England bowled out Pakistan for 378, before Alastair Cook and Joe Root steered them to 182-3 on day two of the second Test in Dubai.
England can be satisfied with their work, as they needed just one session to wrap up the Pakistan’s innings, before a couple of useful partnerships, both involving Root, enabled them to trail their opponents by 196 runs with seven wickets in hand going into Saturday’s action.
The tourists were on top from the very first over, as Stuart Broad trapped Misbah ul-Haq lbw, for the 41-year-old skipper to depart for 102, equalling Inzamam’s record of seven Test centuries as captain.
Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed put on 52, but the wickets fell swiftly from there as Moeen Ali accounted for wicketkeeper Sarfraz for 32, and in his next over he had Wahab Riaz for six, Jimmy Anderson taking both catches.
Adil Rashid got his first wicket of the match before Mark Wood wrapped up the final two wickets; Shafiq the last man to walk for a well-played 83.
In response England were dealt an early blow, as the tenacious Riaz saw off Moeen for just one. The under-fire Ian Bell didn’t hang around either, hanging his bat out and finding the edge for just four.
Cook and Root rescued the innings, which has become a familiar trend throughout the season for England. They manufactured 113 in confident fashion, before Cook, who scored 263 in the last match, gifted one to Ahmed Shehzad at leg slip for 65.
Johnny Bairstow, in desperate need of runs to justify his place in the side, looked scratchy at first but eventually settled down to help England to 182-3 before bad light called it a day. Bairstow (27) and Root (76) will resume the innings in day three.
