The weather in Abu Dhabi was sultry while the track was as
flat as the highway roads, where run scoring was easy. Both the Pakistani and
English bowlers toiled hard under the hot sun and gave their best shot to
extract support from the track, but it frustrated them time and again. For the
first four days, the tale of the Abu Dhabi track sparked enormous criticisms
which overshadowed the comeback story of Shoaib Malik, Alastair Cook’s unique
feat and Wahab Riaz’s lively spell of pace bowling. Four-and-half-days of mind-numbingly somnolent cricket was heading
for a dull draw.
Surely, one would have given up following the proceedings in
Abu Dhabi from day 4 where there was not even the slightest of indications of a
dramatic turnaround to offer excitement. But, cricket is such an unpredictable
game that one can never know when an unwanted drama can unfold from nowhere.
And when cricket’s most unpredictable team is playing out there, one cannot
afford to switch off the television.
Pakistan’s reply in the second innings was shaky. Shan
Massod offered a lackluster back-foot defense, which led the ball to roll onto
the stumps and then, James Anderson dished out a vicious bouncer on such a dead
track to leave Shoaib Malik clueless. Immediately Pakistan were reduced to 3 for 2. Mohammad
Hafeez and Younis Khan started to calm things down, but Hafeez attempted a
half-hearted and casual effort to reach the non-striker’s end and was run out
by a direct throw.
Pakistan were left tottering at 47 for 3 and their two most
experienced batsmen, Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq, calmed things down. But,
the English captain Alastair Cook didn’t sit back and relax. He shunned the
conventional method of field placements and went for the innovative ways to
make things happen.
The story of Pakistan’s implosion
He set an umbrella field on the leg side and advised his
pace bowlers to deliver the late-inswingers and off-cutters and flummox the
batters with occasional away-swingers. James Anderson and co followed his
advice and kept Misbah and Younis under pressure till the end of tea. Younis
and Misbah weathered the storm well, but Cook has been successful in injecting
panic in the Pakistani camp with his tactical brilliance.
At tea, Pakistan were 102 for 3 and some and sense and
sensibility was needed from these two batsmen to end the day without making the
weather heavy.
But the story after tea was all about Pakistan’s implosion.
With track beginning to take a sharp turn, Cook relied on
the off spin of Moeen Ali and leg spin of Adil Rashid, who went for figures of
0 for 163 in the first innings with an attacking field. Moeen Ali was more
threatening, but it was to be Rashid’s day.
Younis Khan went for a nothing-shot against Adil Rashid and
got out while Misbah-ul-Haq’s uncharacteristic attempt to attack Moeen Ali
resulted in his demise and it also triggered the panic button. The last seven
wickets fell for just 60 runs and the wrecker in chief was Adil Rashid, who
grabbed five wickets in the second innings. Pakistan lost their last five
wickets for just 14 runs in 30 balls and with due respect to Rashid, he must be
thankful to the erratic display of the Pakistani batsmen for his wickets.
England needed just 99 runs to pull-off one of the most epic
victories in the history of Test cricket and Jos Butler, Joe Root and Jonny
Bairstow’s power-hitting revived the memories of the third Test match at
Karachi in 2000 where Pakistan collapsed in a similar fashion and England went
on to script a memorable series win. England were left to score just 25 runs
against the fading light, but the umpires halted the day’s play after assessing
the conditions just they had done the previous evening. England’s brilliant
display was denied by a fading light.
Just 16 wickets had fallen on the first four days,
whereas 11 wickets fell in the final
session that lasted for 31.5 overs.
How dramatic Test cricket can be!
Pakistan should consider themselves lucky. They were almost
gifted a shocking defeat by the
Englishmen and for once the men in green can’t sit back and relax by thinking
that beating this English team will be a cakewalk like 2012. The current
English team is blessed with determination and Cook’s dynamic and innovative
captaincy makes this team look even better. If Pakistan don’t become careful
and steady, then England might be the winner at the end of the day.
Note: this article has been published in Sportskeeda on 18/10/2015 Pakistan's lucky escape at Abu Dhabi
Thank You
Note: this article has been published in Sportskeeda on 18/10/2015 Pakistan's lucky escape at Abu Dhabi
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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