Trott gone!
I hate watching him play.
I hate watching him play.
Pakistan vs England (in UAE) 2012
- Thread starter Sassy Colin
- Start date
And Prior goes.
115-7 now. I reckon try and bat out the day, make Pakistan bat again and see how many wickets they can take before the inevitable.
Hayden got 380 against Zimbabwe. Despite the opposition, you still have to score them, and it is still a great feat!
So basically test cricket is fecked.
Get any of the top teams away from their own conditions, and they start to look like the French at war - surrendering meekly.
Pakistan have bowled well as an unit, but this is a good batting pitch...shocking from England.
Get any of the top teams away from their own conditions, and they start to look like the French at war - surrendering meekly.
Pakistan have bowled well as an unit, but this is a good batting pitch...shocking from England.
Wouldn't say that quite yet - South Africa are still a good side!
A small partnership between Broad and Swann comes to end.
I saw some of the dismissals. My word, England have played some terrible strokes.
What a shower of shite...
Wahey! Pakistan have to bat again! Have it!
Brilliant! looking forward to watching the highlights 
Edit: England all out, Pak need 15 to win.
Edit: England all out, Pak need 15 to win.
If Anderson can get 15 on this wicket, why can't our top order even get into double figures?
Be fair. The England cricket team did not bring this issue up it was bob Willis from Sky and its more in bad analysis and then the papers running with it.
The England team rightly have not made an issue of it.
All over, Pakistan win. Superb performance.
Why don't the coaches stop them bowling with suspect actions when they are kids?
Then we wouldn't ever have this problem.
There's nothing suspect about the bowling. Remember when Pakistan perfected the art of reverse swing bowling? There were all sorts of allegations from the media. Now England have learnt the art, it's a skill. We need to be gracious in our defeats.
Willis is not a very intelligent pundit. Sky has assembled a great team in Gower, Nasser, and Atherton, they're really objective and unbiased.
Willis is not a very intelligent pundit. Sky has assembled a great team in Gower, Nasser, and Atherton, they're really objective and unbiased.
Agree with Sultan, Willis is the worst of the Sky pundits who by and large are the best sports analysis team around in the UK. I think Willis has old man syndrome, best off forcing him into early retirement I reckon.
As for England, their batting was even more of an embarrassment. They all looked dodgy in the tour games and it looks like it's carried on in the test matches.
As for England, their batting was even more of an embarrassment. They all looked dodgy in the tour games and it looks like it's carried on in the test matches.
Looking forward to the next test, I'd like us to bring in Umar Akmal. Not sure if it was injury keeping him out but he's a talented batter and would add some quality to the batting line-up.
I think England need to consider KP's position. He failed in this test and he's not had the best of times recently. They may also consider playing the 2 spinners but I don't think anyone can fault the bowlers for that performance.
I think England need to consider KP's position. He failed in this test and he's not had the best of times recently. They may also consider playing the 2 spinners but I don't think anyone can fault the bowlers for that performance.
There is definitely something wrong with the way Ajmal bowls the ball. There can be no doubts about that, not even the most one eyed Pakistani supporter could deny it. The thing is....
his action falls within the parameters set out by the ICC. So he has no case to answer, and is perfectly fine to continue bowling, and leading Pakistan to big wins over formidable opponents.
There is no controversy with regards to his bowling, and like Athers, Nas and the current England players said...he was deemed legit, so he is legit, and all the chatter is just that...chatter.
his action falls within the parameters set out by the ICC. So he has no case to answer, and is perfectly fine to continue bowling, and leading Pakistan to big wins over formidable opponents.
There is no controversy with regards to his bowling, and like Athers, Nas and the current England players said...he was deemed legit, so he is legit, and all the chatter is just that...chatter.
Because throwing the ball rather than bowling it gives you an advantage.
Just caught a bit on the 10 O'Clock news, the ground looked almost completely empty.
Anyone know what the crowd was?
Anyone know what the crowd was?
They were expecting a big crowd tomorrow.
Utterly surprised by this result. Watched most of it live and came to the following conclusions/observations:
1. Ajmal will dominate world cricket for the next 5 years or more and become Warne and Murali's successor as the spin king of global cricket. He is lucky to have other very talented spinners like Rehman and Haveez to build rapport and momentum with. And with his new delivery, the 'teesra' (the doosra that does nothing), batsmen in the future are in real trouble.
The 'teesra' is almost unplayable, hence why Ajmal broke the world record for most LBW wickets taken by a bowler in a test (7 of his 10 wickets). An astute and well drilled batsmen can 'pick' the doosra. But what happens when you pick the doosra, play the shot accordingly for it then not to behave as the doosra does, ie not spin and just follow on in a straight trajectory, hence why Ajmal got so many LBWs and will continue to do so for many more years.
2. Pakistan's resilience and depth of cricketing talent is astonishing. Salman Butt is a wonderful and technically skilful batsman with much promise. But even more critically and as we all know, Aamir and Asif were perhaps the two finest fast bowlers in the world (or least on their way to becoming so) with the wicked ability to move the ball in the air through seam and swing. Aamir especially had an entire lifetime of cricketing devastation ahead of him; I had him down to become as successful and brilliant as Wasim Akram. I hope for the sake of the game, he can resurrect his career once he serves out his various correctly administered bans.
To bowl England out for less than 200 in each innings without these two bowlers is just a small demonstration of the depth of bowling talent at their disposal.
Just imagine a spell of bowling with a mature Aamir at one end and Ajmal at the other. It would invoke memories of Warne/McGrath or Akram/Mushtaq or Waqer/Saqlain at their very very best.
