Gul helps Pakistan rout England

Pakistan cruised home to an emphatic 10-wicket victory over England in the first Test match here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday afternoon with two whole days left to spare.

Misbah-ul-Haq’s side comprehensively outclassed Andrew Strauss’ men in this three-day encounter and their clear supremacy was established once openers Mohammad Hafeez (15no) and Taufeeq Umar (0no) knocked off the required 15 runs in their second innings.

England had earlier only just been able to avoid an even heavier, innings-plus defeat after failing appallingly in two shoddy stints out in the middle (192ao and 160ao) either side of Pakistan’s first innings (338ao).

With Pakistan looking to gain as much as they could from where they left off, on 288-7 with a 96-run advantage, England began day three looking for three early and efficient wickets.

They found one easily enough as Umar Gul (0) was tempted into going after a Stuart Broad ball and lofted up a comfortable catch to Eoin Morgan at point.

However, the hosts’ tail proved a real roadblock in England’s path thereafter, with Saeed Ajmal and Adnan Akmal getting them well past a three-figure cushion together.

Their 30-run, ninth-wicket partnership took Pakistan up to 319-8, when Ajmal (12) was adjudged by umpire Billy Bowden to have glanced a Graeme Swann cherry — presumably with his glove – to Alastair Cook at short leg.

A perplexed and far-from-impressed Ajmal immediately called for a review using the Umpire Decision Review System (DRS), but – with no conclusive evidence for TV umpire Steve Davis to overturn Bowden’s original decision – the off-spinner had to go.

It seemed a somewhat dodgy decision, with little logic behind it, albeit things were to be levelled up in that particular regard a little while later.

Akmal remained though and he deservedly reached a half-century (51no off 117 balls, including three fours) for spearheading a stoic rearguard action.

He (61) also singlehandedly took the home team up to 338 before misjudging a Swann delivery that sailed on through to Matt Prior, who quickly removed the bails with his fellow wicketkeeper having strayed outside the line. Last-man-in Aizaz Cheema, meanwhile, merely blocked out 20 balls to finish on a round 0no.

alex@khaleejtimes.com