Pakistan v England: seamer James Anderson remaining positive despite prospect of spin-friendly pitches

Pakistan, in particular, have scythed through England's previously world-beating batting order with spin and seam thanks principally to Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman and Umar Gul.

However, Anderson is not about to forget in a hurry the occasions during England's rise to the top of the International Cricket Council Test rankings when it was the batsmen who provided the foundation for the bowlers to attack.

"There will be days when the bowlers won't get the wickets and the opposition get 600 and we're out in the field for two days," Anderson said. "The batsmen won't be happy with us then.

"It's swings and roundabouts and we have every faith in our batsmen that they will come out strong in the next Test."

After his side were bowled out for just 72 to lose inside four days at the Zayed Stadium, England coach Andy Flower stated that he and captain Andrew Strauss will not be afraid to drop a batsman if necessary for the final Test.

A clutch of middle-order mainstays have been ineffective on this tour to date, and have spent much of their time since the last defeat trying to work out among themselves where they have been going wrong.

"That's something that the batsmen have been discussing," Anderson added. "But they have been fantastic for us over the last two years.

"A lot's been made of two bad games. But the whole team has confidence in our batting unit and they've been working really hard to correct things that have gone wrong."

As for his own brief, Anderson has contributed five wickets in four innings, a fair reward for his toil in conditions which have largely favoured spin.

"Our job is to get 20 wickets in any Test match," he added. "We thought it might be a difficult job for us out here, but we've probably exceeded our expectations in that department.

"We're pretty pleased with the way things have gone (as bowlers). But we're not going to take our eye off the ball and will keep trying to improve on Friday."

Before then England must hope Ian Bell recovers from the stomach upset which kept him away from practice today.

It is expected he will do so if his ailment is the same which briefly troubled Jonathan Trott and Ravi Bopara during the second Test.

Anderson, meanwhile, spelled out England's chief objectives this week and beyond.

They urgently need a victory to ensure they retain that number one Test spot when the ICC hand out the prize money at the annual cut-off date on Apr 1.

More importantly still, England must satisfy themselves that they can play to their potential in these conditions, with two more Asian Test tours on the schedule this year.

"There are a few important issues for us that we've got to come across in the next Test," Anderson added.

"The biggest thing for us is that we've got another two tours in the sub-continent. So to perform well out here is a big thing for us.

"We also have a one-day series coming up, so to take a bit of momentum into that would be useful.

"We want to stay number one in the world as well, and losing Test matches isn't going to help us achieve that. We've got to try to win every Test match we possibly can."

Spinners have dominated Pakistan's wins in Dubai in the first Test and in Abu Dhabi in the second with 34 of the 40 wickets going to slow bowlers.

Off those, Saeed Ajmal has taken 17 wickets, Abdul Rehman 12 and Mohammad Hafeez five.

England's left-arm spinner Monty Panesar took seven wickets in the second Test, while his spin partner Graeme Swann has fetched nine.

But despite these statistics, Anderson refused to accept the spin-friendly nature of the pitches was discouraging for fast bowlers.

"I don't think so," Anderson said on Wednesday.

"Seamers have got plenty of wickets. (Stuart) Broad bowled well in the last game and Umar Gul got four wickets in the first, so it is just that the spinners have outshone us in the first two Tests."

Broad, who took 4-47 in the first innings of the second Test, has taken eight wickets in the series, while Anderson's tally stands at five.

Anderson said he was happy with England's bowling performance to date.

"Our job is to get 20 wickets in any Test match and we thought it might be a difficult job here but probably we have exceeded our expectations in that department, so we are pretty pleased," said the 29-year-old.

Anderson said he believed England had some issues to address, the priority being their batting weakness against spin bowlers, before this year's tours to Sri Lanka and India.

"I think there are a few important issues we are trying to come across in the next Test, the biggest thing for us is that we have two other tours in the subcontinent and that's for us a big thing.

"We also have a one-day series coming up so to take a bit of momentum into that will be useful as well," said Anderson of the four one-day matches and three Twenty20 internationals that follow the Tests.

Anderson insisted that the mood in the England camp was good despite the two losses.

"I think the mood is very good considering the position we are in, in this series. We are concentrating on how to go about winning this last game," said Anderson, who has taken 245 wickets in 65 Tests.

"We are open in this group and the guys have been open and honest."

Meanwhile, batsman Ian Bell was forced to miss training on Wednesday after falling victim to a stomach bug but team management said he is likely to resume training to Thursday.

Pakistan v England: England spinners strike early to dismiss Pakistan's openers

But there was turn from the outset this morning once England turned to Monty Panesar, and then Graeme Swann.