3. Pakistan are probably 'the most amazing team in the world of global sport' right now. The stuff 'sporting team movies' are made off. To have to cope with the spot betting scandal and lose the very important match winning players mentioned above, to have to deal with the knock on effect of those actions to national pride as well as team morale. To play effectively as the global nomads of international cricket without a 'home pitch' to play on and having the bare the shame that led to that eventuality. The teams response to these adversities and the achievements of the past year are nothing short of miraculous.
They did themselves proud at the recent cricket world cup and under new captain Misbah are in an amazing run of form. They are good enough to beat anybody right now. As I said, given the recent history of calamitous and shameful events, their recent sporting results are nothing short of being probably the greatest sporting story of teamwork in global sport right now.
4. England have started this tour with arrogance abound and are totally undercooked and mentally under prepared. I think they thought this would be a roll over and so are not mentally in the right place; certainly nothing close to the mental and technical focus they had before recent ashes series' or playing India in England. They should be ashamed of that and the coach and captain must be taken to task for that.
Its not acceptable for the No 1 ranked team in the world to have such habits and it needs to be stamped out immediately. Think back to some previous glory days of United: the days of Ince, Keane, Beckham, Irwin, Hughes, Pallister, Schmeichel etc. Forget talent or flare, there was never any harder working team than Manchester United. No other team we played covered as much grass, ran more miles, was as intense in every tackle, fought tooth and nail with the ref for every decision. These are traits of a No 1 teams.
The great West Indies team of the 1980s had it. So did the Aussies for the past 10 years. But right now in world cricket, as the no 1 spot is up for grabs and on constant rotation, no team seems prepared to work consistently hard enough to own the title. To be no 1, you have to want it really badly. Im not sure if England (or indeed India) want it badly enough.
5. Englands tactics going into this game were disastrous. How can Pakistan go into the game with 3 spinners and England only 1?! It makes no sense that the teams has such different opinions on the wicket or what a match winning strategy would require.
The only sense I can make of it is arrogance. These days, everything is known about anything in world cricket. And England's army of analysts and back-room staff are far better technology equipped than the Pakistanis. They would have known everything there was to know about the stadium, the wicket, the conditions, the likely type of bowler who will make the difference. FFS, they even had it shown to them in the dress reherasal with Monty Panesar's great display in the last warm up game.
Again, I say, how can Pakistan pick three spinners and England only one. It was a disastrous strategic decision and probably the most important that caused such a heavy defeat. I'd love to get an insight into the process that led to that decision and the reasons that were used to justify it. And I'd love to know who took the final decision.
6. Why were England's batsmen afraid just to 'bat' and play to their natural strengths. It seemed to me while I watched England bat that they were each mentally so clogged up with technical and strategic information and so were not able to use their cricketing instincts.
For example, if they had taken to each innings the attitude taken in a 50 over ODI, 10 times out of 10, they would have exceeded those pitiful innings scores of 192 and 160. England possess some of the best batsmen in world cricket right now. And with players like Strauss, Cook, Pieterson and the record breaking Trott, all are genuine stroke players of the highest order. If I was coach, i'd just tell them to go out there and just play.
7. Cook is going through a very lean spell, needs to be called upon it and pressure put upon him. In his past 7 innings, that glorious 294 apart, he has not contributed an innings of any significance. There is something seriously wrong in his game. i don't know if its technical or mental but it needs to sorted pronto.
8. I think there is some cracking cricket to be played in this series, but its going to be a bowlers series and not a batsman's one. I expect Ajmal to carry on taking at least 7 wickets each test (and end with a total of 25+ wickets in a 3 test series). I also expect Gul to be the most successful fast bowler from both sides. England will recover to an extent and post some totals in excess of 300, but not much more. And that simply wont be enough. And I just don't think Swann, Broad or Anderson have the repertoire to excel in these conditions.
9. If I was a betting man, I'd say this series has already been decided and Pakistan will win 2-0 or 2-1. Soon the Pakistani expats will fill the stadiums and create a more intimidating atmosphere for England. I expect the ODI's to follow the same trend.
England have come in under planned and there is not enough time left to correct the strategy and have it implemented.
PS: If this comes across in anyway as pro Pakistan its not. Personally, I don't particularly like nor admire Pakistan as a country or civilisation (for personal political reasons). Im just calling it as I see it.
1. Ajmal will dominate world cricket for the next 5 years or more and become Warne and Murali's successor as the spin king of global cricket. He is lucky to have other very talented spinners like Rehman and Haveez to build rapport and momentum with. And with his new delivery, the 'teesra' (the doosra that does nothing), batsmen in the future are in real trouble.
The 'teesra' is almost unplayable, hence why Ajmal broke the world record for most LBW wickets taken by a bowler in a test (7 of his 10 wickets). An astute and well drilled batsmen can 'pick' the doosra. But what happens when you pick the doosra, play the shot accordingly for it then not to behave as the doosra does, ie not spin and just follow on in a straight trajectory, hence why Ajmal got so many LBWs and will continue to do so for many more years.
2. Pakistan's resilience and depth of cricketing talent is astonishing. Salman Butt is a wonderful and technically skilful batsman with much promise. But even more critically and as we all know, Aamir and Asif were perhaps the two finest fast bowlers in the world (or least on their way to becoming so) with the wicked ability to move the ball in the air through seam and swing. Aamir especially had an entire lifetime of cricketing devastation ahead of him; I had him down to become as successful and brilliant as Wasim Akram. I hope for the sake of the game, he can resurrect his career once he serves out his various correctly administered bans.
