DUBAI // Yasir Shah took eight wickets in the Dubai Test on his return to the side, including that of Adil Rashid which set the seal on victory with time ticking away.
Misbah-ul-Haq, the winning Pakistan captain, scored 189 runs across the two innings. Younis Khan managed 174, and Asad Shafiq 162.
The man-of-the-match award, though, was given to someone who returned the bland figures of five wickets for 144 runs.
And there is little doubt Wahab Riaz was the deserving recipient. His spell of nine overs, three for 15 on the third morning was the seminal phase of play in the game. He was the difference between the sides.
“That was a spell which really changed the game for us because, at that time, England were really playing well,” Misbah said, of England’s loss of seven wickets for 36 runs on the third morning.
“Just getting out (Joe) Root and then a couple of more wickets, that was the key for us, especially as it meant taking a 100-plus lead in the first innings.”
That was exactly the sort of phase of play that England had been so wary of. Frequently in Tests in the UAE, especially at the Dubai International Stadium, the match has been decided by one sudden collapse.
Alastair Cook, the England captain, reflected after that “you have to be absolutely relentless for five days” in matches in these conditions.
Subsiding over the space of an hour-and-a-half against Wahab eventually meant England will head to Sharjah for Sunday’s third Test 1-0 down.
“It is a real frustration,” Cook said. “It happens too often. Full credit to Riaz, he bowled really well – 90mph, reverse swinging, from different angles, with some short stuff thrown in.
“We are not saying it was easy and that anyone could bat against it. But it is a realisation that it is a tough moment. If you lose one wicket, you are allowed to against that bowling.
“It is about sucking it up, thinking he has got 30 balls in his spell, maximum, then if you can get through that it gets easier.”
pradley@thenational.ae
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