Panesar was called into the action first, for the 10th over, in his 40th Test and his first since the start of the 2009 Ashes in Cardiff.

Despite a nervy start as he, like Swann, appeared to drop short too often in his early overs, it was evident almost immediately both would be in the game if they could get it right.

The key was to find a suitable length on a slow surface nonetheless already responsive to their skills.

Ironically, both Swann and Panesar struck with deliveries which did not turn - but batsman error stemmed from doubts sown by spin.

Swann had beaten Taufeeq Umar with turn and bounce past the outside edge on the front-foot defence before the left-hander shouldered arms in the same over and was bowled off-stump.

Panesar dropped Mohammad Hafeez, a sharp return catch low to his left. But that was irrelevant after the very next ball went on with the arm and bowled the same batsman middle-and-leg on the back foot.

England's decision to pick two spinners and just two frontline seamers, as they try to get back in this three-match series following their hammering in Dubai, was therefore already looking sound.

But Broad proved his worth by taking two wickets for two runs, again both bowled, in 13 balls soon after lunch.

They were close to action replays too, the ball snaking back into Younus Khan and then Azhar Ali - bowling the former off his pads as he shaped to drive and the latter through the gate.

The second success came with an especially good delivery which offered to swing away before jagging back just enough.

Two new batsmen therefore joined forces with just one run between them.

Misbah's response was to hit Panesar for successive sixes from the crease, and Shafiq also cleared the ropes when he went up the wicket to the slow left-armer.

There was much earnest defence between the big shots, though, as Pakistan's fifth-wicket pair adopted a necessarily patient approach.

They also had a moment of fortune each.

Shafiq got only a thin inside-edge to save himself when he was up the wicket again and went through with another attempted big hit at Swann.

Then, on 30, Misbah edged Panesar just wide of slip - where James Anderson was unable to react quickly enough.

Pakistan v England: hosts test tourist's spinners in Abu Dhabi

But there was turn from the outset this morning once England turned to Monty Panesar, and then Graeme Swann.

Panesar was called into the action first, for the 10th over, in his 40th Test and his first since the start of the 2009 Ashes in Cardiff.

Despite a nervy start as he, like Swann, appeared to drop short too often in his early overs, it was evident almost immediately both would be in the game if they could get it right.

The key was to find a suitable length on a slow surface nonetheless already responsive to their skills.

Ironically, both Swann and Panesar struck with deliveries which did not turn - but batsman error stemmed from doubts sown by spin.

Swann had beaten Taufeeq Umar with turn and bounce past the outside edge on the front-foot defence before the left-hander shouldered arms in the same over and was bowled off-stump.

Panesar dropped Mohammad Hafeez, a sharp return catch low to his left. But that was irrelevant after the very next ball went on with the arm and bowled the same batsman middle-and-leg on the back foot.

England's decision to pick two spinners and just two frontline seamers, as they try to get back in this three-match series following their hammering in Dubai, was therefore already looking sound.

But Broad proved his worth by taking two wickets for two runs, again both bowled, in 13 balls soon after lunch.

They were close to action replays too, the ball snaking back into Younus Khan and then Azhar Ali - bowling the former off his pads as he shaped to drive and the latter through the gate.

The second success came with an especially good delivery which offered to swing away before jagging back just enough.

Two new batsmen therefore joined forces with just one run between them.

Misbah's response was to hit Panesar for successive sixes from the crease, and Shafiq also cleared the ropes when he went up the wicket to the slow left-armer.

There was much earnest defence between the big shots, though, as Pakistan's fifth-wicket pair adopted a necessarily patient approach.

They also had a moment of fortune each.

Shafiq got only a thin inside-edge to save himself when he was up the wicket again and went through with another attempted big hit at Swann.

Then, on 30, Misbah edged Panesar just wide of slip - where James Anderson was unable to react quickly enough.

Pakistan v England: second Test action, in pictures

Pitch ready: the second Test gets under way with a typical scene of unfinished business in the background

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England drop catches but seven Pakistan wickets see Andrew Strauss's men take upper hand in Abu Dhabi

Panesar was the first to drop - a firmly hit straight-drive off the front foot by Mohammed Hafeez. Perhaps because of his reprieve, Hafeez played back to his next ball and was bowled.

It was Panesar’s first Test wicket since July 2009 and well-deserved. He harnessed the crosswind to bowl most of the day from the pavilion end and, considering he was driven for five sixes, he has justified his selection in place of Chris Tremlett.

Panesar should also have had the big wicket of Pakistan’s captain Misbah ul-Haq, when he had made 30 and pushed forward. The edge was dropped by Anderson to his right at slip, allowing Misbah to bat out the day for an undefeated 83.