To bowl England out for less than 200 in each innings without these two bowlers is just a small demonstration of the depth of bowling talent at their disposal.
Just imagine a spell of bowling with a mature Aamir at one end and Ajmal at the other. It would invoke memories of Warne/McGrath or Akram/Mushtaq or Waqer/Saqlain at their very very best.
3. Pakistan are probably 'the most amazing team in the world of global sport' right now. The stuff 'sporting team movies' are made off. To have to cope with the spot betting scandal and lose the very important match winning players mentioned above, to have to deal with the knock on effect of those actions to national pride as well as team morale. To play effectively as the global nomads of international cricket without a 'home pitch' to play on and having the bare the shame that led to that eventuality. The teams response to these adversities and the achievements of the past year are nothing short of miraculous.
They did themselves proud at the recent cricket world cup and under new captain Misbah are in an amazing run of form. They are good enough to beat anybody right now. As I said, given the recent history of calamitous and shameful events, their recent sporting results are nothing short of being probably the greatest sporting story of teamwork in global sport right now.
4. England have started this tour with arrogance abound and are totally undercooked and mentally under prepared. I think they thought this would be a roll over and so are not mentally in the right place; certainly nothing close to the mental and technical focus they had before recent ashes series' or playing India in England. They should be ashamed of that and the coach and captain must be taken to task for that.
Its not acceptable for the No 1 ranked team in the world to have such habits and it needs to be stamped out immediately. Think back to some previous glory days of United: the days of Ince, Keane, Beckham, Irwin, Hughes, Pallister, Schmeichel etc. Forget talent or flare, there was never any harder working team than Manchester United. No other team we played covered as much grass, ran more miles, was as intense in every tackle, fought tooth and nail with the ref for every decision. These are traits of a No 1 teams.
The great West Indies team of the 1980s had it. So did the Aussies for the past 10 years. But right now in world cricket, as the no 1 spot is up for grabs and on constant rotation, no team seems prepared to work consistently hard enough to own the title. To be no 1, you have to want it really badly. Im not sure if England (or indeed India) want it badly enough.
5. Englands tactics going into this game were disastrous. How can Pakistan go into the game with 3 spinners and England only 1?! It makes no sense that the teams has such different opinions on the wicket or what a match winning strategy would require.
The only sense I can make of it is arrogance. These days, everything is known about anything in world cricket. And England's army of analysts and back-room staff are far better technology equipped than the Pakistanis. They would have known everything there was to know about the stadium, the wicket, the conditions, the likely type of bowler who will make the difference. FFS, they even had it shown to them in the dress reherasal with Monty Panesar's great display in the last warm up game.
Again, I say, how can Pakistan pick three spinners and England only one. It was a disastrous strategic decision and probably the most important that caused such a heavy defeat. I'd love to get an insight into the process that led to that decision and the reasons that were used to justify it. And I'd love to know who took the final decision.
6. Why were England's batsmen afraid just to 'bat' and play to their natural strengths. It seemed to me while I watched England bat that they were each mentally so clogged up with technical and strategic information and so were not able to use their cricketing instincts.
For example, if they had taken to each innings the attitude taken in a 50 over ODI, 10 times out of 10, they would have exceeded those pitiful innings scores of 192 and 160. England possess some of the best batsmen in world cricket right now. And with players like Strauss, Cook, Pieterson and the record breaking Trott, all are genuine stroke players of the highest order. If I was coach, i'd just tell them to go out there and just play.
7. Cook is going through a very lean spell, needs to be called upon it and pressure put upon him. In his past 7 innings, that glorious 294 apart, he has not contributed an innings of any significance. There is something seriously wrong in his game. i don't know if its technical or mental but it needs to sorted pronto.
8. I think there is some cracking cricket to be played in this series, but its going to be a bowlers series and not a batsman's one. I expect Ajmal to carry on taking at least 7 wickets each test (and end with a total of 25+ wickets in a 3 test series). I also expect Gul to be the most successful fast bowler from both sides. England will recover to an extent and post some totals in excess of 300, but not much more. And that simply wont be enough. And I just don't think Swann, Broad or Anderson have the repertoire to excel in these conditions.
9. If I was a betting man, I'd say this series has already been decided and Pakistan will win 2-0 or 2-1. Soon the Pakistani expats will fill the stadiums and create a more intimidating atmosphere for England. I expect the ODI's to follow the same trend.
England have come in under planned and there is not enough time left to correct the strategy and have it implemented.
PS: If this comes across in anyway as pro Pakistan its not. Personally, I don't particularly like nor admire Pakistan as a country or civilisation (for personal political reasons). Im just calling it as I see it.
Yeah with Friday being the day off in UAE and Pakistan being so on top, it would have been a great day out for the many Pakistani expats in the UAE.
Still very surprised how quickly/shamefully England capitulated.
Oh FFS, grow up. Just man up and recognise genuine world class genius talent when you see it. Or there also must be something suspect his Tendulkars batting action, how else can he be so good?
Comments like these are not only pitiful but just show you to be small minded.
Apologies if your post was intended as ironic which it may have been.
Players like Murali, Wasim etc pushed the boundaries of bowling with their innovative deliveries or bowling actions - they were unorthodox. This is an essential part of crickets development. Those complaining about Ajmal as a chucker are either unaware of the rules or just plain ignorant.
I don't like seeing England being skittled out but I am first a fan of cricket and if you cannot appreciate Ajmal guile and brilliance then its your loss.
