Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, tried to usher the retiring Shoaib Malik to lead their team off following their series clinching win in Sharjah. But is Misbah going, too?
Malik was good enough after all
It is a pity he has gone again now. What a comeback series he had. It was so good, it makes sense to sign off on it, too. His series was bookended by 245 in Abu Dhabi and seven wickets – his best haul ever in Tests – in Sharjah. And Sania Mirza, his tennis player wife, was there to watch it happen.
Seam has a place in the UAE
Pakistan’s insecurity over its pace stocks, or more pertinently the quality of the other team’s seam bowlers, means they always ask for slow, turning pitches in the UAE. The very best pace bowlers can still thrive, though, even in the most trying conditions. James Anderson was extraordinary in this series, as 13 wickets and an economy rate of 1.87 showed.
Is Sharjah a bowler’s graveyard?
This is usually said to be the case (thanks, in no small part, to the fact there is a signpost to a nearby graveyard outside the ground, which makes for a handy intro). Yet in eight Test matches to date, Sharjah has only had one draw – and that one was largely brought about by rain. Maybe this is the perfect Test venue after all.
Who should bat for England?
Kevin Pietersen was on holiday in Dubai during this series. Should England have sent an SOS to his room at The Atlantis? Hardly. He averaged 11 in the 2012 whitewash. But the tourists’ batting line-up is still worrying brittle. Between them, the five batsmen from three to seven managed just eight runs in the Sharjah second innings.
Is Moeen still first choice?
The experiment of having Moeen Ali opening failed. Given the poor returns he had with the ball in the series, too, his place in the XI could even be under threat, now. If England’s desire is for a reliable batsman who can bowl a few overs of spin, the Samit Patel showed in Sharjah he could be a more accurate option.
pradley@thenational.ae
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