Since Paul Collingwood retired a year ago, Anderson has been England’s first-choice slip for the spinners, and he rarely misses anything in practice when the ball comes every few seconds. But in a Test match on Pakistani soil (like this one) it is often one slip chance a day, at most.

It was like that for Strauss as well, at first slip, when Adnan Akmal scythed at the second new ball. It flew relatively high, for a slow pitch. In Australia Strauss might have had his fingers pointing up not down.

In between those two slip misses, Cook at short-leg got his right hand to a bat-pad chance that Asad Shafiq offered off Graeme Swann. Shafiq, 53, made only a few more but it was still another dent in England’s aspirations for levelling this series.

Overall, England’s choice of two swing-and-seamers and two spinners worked well. It was the first time since 2003 they had gone into a Test with spinners making up half of their specialist bowlers.

Anderson and Stuart Broad found a bit of seam movement off the dry surface, which must have been an agreeable surprise, in addition to the slow turn for England’s spinners. Broad is the ultra-modern England pace bowler, more at home on a dry pitch than a traditional English greentop.

But skilfully as Broad bowled for his three wickets, the day belonged to Misbah, who not only papered over the cracks in Pakistan’s batting but added a couple of coats of paint.

After driving two early sixes off consecutive balls from Panesar, he allowed his young partner Asad Shafiq to take the lead in a century stand, which put Pakistan on top.

When Shafiq was dismissed, Misbah played enough shots against the second ball - mainly some handsome offdrives - to keep his country on top, just, given the lack of form of England’s batsmen and the assistance that Pakistan’s spinners will obtain.

Only when Broad bounced him a couple of times was Misbah discomforted, and then he retorted by driving Panesar again for two consecutive sixes in the final over. More of the same today and the captain’s innings could be the match-winning one, as at this stage a definite result looks likely.

England spinner Monty Panesar relishes return to Test cricket after claiming wicket against Pakistan on day one

Panesar looked nervous, perhaps sensing the onus was on him to bowl well on a dry pitch that turned in the first hour of the day.

When he dropped a catch off his own bowling his frustration was channelled into his next delivery which he fired in to bowl Mohammad Hafeez. It was a sign of the maturity Panesar has developed since his move to Sussex and spell playing grade cricket in Sydney before Christmas.

"When you're out of the England team you wouldn't be human if you didn't wonder if it was ever going to happen again, but these things do creep in and you do need good people around you to help you get through it," he said.

"There were times when self doubt crept in, and you wonder is it ever going to happen, and that is where people like Mark Robinson (Sussex coach) and Mushy (Mushtaq Ahmed, England spin bowling coach) have been great in protecting my self belief."

Pakistan batsman Taufeeq Umar admitted it was England’s day and the team’s coach, Mohsin Khan, had strong words for his side, particularly young batsman Asad Shafiq, who threw his wicket away on 58.

"Any player, whether it's a senior player or a young player, if somebody's playing for their country they should understand the responsibilities of playing for the team," Khan said.

"I had a go at him - in a loving way, no doubt - but he's been told very seriously this is not the way to get out, especially when the team is struggling to get a better score."

Pakistan v England: Monty Panesar's comeback solid and reassuring but the hosts adapted well to his tactics

So, was Monty Mark II any different? Not significantly. His bowling on Wednesday, introduced as early as the ninth over - ahead of Swann - was still pretty mechanical. After early nerves, he settled into a reasonable rhythm, wheeling away on a persistent line and length, save the odd short ball, and got some response from the pitch. He was accurate.

Immediately after he grassed the caught-and-bowled chance from Mohammed Hafeez, he sent down a similar delivery which slid inside Hafeez’s bat as he played for a bit of non-existent turn. Panesar didn’t possess a reputable arm ball in his first incarnation with England, and, as he confessed on Wednesday night, this success was more by accident than design.

But he did produce one of the deliveries of the day: a beautifully flighted teaser, enticing the obdurate Misbah-ul-Haq into a drive which he edged as the ball spun sharply. Unfortunately the usually alert Jimmy Anderson was slow out of the blocks and didn’t lay a hand on it.

Maybe it was a sign, though. Perhaps it said that Monty Mark II will be more prepared to try something to get a wicket. In time we might see him vary his position on the crease, or scramble the seam in delivery to tempt and confuse.

It is a good time to be a spinner. Hawk-Eye and the Decision Review System have doubled the number of lbw verdicts they win and batsmen cannot just ‘kick’ away straight deliveries with impunity. But the penny is quickly dropping, and they are already evolving the way they play.