I think too early on in the development of cricketers we drill out unorthodox and innovation. The biggest problem I have with the current England coaching team is they always seem to have a plan and strategy which must be adhered to in the field from the premeditated shots. You know what trust your players and let them bat.
I don't like seeing England being skittled out but I am first a fan of cricket and if you cannot appreciate Ajmal guile and brilliance then its your loss.
I think too early on in the development of cricketers we drill out unorthodox and innovation. The biggest problem I have with the current England coaching team is they always seem to have a plan and strategy which must be adhered to in the field from the premeditated shots. You know what trust your players and let them bat.
he was being sarcastic...
Very well written post Sam.
England should have picked a team with the old adage in mind "horses for courses". Instead they just picked a team which has been successful over the last few years, and ignored local conditions. I'd personally disagree this is even a good Pakistan team - I'd say it's the least talented Pakistan team I have seen since watching cricket. England were just undone by a few great individual performances, and themselves with careless batting and wrong team selection (Ajmal in the first innings and Gul, Ajmal, and Rehman in the second).
England should have known from experience Anderson cannot bowl in Asian conditions, and is just a passenger on these tours. Ravi Bopara, and Samit Patel, would have been ideal players in these conditions - Samit can also prove to be a very handy bowler.
Ajmal is approaching his 35th birthday soon, so I doubt he'll be around much longer than a few more years. His Teesra will then be coached to the highest bidders, and become a legitimate delivery.
England should have picked a team with the old adage in mind "horses for courses". Instead they just picked a team which has been successful over the last few years, and ignored local conditions. I'd personally disagree this is even a good Pakistan team - I'd say it's the least talented Pakistan team I have seen since watching cricket. England were just undone by a few great individual performances, and themselves with careless batting and wrong team selection (Ajmal in the first innings and Gul, Ajmal, and Rehman in the second).
England should have known from experience Anderson cannot bowl in Asian conditions, and is just a passenger on these tours. Ravi Bopara, and Samit Patel, would have been ideal players in these conditions - Samit can also prove to be a very handy bowler.
Ajmal is approaching his 35th birthday soon, so I doubt he'll be around much longer than a few more years. His Teesra will then be coached to the highest bidders, and become a legitimate delivery.
Pakistan scored 338 - don't think bowling was the issue as far as England were concerned. This pitch was not overly conducive to spin, did the ball grip and turn a mile? Did it bounce or jump out of a rough...No.
England simply failed to cope with the bowling(let's not forget in their 2nd dig, the top order was done in by not spin, but Umar Gul).
England simply failed to cope with the bowling(let's not forget in their 2nd dig, the top order was done in by not spin, but Umar Gul).
England's bowling lacked variety, and having three seamers in the team on Asian wickets is more than stupid. Broad, Anderson and Tremlett are no great threat without swing, bounce, and seam movement.
To be fair, Gul got a couple of wickets caught on the leg side. I consider these to be slightly fortunate.
Tremlett will be useless in these conditions IMO.
But BTV is right that bowling was not to blame here. It was a flat wicket and bowling out Pak for 338 was a good effort by bowlers.
But BTV is right that bowling was not to blame here. It was a flat wicket and bowling out Pak for 338 was a good effort by bowlers.
How is anybody surprised about Englands batting. You are not a great batting side. They have far too many batting collapses. Australia is the same, and the only thing series against India has done for either side is paper over the glaring cracks. At this point in time, I doubt you'd see either side being able to bat against one another for more than 4 sessions. Says alot about batting in test cricket as a whole really.
Both sides benefit massively from great pace bowling attacks.
Both sides benefit massively from great pace bowling attacks.
Beating the batsmen's blues
Comments
Sam Sheringham | 17:01 UK time, Friday, 20 January 2012
Your bat feels like a pipe-cleaner, the ball looks as small as a marble and scoring runs is like finding happy hour in a desert.
Masters of their craft in recent times, England’s batsmen resembled hapless amateurs in the first Test against Pakistan in Dubai.
Bamboozled by the variations of off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, the top six made just 143 runs between them in two innings as England were skittled for 192 and 160 in a chastening 10-wicket defeat.
With the second Test in Abu Dhabi starting on Wednesday, England have precious little time to put things right and justify their position as the world’s top-ranked side.
So how do you recover from such a humbling experience and produce the goods when your touch has deserted you?
“You’ve got to remind yourself that you are a good player,” says former captain Alec Stewart, who played a record 133 Tests for England between 1990 and 2003.
“I used to put on a video of a match in which I played well and remind myself of what I could do.
“One bad game, and one bad innings, doesn’t turn you into a shocking player. The majority of that top six have a very good 12 months behind them.
“They just need to stay relaxed. If you are going through a poor run of form it is natural to become tense and on edge. Sometimes it just takes one ball that you put away and then you are off and running again.”
Perhaps the most alarming aspects of England’s batting display in Dubai were the abject showings from Alastair Cook, Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen.
The prolific trio, who scored nine centuries and five double-hundreds between them in England’s previous 12 Tests, failed to reach double figures in either innings.
Cook scrambled eight runs from 61 balls, Bell twice failed to read Ajmal’s doosra, while Pietersen was lured into a false shot by Ajmal in the first innings and mindlessly pulled to deep square-leg in the second.
According to Mike Gatting, who averaged 50.7 over the 13 Tests he played in India, the key to success in alien conditions is to treat the pitch, and the opposition, with respect.
“The first two or three overs are the most important,” he says. “You have to be confident that you can get through those first 18 balls.
“Whatever method you wish to use, whether it is using your feet or playing off the back foot, you have to do it in a way that is comfortable to you. And when you get in, you need to make sure you stay in.
