Wickets tumble on Day 1 of Pakistan-England Test

Dubai: England batsmen ruined the terrific job by seamers Stuart Broad and James Anderson to end up at 104-6 against Pakistan on a bowler-dominated opening day of the third Test on Friday.

Broad bulldozed the top order with 4-36 and Anderson captured 3-35 to shoot out Pakistan for 99 but left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman grabbed 3-23 before the top-ranked team overhauled Pakistan's sixth lowest ever total against England.

Captain Andrew Strauss scored a fighting unbeaten 41 on an eventful on Friday when three rulings by one of the best umpires in the world, Simon Taufel, were overturned.

Strauss was also lucky on 35 when he swept to Rehman and was hit on the back leg. However, Rehman did not go for the referral as TV replays showed it could have overruled Taufel's decision a fourth time.

England paid the price for keeping the faith in its struggling batting lineup that was humiliated in the first two Tests.

Kevin Pietersen (32) briefly showed some of his batting prowess in a 57-run stand with Strauss before Rehman had him lbw. It was the 34th lbw decision of the series, surpassing the previous high of 33 recorded in the series between Pakistan and West Indies in 1993.

Rehman went on to claim the wickets of Eoin Morgan (10) and Matt Prior (6) as England batsmen just managed to get past Pakistan's total.

Earlier, skipper Misbah-ul-Haq's decision to bat first after winning the toss backfired and Pakistan could never recover after Broad and Anderson reduced Pakistan to 21-5. Asad Shafiq fought a lone battle with 45 off 78 balls before he became one of Monty Panesar's two scalps.

England's reply also had a rocky start. Jonathan Trott could have survived had he used video review but the batsman chose to walk after scoring 2 as replays suggested fast bowler Umar Gul's delivery would have missed the leg stump.

Gul had England in early trouble when Alastair Cook, on 1, offered a thick outside edge in only the second over as England took tea at 19-2.

Anderson, who had struck in his very first over in the morning, ensured Pakistan did not reach 100 when he closed the innings by clean-bowling Gul midway into the second session.

The 34-run eighth-wicket stand between Shafiq and Saeed Ajmal (12) ensured Pakistan passed its lowest ever score of 53 made against Australia in 2002 at Sharjah.

Shafiq pulled Broad to the midwicket boundary to also take Pakistan past its lowest score of 72 against England at Birmingham two years ago.

Pakistan had a disastrous start at the same venue where it defeated England by 10 wickets last month.

Anderson had opener Taufeeq Umar lbw for a duck off his sixth delivery and Broad was unlucky not to get rid of Mohammad Hafeez in the next over when Strauss at first slip dropped a two-handed head-high catch.

But Broad did not have to wait long for his reward, striking three times in the space of 16 balls as Pakistan crumbled inside the first hour.

He succeeded on both of his TV referrals after the Australian Taufel had adjudged Azhar Ali (1) and Hafeez (13) not out.

Hafeez could face disciplinary action from match referee Jeff Crowe after he sarcastically clapped with his bat while walking back to the dressing room after his lbw decision by TV umpire Shahvir Tarapore.

In between those successful challenges, Broad snared Younis Khan, who flashed at a wide delivery on 4 and edged through to wicketkeeper Prior.

Anderson reduced Pakistan to 5-21 when he had Misbah trapped lbw for 1 as he missed while trying to play across the line.

Strauss, who saw his batsmen fall well short of a modest victory chase of 145 runs in the second Test at Abu Dhabi last week, kept the pressure on Pakistan and Broad took his fourth wicket by having Adnan Akmal lbw for 6.

Graeme Swann was also amongst the wickets in his only over bowled, with Pietersen at mid-off neatly holding onto a skier from Rehman.

Top-ranked England needs to win the last Test to ensure it pockets the ICC's $175,000 prize money awarded to the No. 1 Test team every April 1.

Pakistan in control in Dubai Test

Dubai: Pakistan openers Mohammad Hafeez and Taufeeq Umar hit contrasting half-centuries to steer their team to a 96-run lead over England with three wickets in hand by stumps Wednesday on the second day of the first Test.

