England fall short of win after Adil's five wickets

Image
AFP Abu Dhabi
Last Updated : Oct 17 2015 | 8:42 PM IST
Leg-spinner Adil Rashid took a five wicket haul to trigger a Pakistan collapse but England fell 25 runs short of a dramatic win in the first cricket Test here today.
Rashid, who had the worst bowling figures on debut in the first innings of 0-163, had an unbelievable change in his fortunes as he grabbed 5-64 to dismiss Pakistan for 173 on a weary fifth day Sheik Zayed Stadium pitch.
England tried hard to chase down the 99-run target in a possible 19 overs but umpires called off play eight overs early due to bad light with the visitors on 74-4.
Joe Root finished with 33 in the fading light as Pakistan attacked with spinner Zulfiqar Babar (2-27) and Shoaib Malik (2-25) to keep the slate clean in the three-match series.
A result had looked highly unlikely on the fifth morning as England, replying to Pakistan's 523-8 declared, closed their first innings at 598-9.
But Pakistan's notoriously independable batting changed the complexion as Rashid exploited the rough with seven wickets falling for 71 runs, the last five for only 14 in the post tea session.
Only skipper Misbah-ul-Haq put up some resistance with 51 on a day when 15 wickets fell, compared to 16 over the first four days.
England went after the target with Jos Butler joining Moeen Ali as opener but Pakistan checked them with some accurate bowling.
England lost Butler (4), Ali (11), Ben Stokes (two) and Jonny Bairstow (15) in the 11 overs.
It was a lucky escape for Pakistan as there have been 14 previous instances when teams had lost a Test after scoring 500 points or more, the highest by Australia when they lost to England after scoring 586 in Sydney in 1894.
Despite a slow and flat pitch both teams will regret missed opportunities which allowed Malik (caught off a no-ball on 40) to hit 245 in his comeback match and Cook scored 263 (dropped on 147 and 173).
The three-match series will resume in Dubai from October 22 with the final Test in Sharjah from November 1.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Oct 17 2015 | 8:42 PM IST

Next Story