“You need to have a game plan. A good solid forward defensive can be a positive statement of your intent to occupy the crease.”
With mastering Ajmal potentially the key to the series, England’s batsmen have been spending plenty of time under the spell of “Merlyn”, a bowling machine that purports to be able to replicate any spinner’s delivery.
But, in Stewart’s opinion, there is a limit to Merlyn’s effectiveness when a batman is trying to unravel the mysteries of Ajmal.
“Merlyn is better than nothing because at least they are practising, but the downside is that you are not actually seeing the bowler’s hand,” he says.
“Ajmal is tricky because he bowls both his doosra and his off-spinner with a scrambled seam.
“With Graeme Swann’s regulation off-spinner you can see that the angle of the seam stays the same all the way down the pitch, so you also have time to pick it as it is coming towards you.
“If it’s a scrambled seam for both the doosra and the off-spinner, it makes it harder because you are having to pick it out of the hand.
“In my day, we would work as a team, looking at how to combat someone like Anil Kumble. Does he do anything differently? Does he have his fingers in a slightly different place when he spins the ball?
“With all the technology on hand nowadays I’d like to think they are analysing everything they can and adjusting their techniques accordingly.”
Gatting believes England’s best approach to Ajmal is to play the ball late and endeavour to disrupt his rhythm. He points to the example of left-hander Graham Thorpe, who averaged 61 in England’s back-to-back series wins in Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the winter of 2000-01.
“If you’ve got a good spinner you generally try to knock him off his length,” Gatting says. “Thorpy used to play [Muttiah] Muralitharan off the back foot and played him magnificently well. He also played Shane Warne very well in his own manner.
“Ajmal bowled very well but he wasn’t under pressure. If the guys can get in, it will be interesting to see how Ajmal gets on.
“You don’t have to whack the ball out of the ground but if you play in a positive and organised manner, you should score plenty of runs on these pitches.”
Gatting is backing England to continue their habit of following up their last four Test defeats with a resounding victory.
After their previous loss in Perth in December 2010, England reacted by bowling out Australia for 98 on the first day of the Melbourne Test and went on to win the Ashes series 3-1.
“Dubai wasn’t very pleasant viewing but let’s not go overboard about it,” he says. “England have had a long break, whereas Pakistan have played a lot of cricket, have a team spirit about them and a guy who bowls a bit differently.
“Hopefully England will have got that defeat out of their system and do what they normally do when they lose a Test match and win the next one.”
Comments
Sam Sheringham | 17:01 UK time, Friday, 20 January 2012
Your bat feels like a pipe-cleaner, the ball looks as small as a marble and scoring runs is like finding happy hour in a desert.
Masters of their craft in recent times, England’s batsmen resembled hapless amateurs in the first Test against Pakistan in Dubai.
Bamboozled by the variations of off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, the top six made just 143 runs between them in two innings as England were skittled for 192 and 160 in a chastening 10-wicket defeat.
With the second Test in Abu Dhabi starting on Wednesday, England have precious little time to put things right and justify their position as the world’s top-ranked side.
So how do you recover from such a humbling experience and produce the goods when your touch has deserted you?
“You’ve got to remind yourself that you are a good player,” says former captain Alec Stewart, who played a record 133 Tests for England between 1990 and 2003.
“I used to put on a video of a match in which I played well and remind myself of what I could do.
“One bad game, and one bad innings, doesn’t turn you into a shocking player. The majority of that top six have a very good 12 months behind them.
“They just need to stay relaxed. If you are going through a poor run of form it is natural to become tense and on edge. Sometimes it just takes one ball that you put away and then you are off and running again.”
Perhaps the most alarming aspects of England’s batting display in Dubai were the abject showings from Alastair Cook, Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen.
The prolific trio, who scored nine centuries and five double-hundreds between them in England’s previous 12 Tests, failed to reach double figures in either innings.
Cook scrambled eight runs from 61 balls, Bell twice failed to read Ajmal’s doosra, while Pietersen was lured into a false shot by Ajmal in the first innings and mindlessly pulled to deep square-leg in the second.
According to Mike Gatting, who averaged 50.7 over the 13 Tests he played in India, the key to success in alien conditions is to treat the pitch, and the opposition, with respect.
“The first two or three overs are the most important,” he says. “You have to be confident that you can get through those first 18 balls.
“Whatever method you wish to use, whether it is using your feet or playing off the back foot, you have to do it in a way that is comfortable to you. And when you get in, you need to make sure you stay in.
“You need to have a game plan. A good solid forward defensive can be a positive statement of your intent to occupy the crease.”
With mastering Ajmal potentially the key to the series, England’s batsmen have been spending plenty of time under the spell of “Merlyn”, a bowling machine that purports to be able to replicate any spinner’s delivery.
But, in Stewart’s opinion, there is a limit to Merlyn’s effectiveness when a batman is trying to unravel the mysteries of Ajmal.
“Merlyn is better than nothing because at least they are practising, but the downside is that you are not actually seeing the bowler’s hand,” he says.
“Ajmal is tricky because he bowls both his doosra and his off-spinner with a scrambled seam.
“With Graeme Swann’s regulation off-spinner you can see that the angle of the seam stays the same all the way down the pitch, so you also have time to pick it as it is coming towards you.
“If it’s a scrambled seam for both the doosra and the off-spinner, it makes it harder because you are having to pick it out of the hand.
“In my day, we would work as a team, looking at how to combat someone like Anil Kumble. Does he do anything differently? Does he have his fingers in a slightly different place when he spins the ball?
