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 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 frustrated in opening tour match against ICC Combined XI as they prepare for Pakistan series

"The period from 50-80 overs is going to be a real holding role, which highlights how wisely we'll have to use the first and second new balls," said Broad. "The bowling unit was aware of how difficult it might be to take wickets out here and that has been highlighted for us."

Callow shots certainly played a part in that lunch scoreline, but Broad, surely as zealous a convert to the value of pitching the ball up as there can ever have been among the fast and nasty fraternity, drew the batsmen into their misadventures. William Porterfield edged to Steven Davies in the bowler’s opening over - Davies deputising for Matt Prior as a precaution after the latter had bruised his ring finger in practice the previous day.

A left-hander, Porterfield had shaped to hit Broad through square leg, an ambitious shot given the line, length and newness of the ball.

Equally optimistic was Paul Stirling’s pull shot against Broad, which cannoned into the stumps off the bottom-edge. A chunky batsman with a low centre of gravity, Stirling had just stood on his tip toes and driven Broad for four on the up through mid-off, a show-stopping shot few can play. The old Broad would have retorted by letting fly with a bouncer, something Stirling obviously expected, but the ball was only just short of a length and far too full for the shot he attempted.

Broad, who finished with 4-46 and showed no ill-effects from the shoulder injury he picked up at Lord’s in September, continued his golden start when he had Scotland’s Kyle Coetzer caught by Davis driving at another ball of full length.

It is a long time ago, but I recall Peter May handing out advice to new Test bowlers when he was chairman of selectors. You need to bring good batsmen forward to get them out was the gist of it and it applies just as well to journeymen like Coetzer.

Broad’s extra height probably helped to make the batsmen more hesitant in their footwork, as James Anderson kept the ball full and didn’t have any success until Mohammad Shahzad ended a colourful innings of 51 by chipping a catch off him to mid-on.

Shahzad is the AA XI’s wicket-keeper and is part of the inspirational Afghanistan team that qualified against odds most would never consider part of a cricketer’s lot for the last World Cup. His batting reflected those uncertainties, being almost a shot-a-ball. Yet, most of them were pretty fine, especially the brace of cover driven fours he took off Anderson.

He attacked Swann, when the spinner was first introduced, and didn’t stop despite others falling to him. Pakistan’s batsmen will try a similar tactic, for if they can prevent Swann holding up an end for long periods (something he didn’t achieve after failing to bowl a single maiden in his 23 overs), pressure will be applied on the other three bowlers in England’s favoured four-man attack.

His innings was more pro-active than Viljoen’s, which began as dour survival before expanding to strokeplay as he ran out of partners. Viljoen, who plays for Namibia, has never made a first-class hundred in 24 matches and he wouldn’t have got close but for a valiant 45 from Boyd Rankin, who kept him company in a ninth-wicket partnership worth 95 runs.

Rankin departed to the third delivery of the second new ball, brilliantly caught by Finn at extra cover off Anderson. Viljoen was on 94 at the time and when he belted Broad for four off the first ball of the next over, a celebration looked likely.

Reacting to his adrenalin, Broad banged the next two balls in short. But having ducked the first, Viljoen swished a wild cut at the second and, after a heartbreaking interlude in which he watched as Anderson ran back from second slip to take a brilliant catch somewhere near third man, he knew it wasn’t going to be champagne this time, at least not at the king’s ransom demanded for it around here.

Scoreboard:

ICC Combined XI 1st innings

• Porterfield c Davies b Broad 1

• Coetzer c Davies b Broad 1

• Saqib Ali c Swann b Finn 14

• Williams c Davies b Swann 34

• Mohammad Shahzad c Broad b Anderson 51

• Viljoen c Anderson b Swann 98

• Rankin c Finn b Anderson 43

Extras: (lb3, w1, nb2) 6

Total: 281

Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Porterfield), 2-10 (Stirling), 3-11 (Coetzer), 4-52 (Saqib), 5-82 (Williams), 6-90 (Nabi), 7-122 (Shahzad), 8-181 (Haq), 9-277 (Rankin)

Bowling: Anderson 19-6-48-2 (nb1), Broad 16-6-42-3 (w1), Finn 17-3-60-2, Swann 23.3-0-99-3 (nb1), Trott 2-0-6-0, Pietersen 6-0-23-0

Overs: 83.3

----------

England 1st innings

Total: (without loss) 16

Bowling: Hamid 2-1-4-0, Viljoen 1-0-4-0, Nabi 1-0-8-0

England declare in arrears to ICC Combined XI as wickets worringly tumble in warm-up match for Pakistan series

But that prospect evaporated as Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Cook, Steven Davies and finally Broad failed to cash in on what looked an obvious opportunity to prosper.

