Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq’s unbeaten century led his side to 282-4 at the close of the first day of the second Test in an intriguing 90 overs of cricket in Dubai.
Misbah looked at ease throughout his innings before sensationally going to his ninth Test century late on in the day’s play.
It was a knock filled with the trademark patience, stability and occasional instance of dominance that has become associated with the 41-year-old.
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It also had all the madness and contradiction that seems to define Misbah as a batsman.
He hauled two massive sixes off Moeen Ali in the final over of the day, which he took 15 from to move from 87 to 102.
Misbah’s hundred came off 190 balls and included five sixes and eight fours.
Moeen and Adil Rashid were on the receiving end of the majority of Misbah’s wrath as he scored over 75% of his runs off the two spinners.
England, however, will believe they are still in the game on a day in which both teams enjoyed spells on top.
The pendulum swung throughout, before Pakistan took the slightest advantage into day two thanks to Misbah and Asad Shafiq’s 104-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
Having lost the toss and being put in the field, England started brightly with James Anderson and Stuart Broad providing Mohammad Hafeez and Shan Masood with a stern test in the early exchanges.
Misbah gets yet another ton #PAKvENG https://t.co/7e9etnjfHy
— Stuart Appleby (@Stuart_Appleby) October 22, 2015
Having negotiated that opening period without alarm, Masood began to show his full repertoire of shot making that was clearly evident in Abu Dhabi.
Masood made up for his scores of one and two in the first Test with a fluid half-century before lunch, by which time England had accounted for Hafeez (19) and first Test double centurion Shoaib Malik (2).
Moeen claimed Hafeez, caught at short-leg by Jonny Bairstow via bat and pad, while Ben Stokes – fully recovered from a stomach bug – had Malik caught superbly by the same player in the same position.
Going into the break, things were on an even keel, Pakistan 85-2 at lunch.
England swung the match in their favour with the first ball after lunch, however, as Anderson induced Masood’s outside edge, Buttler taking the catch to see the back of the left-hander for 54.
That brought Misbah to the crease, alongside fellow middle-order brick wall Younis Khan.
The pair went about forging a 93-run partnership for the fourth wicket with the ease which has made them mainstays in the Pakistan side for the best part of two decades.
England went wicketless for the rest of the afternoon session as the two stalwarts edged towards a 14th hundred run partnership together.
It wasn’t to be, however, the Younis-Misbah partnership being broken seven runs short of 100 as the former gloved Mark Wood down the leg-side in ugly fashion shortly after tea.
Walking across his stumps, Younis ended up wildly flailing at a ball down the leg side which he could only divert into the hands of a grateful Buttler.
It was just reward for Wood, who bowled with equal control and aggression at speeds touching the 90mph mark.
That would be the end of the breakthroughs for the visitors, bringing a frustrating end to proceedings for Cook and his men after an otherwise positive day in the field.
