Pakistan v England, 3rd Test, Dubai, Day1,Cricinfo

Pakistan 99

England 87/4 (32.3 ov)

England's batting has been so ineffably weak in this Test series that even the sight of a Pakistan side bundled out for 99 was not about to fill them with resolve. They were not short of alarms themselves, losing Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott in eight overs by tea that again left them stricken by self doubt.

Memories of England's batting debacles as they lost the first two Tests must have preyed on Cook's mind as he fell to the sort of hesitant jab against Umar Gul that Australia, in England's victorious Ashes series barely a year ago, must have dreamed of. Gul also had Trott lbw, a dodgy decision by the umpire, Steve Davis, that England failed to review.

A Test series that had promised more attritional cricket on unresponsive pitches once again threw up an unexpected twist. Broad and James Anderson produced spritely, persistent new-ball spells and England took drinks at 21 for 5, the series lost but respect partially recovered. Then again, they have not batted against Saeed Ajmal yet.

There was a little swing and some unexpected bounce. This was far from a fast bowlers' feast but Broad and Anderson maintained fullish lengths and Pakistan's top order, which has escaped criticism only because of England's more theatrical vulnerability, was again found wanting. This has not been an impressive series for batsmen.

Broad's new-ball return of 3 for 12 in six overs included two overturned decisions for the Australian umpire Simon Taufel as England successfully resorted to DRS. There was little argument about the first as Azhar Ali's inside edge, and catch by the wicketkeeper Matt Prior moving to his left, was confirmed by hot spot, but the dismissal of Mohammad Hafeez was more controversial.

England were searching for a wicketkeeper's catch but there seemed to be little conclusive evidence to overturn Taufel's decision. Those blessed with the eyes of a hawk and high-definition TVs also spotted a slight mark on hot spot that should have reprieved Hafeez. Shavir Tarapore, the third umpire from India in his fourth Test, gave him out, causing Hafeez to walk to the dressing room slapping his bat in unconcealed disgust.

In the seconds a fielding side has to decide on a review, the captain, Andrew Strauss, mentally dons a business suit, calls a management meeting, studies a report, draws conclusions and lays out a systematic process. The sense is of clipboards, posh pens and PowerPoint presentations. He can barely score a run or hold a slip catch but in terms of managerial qualities he is exceptional.

In England in 2010, Pakistan collapsed for 72, 76 and 80, three batting disasters at Edgbaston, Lord's and Trent Bridge that count among their eight lowest Test scores in history. They no longer had to contend with a surly English summer but they did face the debilitating effect of a series already secured.

Their collapse began in the first over, Taufeeq Umar defeated by Anderson's inswinger. There were few demons in the ball from Broad that dismissed Azhar and Younis Khan's jab at a wide, rising ball, even allowing for the unexpected steepness of the bounce: another poor shot in a career nearing its end.

Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan's captain, by now had donned his undertaker's expression and he was unable to stem the flow of England wickets. He opted for a review after Anderson rattled a full delivery into his pads but the decision of umpire Steve Davis was upheld.

Adnan Akmal's recourse to DRS after Broad won an lbw decision had an air of desperation and wasted Pakistan's second review. Adnan should also have been run out when he pushed Anderson into the offside and was drawn into a single he never fancied. But Eoin Morgan, who had been preferred to Ravi Bopara in an unchanged England XI, missed the stumps with an overarm throw.

Abdur Rehman's slog at Graeme Swann, in his solitary over, was the worst shot of the morning. Kevin Pietersen following his uncertain catch as he pedalled back at mid-off with a treatise about how the ball had come out of the largest sun you ever did see.

For Pakistan the morning brought back bad memories of their first Test in the UAE. Against Australia in Sharjah ten years ago they were dismissed for 53 and 59 - Pakistan's two lowest Test scores. Misbah, Taufeeq and Younis were all in the top six then. In some ways little has changed in Pakistan cricket. In other, more significant ways, everything has changed.

Srilanka Vs Pakistan 3rd ODI at Dubai Live Score Card With Cricinfo

Toss Pakistan chose to bat v Sri Lanka

Misbah-ul-Haq won the toss for the first time in the series, giving his team an opportunity to bat first in Dubai. Both the previous games followed similar templates in the first 25 overs of play, with Sri Lanka's top order struggling to force the pace. They never recovered in the first game, but perked up during the batting Powerplay in the second. Misbah was wary of the early challenges posed by the pitch, and hoped his batsmen would "take the responsibility and give the bowlers a chance".