Cook fared by far the best in a 121-ball innings which contained 14 fours, but no one else could reach 20. Fast bowler Hamid Hassan suffered a nasty injury chasing to the boundary to try to cut off the four which brought up the opener's 50, and would play no further part in the match.

England agreed Ireland spinner George Dockrell could replace Hassan for the second innings, after the Afghan seamer had pitched over a picket fence on the boundary and collided with concrete and metal runners around the sightscreen. He was eventually cleared of serious injury following a trip to hospital on a stretcher.

His absence had no bearing on England's troubles, although before lunch there was barely a hint of the collapse to come.

The only alarm for Cook came when Boyd Rankin discomforted him with a well-directed short one early in his innings.

The left-hander got in a tangle and was unable to get the ball effectively to ground, but no short-leg had been posted at that stage.

Soon afterwards Andrew Strauss pulled Hassan into the hands of square leg, and Jonathan Trott had only a single when he got a faint edge down the leg-side to be caught behind.

A watchful Pietersen needed 10 balls to get off the mark, but did so with a trademark big stride for a four through midwicket - and the rationale was that England needed only patience, on a slow but benign surface, to gradually take control.

Instead Pietersen nibbled an outside edge off Rankin soon after lunch, and Bell's attempt to glide runs behind square off his Warwickshire team-mate resulted in another catch behind when the 6ft 9in Irishman found extra bounce.

Then Morgan edged a Mohammad Nabi off-break to slip, and Cook toppled over and poked the blade down leg to be caught behind off Christi Viljoen.

Scotland off-spinner Majid Haq took a wicket with his first delivery - Davies lbw pushing forward - and Broad then unluckily picked out silly mid-off when he timed a back-foot shot off Nabi. Graeme Swann and James Anderson avoided any more losses until, five minutes before the scheduled tea break, Strauss chose to declare almost 100 runs in arrears.

There was partial vindication when, as in the first innings, Broad and Anderson served up useful new-ball spells as the Combined XI were reduced to eight for three this time.

After Will Porterfield and Paul Stirling's ducks, the two Irish openers had mustered only eight runs between them in four attempts. Porterfield nicked a catch behind down the leg-side off Anderson, and Broad pinned Stirling lbw.

Saqib Ali soon edged an attempted push-drive behind off Broad, and Craig Williams chipped a catch to cover off Swann.

But a stand of 40 between Kyle Coetzer and Mohammad Shahzad ended only when the former played on to Anderson, as the equations began to narrow for an England victory in this first warm-up match for the Test series against Pakistan.

Scoreboard (after day two):

ICC Combined XI 1st innings
281 (C. Viljoen 98, Mohammad Shahzad 51, B. Rankin 43; S. Broad 3-42, G. Swann 3-99)

England 1st innings

Strauss c Haq b Hassan 17

Cook c Shahzad b Viljoen 76

Trott c Shahzad b Hassan 1

Pietersen c Shahzad b Rankin 15

Bell c Shahzad b Rankin 3

Morgan c Stirling b Nabi 1

Davies lbw b Haq 12

Broad c Porterfield b Nabi 19

Swann not out 14

Anderson not out 12

Extras: (b8, lb4, nb 2, w1) 15

Total: (for eight wkts dec) 185

Fall of wickets: 1-44 (Strauss), 2-54 (Trott), 3-107 (Pietersen), 4-121 (Bell), 5-126 (Morgan), 6-132 (Cook), 7-159 (Davies), 8-159 (Broad).

Bowling: Hassan 11-4-26-2 (w1), Viljoen 11-1-42-1 (nb2), Nabi 14-3-42-2, Rankin 16-3-49-2, Haq 3-1-14-1

Overs: 55

-------

Combined XI 2nd innings

Porterfield c Davies b Anderson 0

Stirling lbw b Broad 0

Coetzer b Anderson 31

Saqib Ali c Davies b Broad 2

Williams c Bell b Swann 11

Mohammad Shahzad not out 34

Mohammad Nabi not out 9

Extras: (lb1, nb2) 3

Total: (For five wkts) 90

Fall of wicket: 1-0 (Porterfield), 2-2 (Stirling), 3-8 (Ali), 4-31 (William), 5-71 (Coetzer).

Bowilng: Anderson 12-6-29-2, Broad 9-5-15-2 (2nb), Swann 10-1-33-1, Finn 6-3-12 0

Overs: 37

England struggle in Dubai against ICC Combined XI ahead of Pakistan Test series

But that prospect evaporated as Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Cook, Steven Davies and finally Broad failed to cash in on what looked an obvious opportunity to prosper.