Led by Hafeez's chancy 88 and Umar's solid 58, Pakistan reached 288-7 in reply to England's 192 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Offspinner Saeed Ajmal's career-best 7-55 on Tuesday had bundled out top-ranked England on a pitch favorable for batting.

Misbah-ul-Haq (52) frustrated England further with his 11th half-century in 13 Tests since being appointed captain in 2010, before England hit back with two wickets just before stumps.

Captain Andrew Strauss won his first of two television referrals after New Zealand umpire Billy Bowden had turned down Graeme Swann's (2-89) lbw appeal against Misbah.

James Anderson (2-57) brought some relief for England on an otherwise frustrating day by bowling Abdur Rehman in the last over of the day.

Anderson had provided immediate success with the second new ball, inducing Asad Shafiq to get a big edge while on 16 and Pakistan's lead was 39 runs.

Adnan Akmal, who will resume on 24, was on 9 when Kevin Pietersen dropped a hard chance in the covers after England bowlers had toiled without much success in the first two sessions.

Hafeez escaped a run out on 44 and was also dropped on 52 before falling lbw when he missed Swann's full-pitched delivery while attempting a sweep shortly after lunch. Hafeez hit 11 fours and also lofted Swann over wide long on for the lone six of the match so far.

England — unbeaten in their last nine Test series — found something to cherish in the middle session as part-time medium-pacer Jonathan Trott forced Younis Khan to play across the line to trap the former Pakistan skipper lbw on 37.

Earlier, Stuart Broad claimed two quick wickets to give England some hope of getting back into the match before lunch.

Bowling round the wicket, Broad clean bowled Umar as the left-hander played down the wrong line. The fast bowler found a thin edge to dismiss Azhar Ali for 1 just before lunch, and ultimately finished with figures of 2-72.

Umar and Hafeez batted with aggression against the England seamers after resuming overnight at 42 without loss. The pair added 48 inside the first hour, with both using their feet against Swann to hit some attractive boundaries.

England twice came close to dismissing Hafeez, but Bell missed a sharp run out chance and Tremlett couldn't hang on to a diving catch off a mistimed hook shot.

Umar completed his half-century with his ninth four when he hit Tremlett through the covers, before Bell's throw from square leg narrowly missed the stumps with Hafeez well short of the crease.

Hafeez had another lucky escape shortly after completing his half-century — also including nine boundaries — when Tremlett's desperate dive at wide mid-on saw the ball pop out of his hands.

Broad, who bowled sharply in his second spell, ended the 114-run partnership by dismissing Umar off the next delivery.

It was the Pakistan opening pair's fifth century stand in Tests, surpassing countrymen Sadiq Mohammad-Majid Khan (4) and Saeed Anwar-Aamir Sohail (4).

England have not won a Test on the subcontinent after conceding first-innings lead in 12 years. The two times they have achieved the feat have both come against Pakistan — in 1961 (at Lahore) and 2000 (at Karachi).

Pak trails Bangladesh by 46 runs at stumps

Dhaka: Taufeeq Umar struck an assured century to help Pakistan reach 292-3 at stumps on the third day of the second cricket Test against Bangladesh on Monday.

Umar finally fell on 130 to Nazmul Hossain after facing 256 balls that included 16 boundaries. Azhar Ali added 57 runs for the visitors before his dismissal in the second session. Younis Khan was not out on 48 with skipper Misbah-ul-Haq on 26 at stumps.

Pakistan still trails Bangladesh in its first innings by 46 runs after the hosts were dismissed for 338 on Sunday. Nazmul Hossain, who finished with figures of 2-51, and Shakib Al Hasan with 1-28 accounted for the Pakistan wickets.

After Bangladesh failed to make a breakthrough in the fog-delayed morning session, Shakib dismissed Ali in the second.

Pakistan leads the two-Test series 1-0 after the visitors beat Bangladesh by an innings and 184 runs in the first Test in Chittagong.