Monday 26 October 2015 19:36, UK
It was a case of what could have been for England in Dubai.
Both in the sense of if they'd made more of their first innings after having done well to dismiss Pakistan for 378, and in their efforts to secure a final-day draw, slipping to defeat 6.3 overs short of survival.
That only tells half of the story, not even that. So, to fill in the gaps, here are five things to take away from the second Test…
Middle-order misery
Michael Atherton's words after the second day's play proved to be prophetic. England had closed on 182-3 in their first innings with Joe Root (76no) and Jonny Bairstow (27no) going along nicely, but England lost seven wickets for 36 runs on day three to fall to 242 all out and gift Pakistan a substantial first-innings lead. It was indeed a 'tricky' and 'absolutely vital' first session for England and the middle-order's failure sent England spiralling towards defeat. Since England moved Root from five to four, the middle order of Bairstow, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler have collectively managed only 403 runs across 24 innings at an average of 16.79.
Wonderful Wahab
While Pakistan's spinners stole the show in the second innings, it was on that morning session on the third day that this Test hinged, so Wahab Riaz was deservedly man-of-the-match for his match-turning first-innings figures of 4-66. Wahab accounted for Root (88), Stokes (4) and Buttler (0) - all caught behind - on that third morning, and he extracted reverse-swing and bowled with blistering pace throughout the Test. A positive for England was Mark Wood offered a similar threat with the ball, with his Test-best figures of 5-83, but an equal worry will be the success of leg-spinner Yasir Shah, who took 8-180 on his return to the Pakistan side.
Misbah's madness
Though his team-mate, Younus Khan, will win plaudits - and rightly so - for his second innings 118 that saw him pass 9,000 Test runs for Pakistan, captain Misbah-ul-Haq's contribution to this Test and his side's win should not be overlooked. His barmy batting - which sees him wildly change gears from obdurate occupation of the crease to frenetic fireworks - is endlessly entertaining to watch, and was best summed when he smacked two huge sixes off Moeen Ali in the final over of day one to move to 99 before reaching three figures with a reverse sweep, belying his earlier defiant defence of his wicket. And he did it all with a miracle bendy bat to boot!
Key's keepy-ups
After tasting defeat to Matt Prior in the cricketing keepy-up challenge in the first Test, Rob Key - aka the Maidstone Messi - claimed no one would get the better of him with the ball at his feet. Really? Not even former Southampton and England midfield maestro Matt Le Tissier? Taking a tour of the Sky Cricket studios before a stint on Soccer Saturday, Le Tiss took the bait and a controversial contest ensued, with some questionable technique (we'll let you guess whose), calls for obstruction and the odd muted expletive. Keeping with the cricket, Key's expertise was more evident, along with Marcus Trescothick, in a masterclass on how to best play spin in the sub-continent. Trescothick also showed us how to play the sweep shot, while both answered your questions in a Twitter Q&A. Stick to the cricket, Keysy!
Bonkers Bumble
Bumble continued to provide us with his unique behind-the-scenes insight to the Sky Cricket commentary team's tour of the UAE with a tour of the press box where he found former England's batsman Jonathan Trott - who looked suspiciously like he was playing Football Manager - rather than concentrating on the cricket. We shared a peculiar cuppa with him after England's batting collapse on day three, celebrated 'Back to the Future' day with a brainteaser on the bus home, and were treated to his Fred Trueman impression. What do you have in store for us in Sharjah, Bumble?
Our live coverage of England's series against Pakistan in the UAE continues with the third Test on Sunday, November 1 on Sky Sports 2 HD. You can also watch without a contract on NOW TV.