Cook fared by far the best in a 121-ball innings which contained 14 fours, but no one else could reach 20. Fast bowler Hamid Hassan suffered a nasty injury chasing to the boundary to try to cut off the four which brought up the opener's 50, and would play no further part in the match.

England agreed Ireland spinner George Dockrell could replace Hassan for the second innings, after the Afghan seamer had pitched over a picket fence on the boundary and collided with concrete and metal runners around the sightscreen. He was eventually cleared of serious injury following a trip to hospital on a stretcher.

His absence had no bearing on England's troubles, although before lunch there was barely a hint of the collapse to come.

The only alarm for Cook came when Boyd Rankin discomforted him with a well-directed short one early in his innings.

The left-hander got in a tangle and was unable to get the ball effectively to ground, but no short-leg had been posted at that stage.

Soon afterwards Andrew Strauss pulled Hassan into the hands of square leg, and Jonathan Trott had only a single when he got a faint edge down the leg-side to be caught behind.

A watchful Pietersen needed 10 balls to get off the mark, but did so with a trademark big stride for a four through midwicket - and the rationale was that England needed only patience, on a slow but benign surface, to gradually take control.

Instead Pietersen nibbled an outside edge off Rankin soon after lunch, and Bell's attempt to glide runs behind square off his Warwickshire team-mate resulted in another catch behind when the 6ft 9in Irishman found extra bounce.

Then Morgan edged a Mohammad Nabi off-break to slip, and Cook toppled over and poked the blade down leg to be caught behind off Christi Viljoen.

Scotland off-spinner Majid Haq took a wicket with his first delivery - Davies lbw pushing forward - and Broad then unluckily picked out silly mid-off when he timed a back-foot shot off Nabi. Graeme Swann and James Anderson avoided any more losses until, five minutes before the scheduled tea break, Strauss chose to declare almost 100 runs in arrears.

There was partial vindication when, as in the first innings, Broad and Anderson served up useful new-ball spells as the Combined XI were reduced to eight for three this time.

After Will Porterfield and Paul Stirling's ducks, the two Irish openers had mustered only eight runs between them in four attempts. Porterfield nicked a catch behind down the leg-side off Anderson, and Broad pinned Stirling lbw.

Saqib Ali soon edged an attempted push-drive behind off Broad, and Craig Williams chipped a catch to cover off Swann.

But a stand of 40 between Kyle Coetzer and Mohammad Shahzad ended only when the former played on to Anderson, as the equations began to narrow for an England victory in this first warm-up match for the Test series against Pakistan.

Scoreboard (after day two):

ICC Combined XI 1st innings
281 (C. Viljoen 98, Mohammad Shahzad 51, B. Rankin 43; S. Broad 3-42, G. Swann 3-99)

England 1st innings

Strauss c Haq b Hassan 17

Cook c Shahzad b Viljoen 76

Trott c Shahzad b Hassan 1

Pietersen c Shahzad b Rankin 15

Bell c Shahzad b Rankin 3

Morgan c Stirling b Nabi 1

Davies lbw b Haq 12

Broad c Porterfield b Nabi 19

Swann not out 14

Anderson not out 12

Extras: (b8, lb4, nb 2, w1) 15

Total: (for eight wkts dec) 185

Fall of wickets: 1-44 (Strauss), 2-54 (Trott), 3-107 (Pietersen), 4-121 (Bell), 5-126 (Morgan), 6-132 (Cook), 7-159 (Davies), 8-159 (Broad).

Bowling: Hassan 11-4-26-2 (w1), Viljoen 11-1-42-1 (nb2), Nabi 14-3-42-2, Rankin 16-3-49-2, Haq 3-1-14-1

Overs: 55

-------

Combined XI 2nd innings

Porterfield c Davies b Anderson 0

Stirling lbw b Broad 0

Coetzer b Anderson 31

Saqib Ali c Davies b Broad 2

Williams c Bell b Swann 11

Mohammad Shahzad not out 34

Mohammad Nabi not out 9

Extras: (lb1, nb2) 3

Total: (For five wkts) 90

Fall of wicket: 1-0 (Porterfield), 2-2 (Stirling), 3-8 (Ali), 4-31 (William), 5-71 (Coetzer).

Bowilng: Anderson 12-6-29-2, Broad 9-5-15-2 (2nb), Swann 10-1-33-1, Finn 6-3-12 0

Overs: 37