Ajmal has upper hand as England toil

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.