It was noticeable on Wednesday that Pakistan played everything with the bat, keeping pads out of the way, and avoiding the sweep. In future spinners will have to be cannier than just to plug away on the stumps and hope the batsman misses one. But as comebacks go, Panesar’s was solid and reassuring and there’s no shame in that.

Pakistan v England: Misbah-ul-Haq on a mission to stabilise hosts with calm, caution and cunning

Misbah is not as good a player as Inzamam-ul-Haq, a consummate hooker who would have dealt with Broad’s bouncers. But Misbah has something of Inzamam’s lordly demeanour, and he is a far more impressive captain.

Out of Pakistan’s spot-fixing scandal, Misbah is the best thing to have come – along with the virtues he has inculcated in his inexperienced team. While Salman Butt is serving a 30-month sentence, Misbah is serving his country.

In the process of winning seven and losing one of his 14 Tests so far, with an equally fine one-day record, he has brought a stability that Pakistan has seldom known, perhaps not since the 1950s. Their team selections and batting orders used to change for a pastime, or perhaps for a reason more sinister, but not under Misbah. Only his fourth bowler differs from one Test to the next.

The fact that he admits his age is 37 suggests, in itself, a basic honesty.

So many Pakistanis have appeared at ‘20’, and retired long before they have reached 35. But not Misbah.

His calmness may well stem from his perspective on life and having an alternative career. Born in Mianwali in Punjab, and from the same Niazi clan as the former captain (and perhaps future president) Imran Khan, he studied at college and got an MBA before he played first-class cricket, starting in 1999.

His combination of calm, caution and cunning must have soon become evident because he has been captaining domestic teams since 2001. He won a few national caps the best part of a decade ago, but did nothing of note, and was not picked for Pakistan between 2003 and 2007.

But his characteristics were just what Pakistan needed after the manic captaincy of Shahid Afridi and the criminal one of Salman Butt. Whereas Afridi bit the ball, Misbah bit the bullet and took Pakistan back to basics.

It would be an exaggeration to say that Pakistan’s cricket could have died of shame after the spot-fixing, but it could have wilted and declined, scandalous and homeless. But Misbah has stopped that happening, by averaging 80 as Test captain, and by his leadership. In his calm, cautious and cunning way, Misbah has been the most important cricketer in the world in the last year.

Pakistan v England: pathetic batting cost Andrew Strauss and his team and makes a mockery of their No 1 ranking

While trying to save the game on Thursday, Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen should not have been attempting the hook shot. Cook, of all people, is capable of batting for long periods. KP, we all know, just doesn’t think. It is all bravado and talent. “I am going to play my way and nobody is going to stop me.”

It was as if their brains went out of the window as they were padding up in the dressing room.

From two innings it is clear Ian Bell couldn’t pick Saeed Ajmal. He has more chance of picking his nose than Ajmal’s doosra. And if you can’t pick a wrist spinner then you are struggling.

Andrew Strauss was unlucky to get a bad decision. I wouldn’t have given him out. Jonathan Trott played a faultless knock, a bit like Matt Prior in the first innings. His performance was about occupation of the crease, being watchful, careful, patient and simply waiting for an easy ball to hit. Then somehow his concentration lapsed and he succumbed to a cross-batted cut without moving his feet.

Eoin Morgan is overrated as a Test match cricketer. I know he is a superb one-day batsman but under pressure in Test matches he doesn’t cut it. In the first innings he attempted a premeditated sweep to a straight half-volley. In the second innings he played back to a half-volley that turned out of the bowlers’ footmarks and all he could do was get a thin edge to the keeper.

Making runs in Test cricket is no big deal. Morgan made a hundred at Edgbaston against India last summer, but everyone was at it then against a poor attack. It is making runs for the team when you are in trouble that is the mark of a quality player.

Strauss was interviewed after winning the toss and said all the right things about how the team had realised in the two weeks since arriving here that they had to occupy the crease, show a great deal of patience and accept that runs arrive at a slower pace than on the bouncy pitches in Australia and South Africa. He was dead right. But only two of his players stayed on message: Prior and Trott.

In the first innings, and at times during the second, England gave the impression that they had decided not to let Ajmal tie them down.

Somehow they felt they had to get on top of him and score runs. In the first innings Cook was out cutting Mohammad Hafeez but picked the wrong length and it was too close to his body to play that shot. Also this was only the sixth over of the match.

Strauss then attempted to pull a good-length ball that was not short enough before Pietersen missed a straight ball, lunging at least two feet in front of his pad.

