ADIL’S AGONY
Rashid’s rearguard heroics can’t save England after rash shot
ONLY Adil Rashid will know why he played an inexplicable loose drive straight to cover to bring the worst possible end to four hours of defiance that so nearly engineered one of the most unlikely escape acts in England’s history.
Perhaps the realisation that he was about to be at the centre of something extraordinary in only his second Test finally got to an allrounder who has had a dizzying introduction to the highest level.
Yet he should not be blamed for an indiscretion that ultimately gave Pakistan a second Test victory that looked certain to be theirs from the moment England collapsed in a heap on the third morning.
This was so cruel on Rashid, who has already had to deal with Kipling’s twin imposters from the low of the worst figures by a Test debutant, to the high of a fivewicket haul that so nearly earned victory for England and now this.
Even if the Yorkshireman goes on to play a hundred Tests for England he will always look back on this agonising finale in Dubai and wonder what might have been.
All day, right up until the last hour when England suddenly dared to believe, it still looked as though victory was a formality for a Pakistan side defending their unbeaten Test series record in the United Arab Emirates with relish.
They removed the formidable barrier of Joe Root in the first hour of the last day and soon after lunch England were seven down with their middle order again struggling to cope with the challenges thrown up by conditions here.
Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes will surely survive to fight another day in Sharjah on Sunday but for Jos Buttler his latest cheap dismissal looks certain to bring a halt, for now, to his Test career, with James Taylor waiting in the wings. There was a strong case for Taylor, a busy batsman and impressive player of spin, to play from the start of this series but now he will finally get his chance, with Bairstow taking the gloves and more time invested in the gifted Stokes. When Stuart Broad became the eighth victim, bowled by an unplayable yorker from the mightily impressive Wahab Riaz, with fully 41 overs to go after a defiant stand of 60 with Rashid the writing was again on England’s wall. Indeed, even the new prediction app CricViz,
which is backed by EnglandE l d analystl t NathanN th Leamon,L gave Alastair Cook’s side a zero per cent chance of avoiding defeat when the seventh wicket fell and that is based on extensive data.
Yet somehow the spirit of Cardiff, Cape Town and Centurion in 2009 and Auckland in 2013 seemed to enthuse England and slowly but surely that teasing state of mind when you begin to think ‘they might just save this’ took over.
Mark Wood joined Rashid, the pitch did not break up as expected and suddenly there was a hint of agitation about the incessant chat and appealing that Pakistan teams have always specialised in.
Misbah-ul-Haq did not help by wasting his side’s reviews and with both Rashid and Wood looking secure against pace and spin the most surprising draw of the five great Houdini impressions of recent times hove into view.
That was until Zulfiqar Babar, perhaps Pakistan’s best bowler on the last day, produced a beauty to force Wood to edge to slip and all changed again. JustJ t 68 b ballsll were l leftft whenh Jimmy Anderson joined Rashid and the memory of that fabled day in Wales when he survived 69 deliveries in company with Monty Panesar against Australia provided hope.
It is the hope, though, that kills you and there was a sign that Rashid was becoming a little frazzled by the situation when he turned down a single off Riaz off the penultimate ball of an over and sentenced Anderson to the strike.
Still, it was Rashid rather than his experienced partner who succumbed to the pressure, his moment of madness, perhaps an attempt to clear the myriad of close fielders from in front of him, coming with just 39 balls left to defend.
Cue pandemonium from Pakistan and the sight of an exultant Yasir Shah diving in a celebration of taking his fellow leg-spinner’s wicket that was more Jurgen Klinsmann than the footballer he is meant to resemble, Lionel Messi.
So close then but England know it was on the third morning when they lost seven first-innings wickets in a session that this match and in all probability the series was lost.
Credit should be given to Pakistan and their new spin sensation Yasir who lived up to his reputation with match figures of eight for 180 and showed Rashid just how much he needs to improve at this level.
If Pakistan win the final Test they will go to second in the world rankings which would be an incredible achievement for a side exiled from their own country and now in danger of missing the World Twenty20 because of Indian extremists. Their continuing success really is a triumph against the odds.
Cook is confident of recovering from the groin injury that restricted his second innings and how England will need him now they are one down with one to play. It is hard enough to imagine England winning on a Sharjah pitch that is now expected to be as flat as a pancake but without their captain their task would look all but impossible.