England batsmen ruined the terrific job by seamers Stuart Broad and James Anderson to end up at 104-6 against Pakistan on a bowler-dominated opening day of the third Test on Friday.
Broad bulldozed the top-order with 4-36 and Anderson captured 3-35 to shoot out Pakistan for 99 but left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman grabbed 3-23 before the top-ranked team overhauled Pakistan’s sixth lowest ever total against England.
Captain Andrew Strauss scored a fighting unbeaten 41 on an eventful Friday when three rulings by one of the best umpires in the world, Simon Taufel, were overturned. Strauss was also lucky on 35 when he swept to Rehman and was hit on the back leg. However, Rehman did not go for the referral as TV replays showed it could have overruled Taufel’s decision a fourth time.
Kevin Pietersen (32) briefly showed some of his batting prowess in a 57-run stand with Strauss before Rehman had him lbw. It was the 34th lbw decision of the series, surpassing the previous high of 33 recorded in the series between Pakistan and West Indies in 1993.
Rehman went on to claim the wickets of Eoin Morgan (10) and Matt Prior (6) as England batsmen just managed to get past Pakistan’s total. Earlier, skipper Misbah-ul-Haq’s decision to bat first after winning the toss backfired and Pakistan could never recover after Broad and Anderson reduced Pakistan to 21-5. Asad Shafiq fought a lone battle with 45 off 78 balls before he became one of Monty Panesar’s two scalps.
England’s reply also had a rocky start. Jonathan Trott could have survived had he used video review but the batsman chose to walk after scoring 2 as replays suggested fast bowler Umar Gul’s delivery would have missed the leg stump. Gul had England in early trouble when Alastair Cook, on 1, offered a thick outside edge in only the second over as England took tea at 19-2.
Anderson, who had struck in his very first over in the morning, ensured Pakistan did not reach 100 when he closed the innings by clean bowling Gul midway into the second session. The 34-run eighth-wicket stand between Shafiq and Saeed Ajmal (12) ensured Pakistan passed its lowest ever score of 53 made against Australia in 2002 at Sharjah.
Shafiq pulled Broad to the midwicket boundary to also take Pakistan past its lowest score of 72 against England at Birmingham two years ago. Pakistan had a disastrous start at the same venue where it defeated England by 10 wickets last month.
Anderson had opener Taufeeq Umar lbw for a duck off his sixth delivery and Broad was unlucky not to get rid of Mohammad Hafeez in the next over when Strauss at first slip dropped a two-handed head-high catch.
But Broad did not have to wait long for his reward, striking three times in the space of 16 balls as Pakistan crumbled inside the first hour. He succeeded on both of his TV referrals after the Australian Taufel had adjudged Azhar Ali (1) and Hafeez (13) not out.
Hafeez could face disciplinary action from match referee Jeff Crowe after he sarcastically clapped with his bat while walking back to the dressing room after his lbw decision by TV umpire Shahvir Tarapore.
In between those successful challenges, Broad snared Younis Khan, who flashed at a wide delivery on 4 and edged through to wicketkeeper Prior. Anderson reduced Pakistan to 5-21 when he had Misbah trapped lbw for 1 as he missed while trying to play across the line.
Strauss, who saw his batsmen fall well short of a modest victory chase of 145 runs in the second Test at Abu Dhabi last week, kept the pressure on Pakistan and Broad took his fourth wicket by having Adnan Akmal lbw for 6. Graeme Swann was also amongst the wickets in his only over bowled, with Pietersen at mid-off neatly holding onto a skier from Rehman.
