England's Top Order Woeful

Misbah-ul-haq made a patient 52

It won't have escaped Micky Arthur's attention that England were dispatched in just a few overs short of three days in Dubai. Pakistan, continuing to rise up the rankings - as are Australia - have taken a significant advantage in this three match series in the UAE and not just a 1-0 lead in the series. Of particular note should be the manner in which England's crack batting line up folded their desert tents in both innings and headed into the wilderness.

All of it because of sustained pressure and bowling in partnerships and English batsmen too arrogant to treat their opposition as seriously as they did Australia last summer. Strauss, Cook, Trott and Pietersen were out to poor shots in both innings, Morgan only in the first. Trott was caught down the leg side in both innings. Ian Bell was at least done by great deliveries in both innings, doosra's from Saeed Ajmal that would have done for the best in the world and Bell can easily claim that title in the middle order. On the first day, the wicket hardly turned and didn't provide deadly bounce. Ajmal varied his pace and length and impetuosity took care of the rest.

Having lasted 73 overs in the first innings, England's 58 over capitulation on the 3rd day was a disgrace, this time Umar Gul taking the first three wickets with catches behind and Pietersen's lazy hook shot which top edged itself to Rehmann at deep square leg. You need your number four to have more control at 2-25 and still more than a hundred behind. Its a lesson Ricky Ponting was able to learn late in his career and one of the reasons he'll end as great as he started and guys like Pietersen will spill their talent needlessly and always come up short.

Apart from Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad adding 48 for the eight wicket and two and a half hours of resistance from Jonathan Trott , the innings had no spine. After Gul, the left armer spin of Abdur Rehmann and the sublime off spin of Saeed Ajmal didn't so much mop up as surgically remove the rest of the batting list. Ajmal took 10-97 and was MOTM.

Earlier, Pakistan used almost as many overs in their one innings as England used in two. If you watch them play Test cricket expecting to scintillating strokeplay you'll have a high level of disappointment. Apart from Mohammad Hafeez who usually likes to move the score along. The rest drop anchor and wait for loose deliveries. Misbah-ul-huq has insisted his men value their wicket and grind away. Remove the loose shots  and occupy the crease. Hafeez top scored with an unusually slow 88 and his his opening stand of 114 with Taufeeq Umar burst the bubble that has been the feared England pace attack. Younis Khan, Adnal Akmal and in particular the skipper Misbah, played long innings which denied England and caused long spells from her bowlers. The main wicket takers all bowled about thirty overs each. Swann took more chances and was rewarded with wickets but without the variety or conjuring tricks of Ajmal, he never looked the threat that his opposite posed.

Lots of leadership needed
from Andrew Strauss

Hafeez took four overs to score all the runs needed for the ten wicket victory.

In the next two weeks England have to win twice to take a series they appear to have approached lightly. Strauss is talking up their chances, quoting the turn around after a Perth loss last year but his men had been on raw meat before Australia and their diet looks more like croissants and cream puffs now. If they deserve NO 1 more than Javed Miandad has suggested, they will have to prove it in those two weeks. Whilst the bowlers did most of the wet work getting them to world supremacy, the signs are it is the batsmen who have to ride into town and shake the place apart with a Lions roar.

It will be good trick if they pull it off. The second Test starts in Abu Dhabi next Wednesday.