Pakistan vs England in UAE 2012

[DexteR]

Welcome to the Discussion Thread for
Pakistan vs England
Cricket Series to be played in UAE

Here is the schedule

3 Tests, 4 ODI and 3 T20 Matches to be played from January 17, 2012 to February 27, 2012

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141 pe unko our ker lia

magar khud lagta hai phir 99 hi bananay niklay hain...

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Pak 30/2

[Sadaf Gondal]

well played
Younis khan

[LoViNg IrFaN]

pitch kafi slow hogyi hai shayd

[DexteR]

koi baat nahi. spinners will come in to play on day 4 and 5

[DexteR]

well played
Younis khan

and Azhar Ali.

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Younis and Azhar pile woe on England

Azhar Ali and Younis Khan took Pakistan to 222 for 2 at stumps - a lead of 180 - to put England on the back foot in Dubai.

The first hundred of this Test series was a long time in coming but it was well worth the wait. It went to Younis Khan. His enduring talent has again lifted Pakistan's expectations that they can achieve their first whitewash in a Test series against England.

When Younis came to the crease shortly before lunch on the second day, he was out of form, 22 wickets had fallen for 268 runs and batsmen on both sides were in mental turmoil over a record number of lbw decisions in a three-Test series. Not another wicket fell all day.

By the close, Younis had 115, his third-wicket stand with Azhar Ali was worth 194 in 72 overs and Pakistan's lead was 180. Some Pakistan fans held aloft a banner stating that Pakistan's target was to be the No. 1 Test side in the world. England can confirm it is an uncomfortable place to be.

Whenever mutterings are heard that his Test career is nearing an end, Younis comes up with something special. England tried to bowl straight, seeking to add to the 37 lbws in the series (the record in any length of series is 43) but the pitch was slow and the sound of ball against pad was conspicuous by its absence as Younis worked the ball serenely through the leg side.

It is only two months since Younis took an unbeaten double hundred off Bangladesh in Chittagong and his serenity flooded back. Both he and Azhar, whose restrained unbeaten 75 again identified him as a talent in the making, read the line confidently, their footwork was crisp and on the rare occasions Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann matched the turn found by Pakistan's left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman, they had the skill to adjust to the ball off the pitch.

England imagined they might have dismissed Azhar lbw, on 70, just before the close when Swann found turn around leg stump. Umpire Simon Taufel said no, England reviewed, more in hope than expectation, but to the consternation of the fielding side Hawk-Eye showed the ball going too high. Pakistan's lead was 168 and England had not got the break they desperately needed. Andrew Strauss, an England captain with no time to waste, even took the new ball two overs before the close.

Younis' second 50 took 60 balls and changed the complexion of the match. His gathering confidence was illustrated when he twice reverse-swept Swann as England's spinners resorted to bowling into the rough outside leg stump. Two short balls from Panesar helped him through the 90s. When he swept Panesar to reach his 20th Test hundred, two greats of India's past, Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, were moved to rise from their seats in the VIP area and applaud.

But the incident that will most trouble England was one of the rare balls Younis missed: a delivery from Panesar that pitched on middle, dislodged a piece of turf as it spun past the outside edge, and cracked James Anderson on the left shoulder at first slip. This is a dry pitch and it can be expected to turn extravagantly as the match progresses.

It all possessed a different feel to the pre-lunch session. Six more wickets tumbled on the second morning, with England scraping a first-innings lead of 42 and then removing Pakistan's openers. Taufeeq Umar's technical frailties were again evident as Anderson bowled one from wide on the crease to have him caught by Strauss at first slip. Mohammad Hafeez, after striking Panesar cleanly for a straight six, fell lbw to an over-ambitious sweep.

England's batting frailties are now so extreme that their average of 17.84 runs per wicket is currently lower than in any completed series since the 19th century, an era when the roller was probably pulled by a horse, if they could find a horse, and the art of groundsmanship extended to little more than pushing the stumps in.

England began the series fretting about the mysterious spin bowling of Saeed Ajmal but they are ending it baffled by the conventional approach of Rehman, who took five wickets for the second successive innings as Pakistan restricted England's first-innings lead. This canny left-arm spinner, enjoying unforeseen riches in his late-blooming career, had performed the sajda on the outfield in Abu Dhabi when he took five Test wickets in an innings for the first time. Once again he fell to his knees.

