Coach Trevor Bayliss believes little luck will help England win

Trevor Bayliss strongly believes that England can go all the way against Pakistan

Relishing the prospect of taking on a depleted Pakistan, England coach Trevor Bayliss claims they can win the three-Test series if luck favours them after agonisingly missing out on a win in an incredible first Test at Sheikh Zayed stadium, reports Times of India.

"I think it's a sign for the boys that they are not only able to compete but that maybe with a little bit more luck or a little bit more time, they are able to win and play some good cricket here on these slow, turning wickets," said Bayliss on Sunday.

An outright result in the first Test looked extremely improbable as the first innings ended on the fifth morning (Saturday), but Adil Rashid’s five-wicket haul helped England skittle out Pakistan for a paltry 173 in their second innings. That gave England 99 runs to win in possible 19 overs, but they were 25 runs short when the umpires halted the play citing bad light.

"I suppose at the end of the day it was unfortunate we couldn't get up (to win) but I thought the team performed very well throughout that five days," said Bayliss who is coaching the team since June this year.

Adil Rashid’s splendid spell

Although the draw was a bitter pill to swallow for the English, there were a number of positives to be drawn based on performances. Adil Rashid’s superb bowling spell in the second innings had Pakistan in tatters as he had the batsman guessing with his variations and guile.

Complimenting Rashid, Bayliss said, “Rashid came of age in the second knock, after a disastrous first innings in which he conceded 163 in his wicket-less 34 overs. He did exactly what we thought he was more than capable of doing. In the first innings, it was very difficult to bowl spin on that wicket – as I think the four or five spinners in the match found."

Adil Rashid's was the first instance of a bowler taking a five-for in the second innings after going wicketless for 100-plus runs in the first innings on Test debut.

The average runs per wicket on the last day of the Test (15 wickets fell for 276) was just 18.40; on the first four days, the average was 68.25 (16 wickets for 1092 runs). This is clear evidence of the fact that the pitch had deteriorated to allow the ball to turn.

The second Test match of the series is scheduled to start on Thursday in Dubai.