“With all the technology on hand nowadays I’d like to think they are analysing everything they can and adjusting their techniques accordingly.”
Gatting believes England’s best approach to Ajmal is to play the ball late and endeavour to disrupt his rhythm. He points to the example of left-hander Graham Thorpe, who averaged 61 in England’s back-to-back series wins in Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the winter of 2000-01.
“If you’ve got a good spinner you generally try to knock him off his length,” Gatting says. “Thorpy used to play [Muttiah] Muralitharan off the back foot and played him magnificently well. He also played Shane Warne very well in his own manner.
“Ajmal bowled very well but he wasn’t under pressure. If the guys can get in, it will be interesting to see how Ajmal gets on.
“You don’t have to whack the ball out of the ground but if you play in a positive and organised manner, you should score plenty of runs on these pitches.”
Gatting is backing England to continue their habit of following up their last four Test defeats with a resounding victory.
After their previous loss in Perth in December 2010, England reacted by bowling out Australia for 98 on the first day of the Melbourne Test and went on to win the Ashes series 3-1.
“Dubai wasn’t very pleasant viewing but let’s not go overboard about it,” he says. “England have had a long break, whereas Pakistan have played a lot of cricket, have a team spirit about them and a guy who bowls a bit differently.
“Hopefully England will have got that defeat out of their system and do what they normally do when they lose a Test match and win the next one.”
Ian Bell: I've got a few sessions lined up with Merlyn
IAN BELL TUESDAY 24 JANUARY 2012
When England teams have had a big defeat in the last two or three years we've nearly always managed to get ourselves together and put in a performance in the next match. Fingers crossed, we can do that in Abu Dhabi this week after we were beaten by Pakistan in the first Test in Dubai.
At Headingley in 2009 we lost heavily to Australia but came back at The Oval to win the Ashes. It was a similar situation in 2010, when we were well beaten in the third Test at Perth yet managed to win the next Test at Melbourne by an innings and make sure we retained the urn.
We were absolutely gutted to lose in Dubai, especially in three days, and the dressing room really hurt afterwards. It's given us all a bit of a shake-up. We hadn't played a Test since August, but whether we were caught out or not, we can't use it as an excuse. Given what happened in Dubai, it's been nice that my wife, Chantal, and the rest of the players' families were able to join us last weekend. It helps everyone keep things in perspective.
Cricket has gone really well for us in the last couple of years, but this has proved that we're all human and we all make mistakes. If anyone thought we'd be successful every time we went on the field, those three days in Dubai were a good reminder for us all. There are some great cricketers around and we're going to have to work very hard if we want to keep winning Test matches.
It was, of course, disappointing to score only four runs in two innings in Dubai, but I look back on it and I see that I got two very good deliveries, especially the one from Saeed Ajmal in the first innings. I didn't really give my wicket away, and when you don't manage to score runs, you have to try to stay level and not to dwell on it – which I hope I've managed to do in recent years.
It's not always easy to manage that when you're a young player, but it is crucial, just as you can't go around thinking you're the best thing in the world on your good days.
Before Dubai, I had never faced Ajmal in Test cricket, so hopefully I'll learn a few things from what I picked up during the last Test. The major thing I would point out is that when he is delivering the ball, his arm goes through very quickly, which is not the case with all spinners. We have all watched film of him and we were very well prepared for that Test, but the key is to have time in the middle. You need to be there for an hour and, hopefully, after that things will become easier.
We're aware of what was said on television about Ajmal's bowling action during the first Test, but I haven't really focused on it, and it would be stupid of us to look at aspects like that. We were well beaten by a very good Pakistan team, not just by Ajmal. I don't want to get drawn into it, because if we do, as a team, we run a serious risk of going 2-0 down – there's no doubt about that. Pakistan were exceptional in that match and we have to raise our game to compete against them.
As I do before any Test, I'll prepare as well as I can for this match. I've been doing specific work to combat off-spin bowling. I like to do plenty of work with our batting coach, Graham Gooch, and I'll also use Merlyn, the spin-bowling machine. Merlyn's a good device. It can create big spin and it can send the ball down at different speeds, which is something that is otherwise hard to achieve.
As we approach this Test, though, it's also important to remember that Dubai was only one game, and we mustn't get too carried away with thinking about what happened there. We're a group of players who stick together through good times and bad times, and we now have to enjoy the challenge of facing some of the best players in the world in conditions that they know better than we do. Sport always gives you chances to bounce back quickly, and we have to take ours in Abu Dhabi.
IAN BELL TUESDAY 24 JANUARY 2012
When England teams have had a big defeat in the last two or three years we've nearly always managed to get ourselves together and put in a performance in the next match. Fingers crossed, we can do that in Abu Dhabi this week after we were beaten by Pakistan in the first Test in Dubai.
At Headingley in 2009 we lost heavily to Australia but came back at The Oval to win the Ashes. It was a similar situation in 2010, when we were well beaten in the third Test at Perth yet managed to win the next Test at Melbourne by an innings and make sure we retained the urn.
We were absolutely gutted to lose in Dubai, especially in three days, and the dressing room really hurt afterwards. It's given us all a bit of a shake-up. We hadn't played a Test since August, but whether we were caught out or not, we can't use it as an excuse. Given what happened in Dubai, it's been nice that my wife, Chantal, and the rest of the players' families were able to join us last weekend. It helps everyone keep things in perspective.
Cricket has gone really well for us in the last couple of years, but this has proved that we're all human and we all make mistakes. If anyone thought we'd be successful every time we went on the field, those three days in Dubai were a good reminder for us all. There are some great cricketers around and we're going to have to work very hard if we want to keep winning Test matches.