England, resuming on 104 for 6, lasted 12 overs. Anderson, the night-watchman, propped forward to the last ball of the first over and was bowled through the gate. It was the sort of respectable, turning delivery Rehman has produced on countless occasions and suddenly it looked unplayable.

Stuart Broad hinted at positive intent but he was lbw to Ajmal after Pakistan turned to DRS to overturn Steve Davis' not-out decision. Broad was straight back to the laptop, analysing his dismissal, seeking answers. Another centimetre and he would have been outside the line. Umpires would never give anybody out on such small margins; technology does.

Strauss' prolonged resistance ended at eight-down, to his most adventurous shot. He had extended his overnight 41 to 56 when he came down the pitch to hit Rehman over the legside and was stumped by Adnan Akmal.

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England face test of character - Alastair Cook

Alastair Cook has warned his England colleagues that they face a thorough examination of their character if they are to avoid the humiliation of a 3-0 series whitewash against Pakistan.

The teams will resume on day three of the third Test with Pakistan having already built a lead of 180 with eight second-innings wickets in hand. Younis Khan (115 not out) and Azhar Ali (75 not out) have so far added 194 runs for Pakistan's third wicket and, in a low-scoring series in which England's batsmen have posted a total over 200 just once, the tourists will have to produce a much-improved performance to avoid another defeat. Pakistan have already earned an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.

Cook, perhaps worn down by experience, did not sound full of confidence about the struggle to come, but insisted that England's pride and professionalism would ensure they fought hard to deny Pakistan victory and retain England's position as the top-ranked Test side. If England lose this series 3-0 and South Africa subsequently beat New Zealand by the same margin, then South Africa will leapfrog England for the No. 1 position.

"We all know we're a very long way behind in this game," Cook said. "But if we sit here and say 'well, we've lost this game already' then we might as well give Pakistan victory right now. If we're thinking that in our dressing-room, we might as well just not bother turning up.

"It will take some serious guts to drag ourselves out of this. But there are some bloody good players in that dressing-room, and I hope we can stand up. Anything is possible, but it's going to take a lot of mental toughness to deliver it."

Cook accepted that England's batsmen had endured a grim tour to date - none of the side are averaging as much as 30, while the middle order of Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan and Kevin Pietersen are all averaging under 11 - but admitted that their repeated failures were starting to frustrate the entire squad.

"We have had our struggles on this tour and it is going to take some serious character from the top six to turn it around. I know we've got the players in there. But there's only so many times you can keep saying that - we're going to have to get out there and do it.

"It has been very frustrating, and we haven't played to the standards we know we can. But we never once thought, just because of what happened over the last two years, we'd turn up and wipe the floor with everyone."

Twenty-two wickets fell in the first four sessions of the match but, since then, Younis and Azhar have batted for 72 overs without giving a chance. While Cook accepted that the Pakistan batsmen had played very well, he also felt that the pitch had eased.

"The pitch characteristics have changed. There were less wicket-taking balls around than there were yesterday. It was quite easy to see that.

"But they didn't give us a chance in those last two sessions, and played very well. When they came in, they were still 20 runs behind us - and we had a really good opportunity to take a couple more wickets. If we had got them 50 for 4, we would have been right in the game. But now they have given us a real mountain to climb. We tried a lot of things. But Younis took the attack to us. He was never reckless, but he never let the bowlers settle into any type of rhythm."

Younis agreed that conditions had eased for batsmen, but also said that his anger at his first-innings dismissal had inspired him in the second innings. He also said he expected a tough fight from England over the closing sessions of the series.

"The pitch is much better for batting," he said. "The first day was difficult with the ball seaming around. It seems like a totally different pitch now.

"I was very angry about how I got myself out in the first innings. Seriously angry. So I decided to play more positively and I had a very good partner, who has a fantastic technique and plays according to the situation.

"England tried their best, but we have the edge on them. England have fantastic players and they are No. 1 in the world, so it won't be easy for us. There could be a fightback, but they will need some luck."

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Pakistan show England how it's done in Asia

The Younis Khan master class - England are invited

If England were looking for an example of how to play in Asian conditions, they got it today as Younis Khan and Azhar Ali provided a batting master class on the second day in Dubai. With the game in the balance and Pakistan under pressure, the master and his apprentice provided the most assured batting of the series.

Younis has already become the first man to register a century in the series; Azhar may well join him on day three. Their partnership - 194 with power to add - is the highest of the series and has surely struck the decisive blow in this Test.

