a comeback to the England side after the series against South Africa in 2012, notched his maiden fifty to remain unbeaten on 74. Giving him valuable company was Jonny Bairstow. Together they added 83 runs from 176 balls for the fifth wicket.
It is difficult to fault anyone though for such low scores. The pitch didn't assist the fast bowlers, nor did the spinners get any purchase from it with only Yasir Shah bagging two wickets but at the cost of 79 runs.
The heavy outfield meant the ball wasn't travelling to the boundary as much as the batsmen would have liked to which made for some yawning moments.
Botham has a point here. In order to keep Test cricket alive and the crowds flocking at the turnstiles, teams need to play positively. But on Monday it was a completely different script - a dull and drab affair - as the England batsmen painstakingly pushed and prodded for runs. It surely must have left Botham pulling his hair out in the commentary box.
But we also need to look at the match from Alastair Cook's point of view. The England captain is well aware that if they are to win this Test and return home with honours shared at 1-1 his batsmen will have to bide their time in the middle and ensure they get a sizeable lead so that they do not have to bat again, probably on the fourth or fifth day, which could be tricky as the newly-laid pitch is likely to throw up prodigious turn.
So it was a battle of attrition out in the middle with England scoring 83 runs from 32 overs (at 2.59 runs an over) in the morning session which later dropped to 42 from 25 (at 1.68 runs an over) in the afternoon session. The last session produced 87 runs from 31 overs (at 2.81 runs an over). If that was slightly better England owe it to Taylor and Bairstow.
But had Pakistan removed one of these batsmen, England could have been looking down the barrel. The match continues to remain in the balance, though, and the 'hosts' will be hoping to restrict England to a small lead on the morrow.
"The first hour on Tuesday is crucial," said left-arm speedster Rahat Ali at the post-match press conference. "If we can bowl them out quickly we stand a good chance of coming back in the Test."
Rahat, who replaced the injured Imran Khan, admitted it was a tough day for fast bowlers.
"We did our best, all the bowlers bowled their best, but for the fast bowlers it was tough. We didn't get much assist from the wicket. The ball stops and gets slow."
Rahat was happy to get the wicket of in-form Joe Root. "He (Root) is a class batsman so to get his wicket makes me feel very happy."
Meanwhile England, who resumed at the overnight score of 4 for no loss, got Moeen Ali early in the day. But Ian Bell announced himself by going up the wicket to Zulfiqar and hitting him cleanly for six over long-off. Along with captain Cook they steadied the England batting with a 71-run partnership. England went into lunch at 87 for 1 but soon after Cook edged one to short leg.
clareto@khaleejtimes.com