Ken Barrington knew how to bat in the subcontinent. He used to say you had to book in for bed and breakfast, which means when you get in, stay in and make the opposition bowl you out. The two guys who made runs for Pakistan, Hafeez and Misbah-ul-Haq, did exactly that. It is not rocket science and England should have taken note.

England coach Andy Flower accepts his team's failings following heavy loss to Pakistan in Dubai

"Pakistan certainly outplayed us by a long margin in this Test. We under-performed, poorly," he added. "However, we can come back from this. Is it a real test? Yes it will be.

"There's a day off today, training tomorrow then down to Abu Dhabi to prepare."

As Flower came to terms with his batsmen's collective inability to deal first with Saeed Ajmal's off-spin and then Umar Gul's pace, he was consoled by England's previous reactions to adversity.

In his first Test in charge in Jamaica, they were bowled out for 51 in their second innings to lose by an innings - yet within six months were Ashes winners.

In that same summer, of 2009, England lost inside three days to Australia at Headingley but clinched the urn in the next match at The Oval - and just over a year ago, they were trounced in Perth but again hit back for historic wins in Melbourne and Sydney.

Asked whether his team face their toughest challenge yet here, against fast-improving Pakistan, he said: "I'm not sure it's a bigger test.

"Beating Australia in Australia was a big test."

Flower warns nonetheless that, although England can draw confidence from their own track record, they will not dwell on former glories.

"This team has done great things in the recent past, but you have to move on from the past and live in the present - and this is a very good indication that you have to live in the present," he said.

Ajmal's match figures of 10 for 97 have taken him up from 12th to third in the International Cricket Council's Test rankings, deposing England's Graeme Swann - a fellow off-spinner - as the world's best slow bowler.

England v Pakistan Cricket Board XI: in pictures

In a spin: Monty Panesar took five wickets for England against a Pakistan Cricket Board XI

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Monty Panesar ready for England call after starring role in warm up against Pakistan Cricket Board XI

''So if they want to play two spinners, I'm ready to play.''

Panesar cites his move from Northants to Sussex two years ago, and his experience as an overseas player in South Africa and Australia, as vital staging posts in his continued development and perhaps his rehabilitation as a Test bowler.

''I'm hungry to play Test cricket – and if or when the opportunity presents itself I've got to be ready,'' he said.

''I want to be part of this successful England team.

''I've been bowling well at Sussex and also had the responsibility of being an overseas player at Randwick Petersham in Sydney and also Highveld Lions.

''That extra responsibility develops you as a person and also helps your game as well.''

Panesar helped England to a 69-run first-innings lead on the second day of three at the GCA ground, before Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott bolstered the advantage by another 82 without loss at stumps.

The slow left-armer added: ''My belief is a lot stronger now. I think going overseas, to Sydney, helps with your self-belief.

''My confidence has grown, and that definitely helps your bowling.

''I've always stayed hungry to play Test cricket and always worked hard. That's why I moved to Sussex, to better my game and take on a major responsibility – leading the bowling attack.''

The 29-year-old, who was part of England's winning squad in last winter's Ashes but played only in the tour match against Australia A in Hobart, sees his near 30-month absence from Test cricket as an important learning curve rather than a fallow period.

''It's been a good period for me, in that I had to come out of my comfort zone,'' he said.

''Sometimes you've got to take a couple of steps back to go forward.

''I just said to myself: 'I've got to get in there, work hard and get my hands dirty'.''

As for his reacquaintance with Swann as a spin partner, that is a prospect he relishes.

''It's really exciting to have two spinners bowling in tandem, something Swanny and I did at Northants – and we're very comfortable bowling with each other and helping each other out,'' he added.

England recover from early losses of Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott in final warm-up ahead of Pakistan series

He shared stands of 83 for the third wicket with Kevin Pietersen and then 90 for the sixth with Matt Prior.

Talha took two wickets in four balls to put England in trouble in the seventh over after they were asked to bat first in this three-day match.

The swing bowler, included in Pakistan's Test squad here, had Andrew Strauss caught-behind with a very good delivery - and then number three Trott offered no shot to go lbw to one that nipped back.

Pietersen needed 10 balls to get off the mark, as he had in the first innings of England's previous tour match on this same ground.

But he was soon driving confidently, while Cook's outlet against pace was mostly on the back foot - before both batsmen manoeuvred comfortable runs up to lunch off spinners Raza Hasan and Yasir.

The afternoon began badly for England when Pietersen fell in the first over, picking the wrong ball to force away off the back foot and bowled by Yasir.

Bell was lbw to his second ball, attempting to sweep Yasir, and Morgan disappointingly picked out deep backward-square with a more expansive version of the same shot soon afterwards.

