England bundled as Pakistan complete remarkable win

ABU DHABI: Pakistan defeated England by 72 runs on the fourth day of the second Test to win the series 2-0 at Abu Dhabi Stadium here on Saturday.

England were shot out for their lowest Test score of 72 against Pakistan in all Tests. Left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman took six wickets.

Pakistan won the first Test by ten wickets in Dubai. The third Test will be played in Dubai from February 3.

England captain Andrew Strauss top-scored with 32.

England earlier dismissed Pakistan for 214 to give themselves a target of 145 to win in Abu Dhabi, but Andrew Strauss’s men again failed to deal with the host’s triple spin threat of Rehman, Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez.

Ajmal finished on 6-25, while Ajmal’s figures were 3-22.

Pakistan, who play their home matches in the Gulf due to security problems at home, won last week’s first test in Dubai by 10 wickets.

Scores: Pakistan 257 and 214; England 327 and 72

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Azhar Ali departure gives England scent of victory

ABU DHABI: England were closing on a series-leveling win against Pakistan in the second Test after taking the stubborn wicket of Azhar Ali at Abu Dhabi Stadium in Saturday’s morning session.

Ali hit a fighting 68 and added 88 for the fifth wicket with Asad Shafiq (43) before England took three wickets before lunch, leaving Pakistan under pressure at 198-7, a lead of 128 with only three wickets intact.

Spin duo Abdul Rehman (10) and Saeed Ajmal (11) added an invaluable 26 runs for the unbroken eighth-wicket stand until the break.

Pakistan lead the three-Test series 1-0 after winning last week’s first Test in Dubai by 10 wickets. The third and final Test starts in Dubai from February 3.

Left-arm spinner and chief tormentor Monty Panesar got one to turn across Shafiq’s forward push and the ensuing edge was well taken by James Anderson in the lone slip. Shafiq hit five boundaries during his 138-ball stay.

Panesar has figures of 4-59.

Before Shafiq’s dismissal, Ali completed his 13th half-century with a couple off Graeme Swann, raising his team’s hopes of setting a decent target.

But England’s decision to take the second new ball as soon as it was due paid rich dividends as Anderson removed the dangerman Ali with a sharp rising delivery which caught the edge and safely landed in keeper Matt Prior’s gloves.

Ali hit eight boundaries during his 195-ball knock.

Stuart Broad then had Adnan Akmal (13) caught by Andrew Strauss in the slip off an ambitious drive in the next over as Pakistan wilted.

England used their second review when Anderson trapped Rehman in front of the wicket, but television replays showed the ball was missing the stumps, much to the frustration of the fielding side.

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Pakistan build after early Panesar blows

ABU DHABI: Monty Panesar ripped through Pakistan’s top order to reduce the hosts to 125 for four at the close of the third day of the second test on Friday, 55 runs ahead of England’s first innings total.

Spinner Panesar, playing his first test match since 2009, dispatched opener Mohammad Hafeez (22), captain Misbah-ul-Haq (12) and Younis Khan (1) in Abu Dhabi to leave Pakistan struggling on 54 for four with England looking well-placed to avenge their 10-wicket defeat in the series opener last week.

However, batsmen Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali dug in, roared on by the team’s passionate support as they put on an unbeaten fifth-wicket stand of 71.

Security problems have forced Pakistan to play home matches in the Gulf, but with more than a million Pakistanis living in the United Arab Emirates the Abu Dhabi crowd was firmly behind Misbah’s men.

Pakistan’s raucous supporters filled the stands, the attendance swelling after midday prayers. Every run brought exuberant cheers as England’s bowling menace waned as the session end drew near.

Shafiq (35) and Ali (46) upped Pakistan’s run rate from just 73 in the first 40 overs of the innings to 52 from the final 21 overs.

Their only real scare was when Kevin Pietersen fluffed a run-out opportunity, missing the stumps with Shafiq flailing in no-man’s land as Pakistan attempted a quick single.

The afternoon had started brightly for Pakistan, who bagged England’s final two wickets before openers Hafeez and Taufeeq Umar made a steady start to their second innings.

England then struck, Panesar drawing Hafeez forward as the batsman tried to block the anticipated turn, but the ball kept straight for a clear lbw.

Fellow spinner Graeme Swann came on at the other end and bowled Umar (7), the ball sneaking between bat and pad as Pakistan lost their second wicket without adding to their score of 29.

Panesar was not to be outshone, however. He bowled Khan with a turning delivery that clipped off-stump and then snagged Misbah lbw with a sliding ball that struck the Pakistan captain below the knee. Panesar ended the day on 3-44.

Earlier, Stuart Broad’s unbeaten 58 had helped England achieve a 70-run first innings lead.

His knock was vital after Matt Prior and Ian Bell both disappointed with the bat, England losing their final five wickets for 120 runs.

For Pakistan, all-rounder Hafeez finished with 3-54, while Saeed Ajmal ended on 4-108.

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