Sponsored by
Ajmal has upper hand as England toil
Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal successfully appeals for his fifth wicket of the day, taking England's Stuart Broad, not pictured, lbw during the first cricket test match of a three match series between England and Pakistan. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
England collapsed to Saeed Ajmal at the start of their first Test series as the world’s top team, against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.
Ajmal removed three batsmen in five balls on his way to a career-best seven for 55 - including five lbws - in a total of 192 all out as only England’s number seven wicketkeeper-batsman Matt Prior (70no) managed to resist for long on day one of this three-match series.
After Pakistan responded with an untroubled 42 without loss at stumps, the indications were that England might be significantly under-par on a pitch yet to misbehave.
Prior dug in against type and showed great resilience and technique amid his team-mates’ failures, finding significant assistance only from Eoin Morgan and then Graeme Swann - with whom he added 57 for the eighth wicket.
Andrew Strauss’ tourists lost Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott in the first hour even before the intervention of Ajmal, who had taunted them with talk of a new mystery delivery in the build-up to this tough examination of their new world-beating credentials.
Whether the off-spinner was profiting from those mind games was a moot point. But either way, clever disguise of his off-breaks, doosras - and maybe even a ‘teesra’ or two - proved too much for a succession of England batsmen.
Once he entered the attack at 42 for two, he bowled 16 overs unchanged almost until tea - and then returned to finish the job, leaving only Prior unbeaten.
In their first attempt to consolidate since reaching the top of the International Cricket Council world table against India last summer, England found themselves playing a stone’s throw from the world governing body’s headquarters.
For a full report and reaction read Wednesday’s Yorkshire Post.
Email to a friend
Print this page- Leeds lose Ward to Palace: Is there anyone they can afford now?
- Sheffield Wednesday leaving it late to hijack Leeds United over Ward
- As Snodgrass dithers over Leeds, Warnock throws a lifeline
- Ball is in Leeds United’s court over contract - Snodgrass
- Police turning blind eye to Asian voter fraud, says MP
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.