Yasir, in particular, was a test for all on a used pitch which was offering plenty of help for spin - albeit slowly - but Cook was equal to the task.

Prior, who missed England's first match with a bruised left ring finger, was in the mood to make the most of match batting practice before next week too - and dug in to keep Cook company and keep the tempo handy for the remainder of the session.

Prior's was the first of four wickets to fall after tea, nibbling an edge behind to a diving Sarfraz Ahmed.

Graeme Swann also took an attacking approach, and succeeded with a straight six off Yasir and two fours until he edged another attempted big shot behind off the leg-spinner.

Graham Onions, in his first match for his country for more than two years following a career-threatening back injury, fell to a one-handed catch at mid-on - and when Cook finally went caught-behind trying to cut, Strauss decided on a declaration which spared Chris Tremlett from having to bat so soon after recovering from an eye infection.

He did not have long to bowl either, before England turned to spin at both ends in conducive conditions - and in the final over of the day, Swann almost had Nasir Jamshed caught-behind on eight.

Alastair Cook holds firm as England stutter against Pakistan Cricket Board

He shared stands of 83 for the third wicket with Kevin Pietersen and then 90 for the sixth with Matt Prior.

Talha took two wickets in four balls to put England in trouble in the seventh over after they were asked to bat first in this three-day match.

The swing bowler, included in Pakistan's Test squad here, had Andrew Strauss caught-behind with a very good delivery - and then number three Trott offered no shot to go lbw to one that nipped back.

Pietersen needed 10 balls to get off the mark, as he had in the first innings of England's previous tour match on this same ground.

But he was soon driving confidently, while Cook's outlet against pace was mostly on the back foot - before both batsmen manoeuvred comfortable runs up to lunch off spinners Raza Hasan and Yasir.

The afternoon began badly for England when Pietersen fell in the first over, picking the wrong ball to force away off the back foot and bowled by Yasir.

Bell was lbw to his second ball, attempting to sweep Yasir, and Morgan disappointingly picked out deep backward-square with a more expansive version of the same shot soon afterwards.

Yasir, in particular, was a test for all on a used pitch which was offering plenty of help for spin - albeit slowly - but Cook was equal to the task.

Prior, who missed England's first match with a bruised left ring finger, was in the mood to make the most of match batting practice before next week too - and dug in to keep Cook company and keep the tempo handy for the remainder of the session.

Prior's was the first of four wickets to fall after tea, nibbling an edge behind to a diving Sarfraz Ahmed.

Graeme Swann also took an attacking approach, and succeeded with a straight six off Yasir and two fours until he edged another attempted big shot behind off the leg-spinner.

Graham Onions, in his first match for his country for more than two years following a career-threatening back injury, fell to a one-handed catch at mid-on - and when Cook finally went caught-behind trying to cut, Strauss decided on a declaration which spared Chris Tremlett from having to bat so soon after recovering from an eye infection.

He did not have long to bowl either, before England turned to spin at both ends in conducive conditions - and in the final over of the day, Swann almost had Nasir Jamshed caught-behind on eight.

Alastair Cook warms up for Pakistan series with well-timed century while England team-mates falter

He shared stands of 83 for the third wicket with Kevin Pietersen and then 90 for the sixth with Matt Prior.

Talha took two wickets in four balls to put England in trouble in the seventh over after they were asked to bat first in this three-day match.

The swing bowler, included in Pakistan's Test squad here, had Andrew Strauss caught-behind with a very good delivery - and then number three Trott offered no shot to go lbw to one that nipped back.

Pietersen needed 10 balls to get off the mark, as he had in the first innings of England's previous tour match on this same ground.

But he was soon driving confidently, while Cook's outlet against pace was mostly on the back foot - before both batsmen manoeuvred comfortable runs up to lunch off spinners Raza Hasan and Yasir.

The afternoon began badly for England when Pietersen fell in the first over, picking the wrong ball to force away off the back foot and bowled by Yasir.

Bell was lbw to his second ball, attempting to sweep Yasir, and Morgan disappointingly picked out deep backward-square with a more expansive version of the same shot soon afterwards.

Yasir, in particular, was a test for all on a used pitch which was offering plenty of help for spin - albeit slowly - but Cook was equal to the task.

Prior, who missed England's first match with a bruised left ring finger, was in the mood to make the most of match batting practice before next week too - and dug in to keep Cook company and keep the tempo handy for the remainder of the session.

Prior's was the first of four wickets to fall after tea, nibbling an edge behind to a diving Sarfraz Ahmed.

Graeme Swann also took an attacking approach, and succeeded with a straight six off Yasir and two fours until he edged another attempted big shot behind off the leg-spinner.