It was, of course, disappointing to score only four runs in two innings in Dubai, but I look back on it and I see that I got two very good deliveries, especially the one from Saeed Ajmal in the first innings. I didn't really give my wicket away, and when you don't manage to score runs, you have to try to stay level and not to dwell on it – which I hope I've managed to do in recent years.
It's not always easy to manage that when you're a young player, but it is crucial, just as you can't go around thinking you're the best thing in the world on your good days.
Before Dubai, I had never faced Ajmal in Test cricket, so hopefully I'll learn a few things from what I picked up during the last Test. The major thing I would point out is that when he is delivering the ball, his arm goes through very quickly, which is not the case with all spinners. We have all watched film of him and we were very well prepared for that Test, but the key is to have time in the middle. You need to be there for an hour and, hopefully, after that things will become easier.
We're aware of what was said on television about Ajmal's bowling action during the first Test, but I haven't really focused on it, and it would be stupid of us to look at aspects like that. We were well beaten by a very good Pakistan team, not just by Ajmal. I don't want to get drawn into it, because if we do, as a team, we run a serious risk of going 2-0 down – there's no doubt about that. Pakistan were exceptional in that match and we have to raise our game to compete against them.
As I do before any Test, I'll prepare as well as I can for this match. I've been doing specific work to combat off-spin bowling. I like to do plenty of work with our batting coach, Graham Gooch, and I'll also use Merlyn, the spin-bowling machine. Merlyn's a good device. It can create big spin and it can send the ball down at different speeds, which is something that is otherwise hard to achieve.
As we approach this Test, though, it's also important to remember that Dubai was only one game, and we mustn't get too carried away with thinking about what happened there. We're a group of players who stick together through good times and bad times, and we now have to enjoy the challenge of facing some of the best players in the world in conditions that they know better than we do. Sport always gives you chances to bounce back quickly, and we have to take ours in Abu Dhabi.
Prior gives straight answer to dangers posed by Ajmal
STEPHEN BRENKLEY ABU DHABI MONDAY 23 JANUARY 2012
England are desperate to move on from their abject defeat in the first Test. The 80-mile road trip from Dubai to Abu Dhabi yesterday should have helped them enormously, the exchange of one opulent desert sheikhdom for another providing a journey designed to put this oddest of international cricket tours into perspective.
Whether it will be anything like enough to transform their fortunes in the second Test, which starts on Wednesday, is open to serious doubt. How perceptions have changed after a single match, in truth a solitary bowling spell, as a result of which the man who delivered it has now become officially the world's best spinner.
The world's No 1 team have spent the greater part of their waking hours since – and presumably may have had a few nightmares – trying to come up with a solution to Saeed Ajmal. The bogeyman is coming to get them.
A week ago, England were chipper, well prepared and on the verge of a series which would consolidate their status. They were clear favourites to win the three-match series and Pakistan's recent improvement would be given a reality check.
It was a theory which did not make it to lunch on the first day of the contest and suddenly it is difficult to see how the losers can get back. Pakistan, victors in three days in the first Test, are holding all the aces and in Ajmal suddenly possess the most prized asset in cricket.
England's minds may be taken off their woes by the arrival yesterday of their families. There were more pushchairs around their hotel than cricket bags and if there is anything more demanding than Ajmal's doosra it may be youngsters who have missed their daddy.
The perennial question has been asked of whether the families will affect performance and another loss would reopen the debate. Timing, however, is everything in sport and this may be a case in point. When WAGs and kids arrived on last winter's tour, Australia were demolished.
Matt Prior, the only England player to score a half-century in the opening match, discussed the malfunctioning batting unit yesterday. He did not try to put a gloss on matters, but England have to believe they can approach Ajmal this week as though he was not an ancient Sanskrit manuscript that needed interpreting.
"You have to have a clarity, that's the important thing, certainly if someone can spin it both ways," he said. "It makes it tricky and he is quite tough to pick. If you aren't picking him you have to find the way that gives you the best chance to survive long enough that you start seeing his action better. Whether that's trying to sit in as long as possible or attack and put the pressure back on the bowler, that's a very individual thing. One of the things I've learnt over the years on the subcontinent is that playing straight is a huge thing, especially with the spin and the reverse swing.
"The other thing is making sure your footwork's good, especially against spin. Because the ball comes down slower people tend to move slower and it's really important that you keep your energy in your legs, so that if you don't quite get it right and pick the length up you can still adapt or react rather than be planted and getting out."
All this made sense but too many of England's batsmen panicked last week and that, in turn, made it easier for Pakistan's other bowlers, whom they will ignore at their peril. But the fuss surrounding Ajmal refuses to dissipate after his 10 for 97.
The focus on the legality of his action has been a sideshow England could have done without. "It won't be an issue in our dressing room, because we won't allow it to be," Prior said. But as with all slow bowlers who have a touch of mystery to them, it is about more than the bowling; it is the whole theatre around them.
"I remember playing Muttiah Muralitharan in Sri Lanka and one of the big things then were the first 20 balls," said Prior. "They all felt frantic, hectic, he bowled very quickly at the new batter, which Ajmal does very similarly. He definitely puts it on you and makes you react quickly.
"You get through those first 20 and that period of men around the bat, diving around, the noise and oohs and aahs, then suddenly the game slows down. You start seeing his wrist better and you get into the rhythm of the game, but that initial period when you get in, you have to find a way of trying to get through it. Ajmal had a good day. He may get wickets throughout the series, but we have to make sure that he has to bowl a lot of overs to get those wickets."
