Pakistan v England: Taylor passes test and more bonkers Bumble

A pick of the action from day five of the third and final Test between Pakistan and England.

It was an embarrassing end for England in Sharjah, a 127-run defeat in the third Test consigning them to a 2-0 series defeat.

But their collapse on the final morning, losing 4-11 on their way to being dismissed for 156, doesn't tell the whole story.

Here are five things from Sharjah you maybe either missed, or may want to forget... 

Taylor passes test

James Taylor has had to wait a long time for another chance in the England Test team, three years in fact, since two appearances against South Africa in 2012, but he more than took his opportunity with a cultured first-innings 76.

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The diminutive batsman looked some distance improved from the player we saw in those two 2012 Tests, with a confident knock that showed him at his busy best and once again showcased his class against spin bowling, something that can't be said for the majority of England's batsmen.

Image: James Taylor has enhanced his Test match credentials

Taylor was part of the second innings collapse, falling for only two, but realistic hopes of an England win had all but disappeared by that point, and he has surely won himself a spot in that much-maligned England middle-order for the tour of South Africa later this year.

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Bowled over by Anderson and Broad

England's seamers' stats have been quite staggering this series, accounting for 31 wickets at an average of 24.58, and carrying the side's wayward spin attack.

Mark Wood more than deserves a mention for his six wickets across the first two Tests, particularly impressing in Dubai. But with him out through injury, and Ben Stokes sustaining a collarbone injury in Sharjah, Anderson and Broad somewhat single-handedly kept England in the contest, even positioning them as favourites at one point.

Jimmy Anderson tries to get a run-out but only manages to knock down Stuart Broad!

Broad's spell of five straight maidens and the wicket of Shoaib Malik after lunch on day one set the tone, while Anderson cashed in with six scalps in the Test, topping the wicket-taking column for the team with 13 at 15.61. Anyone still think he can only bowl when it swings?

Sadly it wasn't good enough to top Yasir Shah's 15 wickets for Pakistan - including four to spin England out in their second innings - and inspire a series-tying win, but still, it will have set a few butterflies racing in South Africa.

Don't switch off

England have battled hard in this series and more than matched Pakistan for large parts, but the fact they leave empty handed is owed to the loss of key sessions. A middle-order collapse on the morning of day three cost them the game in Dubai, while it was the fourth morning in Sharjah that arguably was their undoing this time.

Mohammad Hafeez may have reached his hundred during Pakistan's during the third Test but he rode his luck

Mohammad Hafeez started the day unbeaten on 97 with Pakistan three wickets down in their second innings and holding only a slender lead of 74. He survived an lbw review off the first ball of the day, should have been stumped by Jonny Bairstow after being beaten by Adil Rashid's googly, nicked Broad through a vacant second slip and was dropped by the same bowler off a tricky caught-and-bowled chance.

Hafeez went on to score 151 as Pakistan set England 284 to win, which proved to be comfortably out of reach.

England won such sessions on their way to regaining the Ashes earlier this summer - Broad's 8-15 at Trent Bridge anyone? Sorry, any excuse to mention that again! Such session-long lapses as in the UAE must not become a habit.

A masterclass

Matt Prior demonstrates how to best affect a stumping behind the stumps

Bairstow's missed stumping of Hafeez proved crucial, and who better to have in the Sky Sports studio to show how it should be done, than ex-England wicketkeeper Matt Prior.

Prior gave a masterclass in how to affect a stumping, and whip those bails off that fraction of a second quicker, while also mentioning who is the best he has seen at doing it, India's MS Dhoni.

Alastair Cook has had a few struggles fending leg-spinner Yasir Shah to close-in catchers on the leg-side this series and Prior and Rob Key also looked at where the England captain is going wrong, and how to avoid falling into a leg-slip trap.

Bonkers Bumble

During England's warm up with their traditional game of footy, our very own Bumble was manager and wasn't particularly impressed with his charges!

Bumble is looking to get back into coaching. No, not the England cricket team again. He wants a crack at their football side. David 'Mourinho' Lloyd wasn't impressed by what he saw at his first training session though, threatening to sell ALL of his players.

The dream obviously didn't last long, as Bumble's attention soon turned to two goats and tending to his allotment in Sharjah. Oh, and he met the King of the Jungle too... All in a day's work for Bumble.

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