Pakistan vs England Test series 2015: Six things we learned

Pakistan move to second in the ICC Test rankings with the 2-0 winPakistan are still unbeaten in their adopted home of Dubai after defeating England 2-0 in their recent three-Test series, meaning the visitors fall from third to sixth in the world rankings.The hosts were saved from defeat only by light during the first Test in Abu Dhabi, which looked like a high-scoring draw until suddenly building to a frenetic crescendo.The second Test saw Pakistan take the lead through a 178-run win despite a defiant reargaurd from the visitors, before their hosts secured the series in Sharjah with victory by 127 runs.England have now lost seven of their past nine Test matches away to Pakistan, and are without a series victory abroad for three years, but were competitive aside for all but two poor session in the series, during the last two fixtures.Here is a Misbah-ul-Haq-maximum-against-an-English-spinners worth of notable aspects from the series.

#1 England\'s opening saga continues

Moeen Ali averaged just 14 with the bat

Even more tedious than Renee Zellwegger’s search for love in the Bridget Jones series, England skipper Alistair Cook still has not found his opening partner, almost four years since Andrew Struass retired.

Captain Cook needs to find his Mark Darcy, and sadly Mooen Ali is not it.

Ali scored just 84 runs at an average of 14 during the series, meaning England are back on the internet dating sites, again.

A return to the counter-attacking lower-order role where he had a successful 2015 Ashes beckons, where he can score quickly and change the momentum of an innings.

It is easy to say that Alex Hales, who averaged over 50 in red-ball cricket for Nottinghamshire last summer, should have played, but Ali offered another bowling option and is perceived as a better player of spin.

Now Hales, ranked 3rd in the ICC T20 batting rankings, will probably get a chance on England’s trip to South Africa to show his ability in Tests but this saga appears far from over.

PS: Opener Nick Compton had another consistent season in county cricket last summer opening for Middlesex, including 149 against champions Yorkshire.

Compton scored two Test hundreds during his first opportunity and was harshly dropped after just four low scores against New Zealand in 2013, so don’t rule out a fairytale England return for him that even Zellwegger would be proud of.

#2 Pakistan pensioners still top draw

Age no barrier for Pakistan’s warriors

Pakistan have made more Test hundreds than any other side since January 2014, and this series saw their batting renaissance continue.

The 2-0 win moves Pakistan up to second the Test world rankings and their batsman have been integral to that rise, primarily their old guard.

Mohammad Hafeez, Younis Khan and captain Misbah-ul-Haq may have a staggering combined age of 113 but akin to a fine wine all appear to be only improving with time.

All three averaged over 50 in the series and notched important hundreds, Misbah scoring 189 runs during the Dubai Test and Hafeez notching a ‘daddy’ ton-fifty at Sharjah.

That neglects to mention Asad Shafiq, the comparatively young man in the Pakistan batting line-up at 28, who scored an important 107 in Abu Dhabi and 162 runs in the Dubai Test that should have been converted into two more tons.

The obvious counterpoint is that Pakistan have a ticking time bomb given the ageing population of their batting line-up, a potential example of that being Shoaib Malik, whose retirement is our next focus.

#3 Shoaib Mailk seals glorious (second) retirement

Shoaib Malik signs off in style

This series saw all-rounder Shoaib Malik finish his Test career in ideal fashion, after returning from a five-year hiatus in dramatic fashion.

Malik tore England to shreds with an imperious 245 during the opening Test in Abu Dhabi that, regardless of the pitch, showed his undoubted ability.

Thereafter his batting fell away, scoring just 47 more runs across five further innings in the series, but Malik continued to be the scourge of England through his off-spinners.

Facing an England batting line-up vulnerable against the running ball, Malik took four wickets in Abu Dhabi to complete a double-ton and superb match-winning figures of 7-59 during victory in Sharjah.

The all-rouder rather suddenly announced his (final) retirement during the third Test to the total surprise of his colleagues, to focus on One-Day international cricket.

The 33 year-old wishes to make selection for the 2019 World Cup in England and, in Misbah-ul-Haw & Younus Kahn, will not been short on consultants for how to ensure one’s body can stand the challenges of international cricket at such a grand age.

#4 English seamers are superb

Seamers extract juice out of dead tracks

Though James Anderson certainly remains England’s best and most consistent bowler, this series saw the tourists demonstrates overall promise in the seam department on unfavourable wickets.

Firstly to Anderson though, who took 13 wickets at just 15.61 with an economy rate of just 1.87, simply outstanding.

Anderson continued to abolish the myth that he performs only on swinging English decks, adding another superb foreign to his collection, whilst already included tours of Australia, India and Sri Lanka.

The Burnley Lara was well-supported by Stuart Broad, who became the first bowler in international cricket to pass 50 Test wickets in this calendar year, conceding an economy rate of only 2.07 too.

Broad and Mark Wood both took their wickets at under 30, impressive in a game increasingly dominated by the bat, whilst Ben Stokes chipped in with 5 wickets at below 40 whilst conceding less than three an over, respectable figures given the conditions.

This is forgetting fast-bowlers Liam Plunkett and Steven Finn, both of whom have already shown they possess the skills to succeed in international cricket, which so now often demands player rotation to avoid injury.

#5 Soft underbelly of England exposed

Captain stands tall amongst middle-order ruins

Whilst Alistair Cook was superb, scoring 450 runs at 90 including a determined 263 in Abu Dhabi, and Joe Root averaged over 50, the pair lacked support in the rest of the English batting line-up.

Pakistan had five players all pass 290 runs in the series, whilst aside from Cook and Root the next best for England was Ian Bell, with a disappointing 158 at an average of 31.6.

Bell was typical of the English batsman in this series, getting a start but struggling to go own.

James Taylor impressed in his lone appearance but Bell was typical of much of the rest of England’s batsman, often getting starts but struggling to go on and scoring relatively slowly.

Jonny Bairstow, Mooen Ali, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Adil Rashid all averaged between 8 and 23 and failed to score at more than three runs-an-over, getting particularly bogged down against the spin.

England need a counter-attacking middle-order batsman to stand up and be counted – a certain Kevin Pietersen scored 115 not out from just 66 balls during a T20 match in South Africa earlier this week, is he worth a try?

#6 Luck is all-important

Hosts get the rub of the green

Gary Player once said ‘the harder I work the luckier I get’, and if that rings true Pakistan must have been working pretty darn hard recently, because they had a huge stroke of luck regarding the clocks changing.

This proved hugely influential, as in the first Test England only marginally ran out of time from winning in a dramatic run-chase due to the light.

In contrast during the second Test Pakistan were able to secure victory with time rapidly running out, primarily because the clocks went back an hour halfway through the Test.

Pakistan also benefitted from Mohammed Hafeez being reprieved by DRS on when on 97 3rd Test, going on to add another 54 runs that set a fourth-innings target out of England’s reach.

Had snicko and hotspot been available, it was not for costs reasons, there is every chance the on-field decision to give Hafeez out would have remained, potentially leaving a more manageable chase of around 200 for England.

Instead the visitors were seeking their highest ever run-chase in Asia, whilst the ‘massive frustration’ batsman James Taylor admitted to feeling regarding the decision cannot have helped English spirits.