As usual, England are giving nothing away about their team for the second Test. There have been hints from who knows where that Steve Finn might replace Chris Tremlett, but that would be perverse since Tremlett bowled perfectly adequately – Pakistan's first innings was the first Test innings in which he failed to take a wicket – and it was the batsmen who cost England the match.
Consideration may be given to playing two spinners but in the two previous Tests in Abu Dhabi, both high-scoring draws, Pakistan have played three seamers, one specialist spinner and Mohammad Hafeez to fill in with his off-breaks. This time they will probably stick to what helped them to prevail last week – two seamers, two spinners and Hafeez. It is not the personnel that England need to change – yet. It is something much more fundamental.
STEPHEN BRENKLEY ABU DHABI MONDAY 23 JANUARY 2012
England are desperate to move on from their abject defeat in the first Test. The 80-mile road trip from Dubai to Abu Dhabi yesterday should have helped them enormously, the exchange of one opulent desert sheikhdom for another providing a journey designed to put this oddest of international cricket tours into perspective.
Whether it will be anything like enough to transform their fortunes in the second Test, which starts on Wednesday, is open to serious doubt. How perceptions have changed after a single match, in truth a solitary bowling spell, as a result of which the man who delivered it has now become officially the world's best spinner.
The world's No 1 team have spent the greater part of their waking hours since – and presumably may have had a few nightmares – trying to come up with a solution to Saeed Ajmal. The bogeyman is coming to get them.
A week ago, England were chipper, well prepared and on the verge of a series which would consolidate their status. They were clear favourites to win the three-match series and Pakistan's recent improvement would be given a reality check.
It was a theory which did not make it to lunch on the first day of the contest and suddenly it is difficult to see how the losers can get back. Pakistan, victors in three days in the first Test, are holding all the aces and in Ajmal suddenly possess the most prized asset in cricket.
England's minds may be taken off their woes by the arrival yesterday of their families. There were more pushchairs around their hotel than cricket bags and if there is anything more demanding than Ajmal's doosra it may be youngsters who have missed their daddy.
The perennial question has been asked of whether the families will affect performance and another loss would reopen the debate. Timing, however, is everything in sport and this may be a case in point. When WAGs and kids arrived on last winter's tour, Australia were demolished.
Matt Prior, the only England player to score a half-century in the opening match, discussed the malfunctioning batting unit yesterday. He did not try to put a gloss on matters, but England have to believe they can approach Ajmal this week as though he was not an ancient Sanskrit manuscript that needed interpreting.
"You have to have a clarity, that's the important thing, certainly if someone can spin it both ways," he said. "It makes it tricky and he is quite tough to pick. If you aren't picking him you have to find the way that gives you the best chance to survive long enough that you start seeing his action better. Whether that's trying to sit in as long as possible or attack and put the pressure back on the bowler, that's a very individual thing. One of the things I've learnt over the years on the subcontinent is that playing straight is a huge thing, especially with the spin and the reverse swing.
"The other thing is making sure your footwork's good, especially against spin. Because the ball comes down slower people tend to move slower and it's really important that you keep your energy in your legs, so that if you don't quite get it right and pick the length up you can still adapt or react rather than be planted and getting out."
All this made sense but too many of England's batsmen panicked last week and that, in turn, made it easier for Pakistan's other bowlers, whom they will ignore at their peril. But the fuss surrounding Ajmal refuses to dissipate after his 10 for 97.
The focus on the legality of his action has been a sideshow England could have done without. "It won't be an issue in our dressing room, because we won't allow it to be," Prior said. But as with all slow bowlers who have a touch of mystery to them, it is about more than the bowling; it is the whole theatre around them.
"I remember playing Muttiah Muralitharan in Sri Lanka and one of the big things then were the first 20 balls," said Prior. "They all felt frantic, hectic, he bowled very quickly at the new batter, which Ajmal does very similarly. He definitely puts it on you and makes you react quickly.
"You get through those first 20 and that period of men around the bat, diving around, the noise and oohs and aahs, then suddenly the game slows down. You start seeing his wrist better and you get into the rhythm of the game, but that initial period when you get in, you have to find a way of trying to get through it. Ajmal had a good day. He may get wickets throughout the series, but we have to make sure that he has to bowl a lot of overs to get those wickets."
As usual, England are giving nothing away about their team for the second Test. There have been hints from who knows where that Steve Finn might replace Chris Tremlett, but that would be perverse since Tremlett bowled perfectly adequately – Pakistan's first innings was the first Test innings in which he failed to take a wicket – and it was the batsmen who cost England the match.
Consideration may be given to playing two spinners but in the two previous Tests in Abu Dhabi, both high-scoring draws, Pakistan have played three seamers, one specialist spinner and Mohammad Hafeez to fill in with his off-breaks. This time they will probably stick to what helped them to prevail last week – two seamers, two spinners and Hafeez. It is not the personnel that England need to change – yet. It is something much more fundamental.
Pakistan to comfortable win the 2nd test for me with Ajmal and Gul doing the damage again. Fancy Misbah will alos get his long awaited century. Expect more woe for Cook and Pieterson.
What is everybody else predictions?
What is everybody else predictions?
Apparently it's a very flat pitch on which they'll be playing so I'll go for a draw.
Fancy a vastly improved England performance, but Pakistan getting out of it with a draw.
Would help if England bowled first looking at the last few tests played there.
I also think the series will be a draw. Too much being made of England having a shocker first time round.
Would help if England bowled first looking at the last few tests played there.
I also think the series will be a draw. Too much being made of England having a shocker first time round.