While England will be wary of the threat from Yasir Shah, they will be eased into the series at the least spin-friendly venue in Asia in recent past
Shiva Jayaraman12-Oct-20153-0 Margin by which England lost their previous series in the UAE to Pakistan. This was only the fourth time England had been blanked outside the Ashes in a series with three or more matches. This was also only the fifth time Pakistan had whitewashed any opposition in a series involving three or more Tests.5-3 Pakistan’s win-loss record in the UAE since they beat England 3-0. They beat Australia 2-0 and have drawn 1-1 against South Africa, Sri Lanka and New Zealand in this period. Overall Pakistan’s win-loss record in the UAE is 11-5. They have drawn six out of the 22 Tests they have played in this country.1-6 England’s win-loss record away from home in Tests since 2013. Their win-loss ratio of 0.166 in away Tests during this period is better than only Zimbabwe and West Indies who both haven’t won a single away Test.2000 The last and only the second time England won a Test against Pakistan away from home, which was in Karachi. England have lost five of their six Tests against Pakistan outside England after that Karachi win. Overall, England have lost seven of the 27 Tests away to Pakistan, while 18 have ended in a draw. Their first win had come in Lahore in 1961, which was their first away Test against Pakistan.46.19 Runs spinners have averaged in Abu Dhabi after the last time Pakistan played England here in 2012. In Tests since 2013, this is the worst they have averaged at any venue in Asia. In four Tests here during this period, spinners have taken 51 wickets and only one five-wicket haul. In the Test here between the two teams in 2012, they took 31 of the 40 wickets to fall at an average of 18.00.38.25 Runs per dismissal that batsmen average in Abu Dhabi – the highest they average at any venue that has hosted at least five Tests. In just seven Tests at this venue, batsmen have hit 21 centuries and 33 fifties. The hundreds per Test ratio of 3.0 in Abu Dhabi is the highest for any venue that has hosted a minimum of five Tests.
Venue Tests 100s 100s/TestSheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi 7 21 3.00Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad – Sind 5 13 2.60Multan Cricket Stadium 5 13 2.60Antigua Recreation Ground, St John’s Antigua 22 57 2.59Bellerive Oval, Hobart 11 28 2.5451 Runs made by Ian Bell in six innings in the last series played by England against Pakistan in the UAE. Bell, however, will not have to face Saeed Ajmal, who dismissed him cheaply four times in that series. Since his last hundred against Pakistan, which came in the first innings at Headingley in 2006, Bell has averaged just 9.12 against them from nine innings with a highest of 29. Before that he had made four hundreds and two fifties in ten innings against Pakistan and had scored 666 runs at an average of 83.25.
Batsman Inns Runs Ave 100s/50sIan Bell 19 739 46.19 4/2Alastair Cook 20 729 36.45 3/2Stuart Broad 12 355 32.27 1/1James Anderson 12 73 6.64 0/0Liam Plunkett 4 37 9.25 0/0Steve Finn 6 10 10.00 0/017.65 James Anderson’s bowling average against Pakistan in Tests. He has taken 32 wickets against them in seven Tests, nine of which came in the 2011-12 series in the UAE at an average of 27.66 apiece. Among bowlers in England’s current squad, Stuart Broad was the highest wicket-taker for them in their last series in the UAE: he took 13 wickets at an average of 20.46.
Bowler Mats Wkts Avg 5wi/10wmJames Anderson 7 32 17.65 2/1Stuart Broad 7 27 21.96 0/0Steven Finn 4 13 22.92 0/0Liam Plunkett 2 4 61.00 0/0Ian Bell 10 1 42.00 0/019 Runs Younis Khan requires to go past Javed Miandad as the top run-scorer for Pakistan in Tests. Younis has 8814 Test runs at an average of 54.07 and has 30 centuries. Miandad retired with 8832 Test runs in 1993. When he gets the 19 runs that are required to go past Miandad, Younis will break a Pakistan record that has stood for nearly 22 years.
Batsman Inns Runs Ave 100s/50sYounis Khan 18 784 43.55 2/3Azhar Ali 13 403 33.58 1/2Mohammad Hafeez 7 285 47.50 0/2Misbah-ul-Haq 5 180 36.00 0/2Asad Shafiq 5 167 33.40 0/1Shoaib Malik 9 163 18.11 0/0120.57 Misbah-ul-Haq’s batting average at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. He has made 844 runs in just seven Tests at this venue. His last six innings here have produced five hundreds with four of them coming in consecutive innings in the last three Tests. Abu Dhabi has been a productive venue for Pakistan, with the batsmen in their current Test squad collectively averaging 62.30 here. Their 12 hundreds at this venue are the most they have made at any venue.257 Runs Alastair Cook needs to go past Jacques Kallis as the top run-scorer in Asia among batsmen from outside the subcontinent. Cook has 1802 runs at an average of 56.31 in Asia and has made seven hundreds and seven fifties in 18 Tests here. Among overseas batsmen, only Kallis, Ricky Ponting and Shivnarine Chanderpaul have scored more than him in Asia.0 Centuries Cook has made in the UAE – the only country he has played a Test in but hasn’t scored a hundred. Cook has got hundreds in each of the other eight countries he has played Tests in. Should he make a hundred on this tour, he will become only the second batsman after Rahul Dravid to make a hundred in each of the nine or more countries he has played Tests in.
Batsman Countries played in Made 100s inRahul Dravid 10 10Colin Cowdrey 7 7Ken Barrington 7 7Hanif Mohammad 6 6Mushtaq Mohammad 6 68 Wickets Yasir Shah took the last time he played an England XI in a first-class game in the UAE, which was in a tour match before the 2012 Test series. Playing for the PCB XI, Shah took 8 for 114 in the match, including a five-for in the first innings. Andrew Strauss, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen (twice) and Ian Bell were among the batsmen he had dismissed in that game. Shah has gained in reputation since then, having become the quickest Pakistan bowler to 50 Test wickets. He has taken 61 wickets in ten Tests – the most taken by any Pakistan bowler in his first ten Tests – at an average of 24.81 including four five-wicket hauls.