Graham Onions, in his first match for his country for more than two years following a career-threatening back injury, fell to a one-handed catch at mid-on - and when Cook finally went caught-behind trying to cut, Strauss decided on a declaration which spared Chris Tremlett from having to bat so soon after recovering from an eye infection.

He did not have long to bowl either, before England turned to spin at both ends in conducive conditions - and in the final over of the day, Swann almost had Nasir Jamshed caught-behind on eight.

England's batsmen must get their heads around spin ahead of Pakistan Test series, says Graham Gooch

Pakistan are likely to play three spinners when the Test series starts next week and, after three innings of the tour so far, England’s batsmen, apart from Cook, are looking rusty.

"One or two players are disappointed, quite rightly, as they like to get time in the middle but it is not the time to panic. It matters to the individual if he has not spent much time in the middle as you get your rhythm and confidence from scoring runs.

"You can have as many nets as you like, and that is important, but you don’t get that feelgood factor unless you get them in the middle. They will be a bit concerned that they would like more time out there but we know this happens and it is not time to start changing way you think. You have to believe in yourself."

Cook continued the fabulous form of 2011 with England’s first century of the year, eventually faling for 133 off 260 balls.

Kevin Pietersen batted for 75 minutes for 38, but the rest of the middle order faded. Eoin Morgan was out for 11 following scores of one and three in the first match. Jonathan Trott fell for a duck padding up and Ian Bell also made nought.

"The batting unit has worked well in the past," said Gooch. "They have to stay strong mentally. You don’t become a bad player over a couple of innings.

"The two bowlers who got wickets today bowled pretty well and what was good for us is this pitch is behaving like the conditions we think we are going to get - attiritional cricket, and you have to work hard for your runs and even harder for your wickets.

"That is the style of play required that our team have get to get their heads around."

England's Alastair Cook shows recipe for success ahead of Pakistan series in Dubai

Contrast that with Jonathan Trott’s hesitancy at shouldering arms to Talha, which resulted in him being given out lbw for nought, and Ian Bell’s impatient sweep at Yasir, which also led to him being lbw for a duck, and it was obvious which worked best.

Cook was not flawless and enjoyed two lives, a caught and bowled off Talha when 84, and another in the gully just before Talha, who has played one Test for Pakistan, got him to edge to the keeper.

But otherwise his was the road map England must follow if they are to make competitive totals in these conditions, something later confirmed by Graham Gooch, England’s batting coach.

“The players have to stay strong mentally,” said Gooch.

“You don’t become a bad player over a couple of innings. The two bowlers who got wickets today bowled pretty well. But what was good for us is this pitch is behaving like the conditions we think we are going to get.

"We expect attritional cricket where you have to work hard for your runs and even harder for your wickets. That is the style of play required that our team have get to get their heads around.”

Talha, 23, worked up a good pace with the new ball, twice beating Strauss for speed early on.

His efforts were rewarded in his fourth over, when England’s captain offered a tentative forward defensive and the ball flew to Sarfraz Ahmad, the keeper, off the inside edge. Three balls later Trott followed, his failure to offer a shot a misjudgment borne of Talha’s impressive speed.

Pietersen, out of sorts in the last match, looked more assertive on Wednesday. His travails against left-arm spin appear to be related to whether he is prepared to play off the back foot or not.

Pietersen’s default setting against spin is to lunge forward, but when done on slow pitches this reduces his run-scoring options drastically.

Getting bogged down then cranks up anxiety levels to the point where a big shot, which comes with extra risk, seems to be the only option.

Playing back gives you more time to see how much the ball is turning and to place it better for singles and twos. Trouble is, having done it well enough to reach 38, he was then bowled by Yasir stepping back to give himself room to cut backwards of square.

Bell, by contrast, is usually a good player of spin but he appears too obsessed with dominating bowlers from the start. Gooch has set him the task of being the best batsman in the world but when conditions are as benign as they are here, you need to sit in the game longer before playing the fancy paddle sweep that have so far brought about his undoing in two of his three innings here.

The same criticism could broadly be levelled at Eoin Morgan, though he perished playing a more rustic shot than Bell, his lofted sweep off Yasir finding Raza Hussain at deep square leg.

Yasir, a short wrist-spinner with admirable control, was getting some slow turn, but nothing so alarming to require raising the risk level to that extent.

Some bat flailing from Graeme Swann allowed England to declare and get 30 minutes bowling at the PCB XI, enough time for Prior, who made 46 of the 90-run partnership he shared with Cook, to drop left-hander Afiq Rahim, off Swann.