It will be of little comfort to England in the short-term - bearing in mind their batting so far in this series, it would be a brave fellow who predicted any result other than a Pakistan win here - but the tourists can learn from this experience. They can identify the qualities that helped Younis succeed where they have failed and at least try to incorporate them into their own games.

In the first four sessions of the match 22 wickets fell and the talk was all about the Decision Review System. After lunch on day two, such talk faded away. The reason? Pakistan did not allow the DRS to become an issue because, unlike England, they used their bats instead of their pads. Unlike England, they retained their composure during the inevitable scoreless periods and, unlike England, they played straight until they were well set.

That may all be easier said than done, but England must learn that the days when they could press forward and enjoy the benefit of the doubt are gone. They have to adapt to the new reality that the DRS has brought.

Where the likes of Kevin Pietersen lunged forward with little balance, Younis reached forward with precision. One was batting in hope; the other with the foundation of a strong technique.

Azhar also demonstrated admirable patience and restraint. Like several of the England batsmen, Azhar took a long time to play himself in - after 39 deliveries he had scored just two - but, unlike the tourists, he did not panic. He rode out the tough periods because he had confidence in his technique and temperament to do so. He did not think he might receive an unplayable, mystery ball at any moment, so he backed himself to come through. Test cricket, for all that has changed in tempo in recent years, is as much about mental strength, concentration and determination as it is about raw talent and flair. Azhar is the sort of batsman who remembers it is meant to be a five-day game. It is a fine quality.

It was noticeable, too, how straight the Pakistan batsmen played until they were established. Yes, they used their feet and yes, they hit over the top. But unlike Eoin Morgan, for example, they did not try to turn the ball across the line until they were well set.

It is not just England's batsmen who can learn. England's bowlers can also pick up some pointers from their Pakistan counterparts. Graeme Swann, for all his excellence in recent years, could learn from the wicket-to-wicket approach taken by Abdur Rehman on Asian pitches.

Rehman has enjoyed tremendous success this series - he has claimed 17 wickets at 13 apiece including successive five-wicket hauls - by maintaining an immaculate line or length and posing questions nearly every delivery. He has, at times, found some turn, but it has been variation and subtle changes of pace and flight that have accounted for as many wickets as any turn. Put simply, if the batsmen have missed, he has been hitting. Swann, by contrast, has maintained the line outside off stump that has served him so well previously and, while he has bowled decently, has not enjoyed anywhere near the same level of success.

Monty Panesar might have been ill-advised. By bowling over the wicket, Panesar reduced his chances of claiming a leg-before decision and largely took the DRS out of the equation. It was also noticeable that England were urging him to bowl quicker and, as a consequence, he appeared to lose his rhythm and flight. He gained little turn.

England also missed a third fast bowler. Omitting Panesar or Swann was hardly an option, but the burden of three back-to-back Tests on James Anderson and Stuart Broad is beginning to tell. It is not as if their batsmen are providing them much recovery time, after all. Until England find an allrounder who can contribute fully with bat and ball - and Tim Bresnan, who arrives back to the squad on Sunday, might be that man - the balance of their side will be an issue in Asian conditions.

England's bowlers could be forgiven for feeling somewhat ill-used of late. Despite their hard work and success in this series, there is every chance that their side will succumb to a 3-0 whitewash; an indignity for the No. 1 ranked Test side. They have dismissed the opposition for scores of 99, 214, 257 and 338 yet their side still cannot win. What more, they might ask, do they have to do? For the first time in many months, England's fast bowlers looked just a little off-colour in Pakistan's second innings. It may well be that their team has just asked too much of them.

Perhaps England were a little unfortunate. The pitch had eased somewhat from the first day and, by the afternoon, provided precious little help for bowlers of any persuasion. But it was England who should have been able to take advantage of those conditions. After bowling out Pakistan for 99 in their first innings, they should have capitalised on the advantage and built a match-winning position on day two.

Besides, it is unwise for anyone to put all their travails down to poor fortune. England can either search for excuses - and to their great credit, that has not been their style in recent times - or search for answers. If they blame the DRS, unusual bowling actions, the alignment of Jupiter in the house of Mars or any other detail, they will be delaying their journey to recovery.

Only five teams have won a Test having been bowled out in the first innings for under 100 and the last occasion was in 1907. Pakistan have earned a wonderful opportunity to become the sixth over the next couple of days.

[DexteR]

abb nahi out hotay in sey. pitch mai woh baat nahi hai.