Pakistan made one change to their line-up with the wrong-footed left-arm seamer Sohail Tanvir coming in for Aizaz Cheema. Sri Lanka stuck to the side that levelled the series at 1-1 on Monday. Tillakaratne Dilshan mentioned that there were no plans to promote the in-form Mahela Jayawardene up the order.

Sri Lanka: 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Mahela Jayawardene, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Jeevan Mendis, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Lasith Malinga, 10 Seekkuge Prasanna, 11 Dilhara Fernando

Pakistan: 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Imran Farhat, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Abdul Razzaq, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 9 Umar Gul, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Sohail Tanvir

1st ODI Pakistan Win 8 Wickets By Srilanka Including Highlights

Shocking SriLanka hammered in first ODI

Watch Highlights

Sri Lanka's batsmen betrayed a shocking lack of stomach in moderately helpful conditions for the bowlers, to crash to an eight-wicket humbling in the first ODI in Dubai. After losing the toss, Pakistan rolled the years back with a vintage bowling display - their fast bowlers softened the prey, before the allrounders and spinners came on to make incisions. Sri Lanka responded with indecisive prods, and a rash of strokes each uglier than the previous. They were bowled out for 131 with 57 balls to spare, and Pakistan strolled home in the 22nd over of their chase to put an early end to the weekend crowd's evening.

Sri Lanka's train-wreck of an innings featured only five fours, all of which were hit within the first 20 overs, and three sixes. The last of those - a heave against hope hopen from Lasith Malinga - broke a boundary drought that had lasted nearly 20 overs. Such was the stranglehold Pakistan wielded in the middle overs, and their spin spearhead Saeed Ajmal had almost no role to play in it.

Only one man stood between Pakistan and the paltry chase, but Lasith Malinga wasn't at his best on his return to action. He overstepped twice in his first over, and went on to send down two more no-balls - one of them for height. His lines were inconsistent, and his famed yorker did not make an appearance at all. Suranga Lakmal's dismissal of Mohammad Hafeez gave Sri Lanka some hope, but Imran Farhat's free-scoring more than made up for the loss. Younis Khan too purred along smoothly with a series of typical whips and glances as Pakistan bolted to a 1-0 lead.

The felicity with which Pakistan made their runs put the conditions, and the earlier efforts of their bowling colleagues, in perspective. The strip had a wee bit in it for every kind of quick - Umar Gul's seam, Aizaz Cheema's swing and Abdul Razzaq's legcutters - and the Pakistan trio exploited it right from the get-go. Gul lay down the marker in the first over of the game, with a big swinging wide down the leg side, and an away seamer that bounced explosively past Tillakaratne Dilshan's attempted slash. Dilshan perfected the shot in first ball of the the next over, but perished four balls later when Cheema got one to buzz in sharply onto the stumps off the inside edge.

Despite being in prime form, Kumar Sangakkara could barely lay bat on ball. A rare couple of boundaries suggested a release, but they were promptly followed by a string of 19 successive dots. The returning Razzaq put Sangakkara out of his misery in his first over, coaxing an outside edge with a ball that angled across.

Hafeez then settled into a typically asphyxiating rhythm, mixing up arm balls with darts that straightened. Dinesh Chandimal counterpunched by launching Razzaq over long-on for six, before scything him through cover for four. The aggression wore off on Upul Tharanga, who had pottered around to 21 off 52 balls before slicing Hafeez for a boundary over the off side. He perished three balls later, hoicking rashly to mid-on, and sadly for Sri Lanka, the poor shot selection set in like an epidemic.

Shahid Afridi came on, his appetite for the limelight undiminished by his brief retirement. He tossed up four balls, the fourth of which Chandimal clattered over long-on for six. Afridi removed him with the next ball - the patent quicker one catching the batsman on the crease, followed by the trademark arms-aloft celebration. He then rapped Mahela Jayawardene on the pads, and had his vociferous appeal turned down. When he was captain, Afridi would have signalled the referral immediately, almost as an extension of the appeal. This time, he turned to Misbah-ul-Haq in the covers, nodding his head vigorously to convince him, before asking for a review. The referral went Sri Lanka's way, but little else did.

Angelo Mathews spent 31 balls at the crease without adjusting to Hafeez's lack of turn before running himself out. Kosala Kulaseakara, yet to open his account in his debut innings, chose to chip a full ball straight to mid-off. Jayawardene watched aghast as he kept losing partners, before contributing his bit to the madness by lapping Ajmal from outside off stump to short fine-leg. Sri Lanka's misery was complete soon after, with Afridi and Ajmal producing enough variety to brush aside the tail. Dilshan's men will need a drastic change in approach before the second game on November 14.