With Monty Panesar playing as well, and with Steven Finn left out despite the resting of James Anderson and Stuart Broad (replaced by Chris Tremlett and Graham Onions), England have moved away from the three seamers and one spinner attack that has served them so well over the past two and half years.

Whether we can read too much into it, other than it is a shoot-out between Finn, Tremlett and Onions for the third seamer’s spot, is unclear, as bowling resources will not be as stretched over three days as five.

England set to turn to Monty Panesar as they consider playing an extra spinner against Pakistan

The performance of Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann over the next couple of days against the PCB XI here will inevitably shape the final decision but Graham Gooch, the batting coach, admitted that the conditions for the warm-up match have given the management an important glimpse of what to expect in the first Test against Pakistan, which starts on Jan 17.

That would leave the option of dropping a batsman for Panesar and selecting another seamer, either Chris Tremlett or Graham Onions, to take the place of the injured Tim Bresnan.

Matt Prior would bat at six and Eoin Morgan, who has failed in all three innings on tour, would be the batsman to be sacrificed.

Flower and Strauss are cautious and loyal to the players who have served them well. Altering the team’s shape would be a bold step, particularly at the start of a series, but playing here is an unknown quantity for England and they may have to adapt.

Pakistan played three spinners against Sri Lanka in October, obviously playing to their strengths, and 19 of the 31 wickets to fall in that Test went to slow bowling.

England’s fast-bowling attack is the most respected in world cricket but in Panesar they have a bowler with a respectable Test average of 30 against Pakistan and a match-winning record during his career.

Tim Bresnan ruled out of England's tour against Pakistan with elbow injury

"That means he's unable to play any part in the Test series, so he's flying home."

Onions is with England already, having been added as cover because of what were thought minor injury concerns hanging over Bresnan among others. The Durham seamer will therefore be officially added to the squad. England must nonetheless rethink their gameplan, in the absence of first-choice seamer Bresnan.

Strauss added: "We're all gutted for him, because it's come from left-field. It's surprised him and us."

The captain reported mixed news on England's other injury niggles.

Graeme Swann, who did not take the field today because of tightness in a leg muscle, is to be sent to hospital for a precautionary scan.

Strauss is confident the off-spinner's condition is not too much cause for concern, however.

Fast bowler Chris Tremlett, ruled out of the opening tour match because of an eye infection, is to see the doctor tonight.

But wicketkeeper Matt Prior, who bruised the ring finger of his left hand on the day before this first fixture, will be fit to play in the second against a PCB XI at the same GCA ground venue on Wednesday.

England first for purged Pakistan as they make their way along the long road to redemption

This is partly because some controversial players remain on the fringes, and partly because it is impossible to be sure what the chief motivation of the current regime is: to clean up the sport and make it one of the few walks of life in Pakistan that is not corrupt, or to do enough to meet the International Cricket Councils’s demands, so that Pakistan’s share of the revenue from global tournaments keeps coming in?

The direction from the top will be decisive. And, as a good start, Ijaz Butt is no longer the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, having lived up to his name as the butt of hatred and humour. However, in a country where who you know matters most, even more than elsewhere, there was no chance of the new PCB chairman being selected on merit.

Three months ago Pakistan’s president Asif Zardari appointed Zaka Ashraf, a friend and stalwart of the Pakistan People’s Party. Ashraf was known not for his interest in cricket, but in banking and — according to his Facebook page – the production of sugar molasses to be refined into ethanol and used in petrol.

So far, as the PCB chairman, he has been skilful in his use of sweeteners. Last month he went to Bangladesh and secured the breakthrough that Pakistan’s cricket has sought since March 2009, when the Sri Lankan team were attacked in Lahore while many of the ‘security forces’ stood by. Ashraf persuaded the Bangladesh chairman to announce that his country would tour Pakistan, subject to an inspection.

In return — how’s this for horse-trading? — Ashraf announced he would support Mustafa Kamal, the Bangladesh chairman, to become the next-but-one president of the ICC, thus sealing his nomination. No matter that the progress of Bangladesh cricket under Kamal’s chairmanship appears to be almost zero.

Another key indicator will come with the appointment of Pakistan’s next full-time coach. Mohsin Khan, who scored a double century for Pakistan in the Lord’s Test of 1982, has been doing a fine interim job, especially with an inexperienced batting line-up, and will make a formidable counterpart to Andy Flower in the coming series.

The favourite to be Pakistan’s next coach, however, is Dav Whatmore, the Australian of Sri Lankan origin. A foreign coach would be better for Pakistan’s political image. It would signal that the country is secure.

Until Pakistan cricket is freed from political interference, and no longer constructed on the basis of the country’s president and his wishes, reform can only be temporary.