England produced a stirring fightback against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi to draw, and almost win, the first Test. After Pakistan piled up 523-8 and declared, England then replied with a mammoth score of their own. The hosts collapsed on the final day but bad light prevented England from chasing down 99 as the umpires stuck to the laws of the game and took the players off. It was a thoroughly impressive second half to the game from Alastair Cook’s men and they can go into the second Test in Dubai full of confidence.
But who were the big performers to help England recover from obscurity and whose spot is already under threat? Here are the England match ratings for the first Test.
England vs Pakistan First Test Ratings
Alastair Cook — 10/10
Absolutely outstanding with the bat in making 263. The powers of concentration Cook possesses once he gets in can rarely be matched in world cricket. Batting for almost fourteen hours and helping England to a huge total in which they could then reapply pressure on Pakistan was an amazing effort. Cook certainly likes batting in Asia and now has the most Test runs by an overseas batsman batting in the subcontinent ever. He also captained well and was willing to try out innovative fields, as is required in Asia.
Moeen Ali — 6/10
He went wicketless in the first innings but considering how little the pitch offered and the fact that the other spinners in this match found nothing out of the surface either, he can’t be blamed too much. He batted with discipline for his 35 from 131 balls, yet many would argue whether the opening slot is restricting his attacking game. Moeen found much more help from the pitch second time around and bowled smartly.
Ian Bell — 6/10
His two drops off Mohammad Hafeez and Asad Shafiq (who scored 98 and 107 respectively) proved vital on this flat pitch and let Pakistan off the hook on the first day which cost England. Bell batted well however, without looking entirely fluent. His fighting 63 showed that, while subcontinent conditions clearly aren’t his favourite, he was willing to scrap and support his captain in building a crucial first innings platform. However, he missed out on a hundred and will be itching to get his first Test ton since April.
Joe Root — 8/10
It is strange that he wasn’t used more with the ball considering the impact he can have. Root played fluently for his 85 in the first innings and ground Pakistan into the dirt, along with Cook, whose patience and stability combined with Root’s counter-attacking style forms a good partnership. He tried his best to get England over the line with 33 not out in the run chase but just came up short due to the light. His consistency is vital to England.
Jonny Bairstow — 4/10
Bairstow struggled in the first innings and eventually fell to the excellent Wahab Riaz. He began to find some timing in the second innings but was stumped trying to beat the fading light. The Yorkshireman snaffled a couple of catches at short-leg in during Pakistan’s final day collapse. Bairstow offers a lot with bat, keeping and in the field but with James Taylor anxiously waiting in the wings, he needs to score runs to ease the pressure.
Ben Stokes — 8/10
Stokes bowled his heart out on a completely unresponsive pitch in the first innings and was constantly trying different things in search of wickets, including turning to off spin for an over. Four wickets were just reward for his efforts. He looked to be regaining form with the bat with 57 and picked up a stunning run out when England needed some magic on the final day. A solid all-round display.
Jos Buttler — 4/10
His keeping was excellent as usual and is an asset to his game that looks to be ever improving. Buttler added some late impetus in the first innings with the bat with 23 but still seems stuck in limbo as to whether to attack or hang around. He can be dynamic when on form though and England will keep the faith in him.
Adil Rashid — 8/10
Suffered the worst ever figures by a debutant in the first innings, which would not have done his nerves or confidence any good. However, he stuck to his game plan and bowled superbly on the final day as the pitch began to turn. He picked up his first five-wicket haul and could have had more. Rashid showed glimpses of being a useful player with the bat at number eight.
Stuart Broad — 7/10
Broad picked up only one wicket in the match but was extremely economical and offered very little for the Pakistanis to hit. He and Anderson complement each other brilliantly and their experience and quality in the pace department could be the difference in this series. He provided some handy runs down the order, too. It’s nice to see the confidence return to his batting as he can be dangerous.
Mark Wood — 5/10
Like Stokes, Wood tried his heart out with the ball but didn’t back up the pressure put on by Anderson and Broad. Only one wicket to show for his efforts but he was unlucky and could have easily had more. He produced a bizarre innings as nightwatchman as he kept feeling for the ball outside off stump, resulting in his downfall on the third evening when England needed him to see out the day. Wood needs to nail down his spot after Finn’s injury.
James Anderson — 9/10
As always, admirable with the new ball in tough conditions. Anderson produced some early breakthroughs in both innings and when the wickets dried up, he offered virtually nothing to the Pakistan batsmen. He kept it extremely tight and once again showed his skill with the ball outside England. He took some sharp catches at slip off Adil Rashid that contributed to England running through the Pakistani tail. He is now ninth on the all-time Test wicket takers list with 417 scalps and counting.
