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| Ian Bell was one of Saeed Ajmal's three victims within his first two overs |
Pakistan are careful not to describe the UAE as home, but it could soon become one of their favourite destinations. They enjoyed a jubilant opening morning in the first Test against England in Dubai, claiming five wickets on a placid batting surface.
After ten deliveries, Pakistan offspinner Saeed Ajmal had figures of 3-1, removing Andrew Strauss, Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen, the last to a DRS decision. He did not unveil his new mystery ball but he did not need it. To England, they were all mystery balls.
England's first outing as the No. 1 ranked Test side began disastrously. They won the toss, the pace of the pitch was gentle, there was no swing or seam, and just a hint of turn. However, just about everything attempted by Pakistan's impressive captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, came off as the cream of England batting disappeared in the first two hours.
There had been concerns about how England, who moved to No. 1 with high-adrenalin performances in front of packed crowds, would respond to the dead air of a virtually empty stadium, and those doubts were not lessened. Mohammad Hafeez's offspin was introduced in the sixth over to counter England's left-hand openers and he dismissed Alastair Cook in his first over. Cook, who had been so productive against fast bowling in Australia this time last year, looked tentative against spin. He attempted to work his first ball into the leg side and got a thick outside edge through point. Then Hafeez found gentle turn with his third delivery and Cook edged obligingly to the wicketkeeper.
Pakistan had opted for three spinners; England stuck to their successful formula of Graeme Swann's offspin supported by three fast bowlers. It was not long before England looked in denial.
Jonathan Trott was the one batsman to fall to pace, the bustling pace provided by Aizaz Cheema, whose belated introduction into Test cricket after a decade of being overlooked at first-class level, is proving a revelation.
Cheema's opening spell was curtailed to two overs, but Trott found him a handful on his return. A walking clip to the square-leg boundary represented England's most authoritative moment of the session, but edged boundaries off successive balls were less impressive, the second of them flying just over leg stump off the inside edge.
Trott fell in Cheema's next over, strangled down the leg side as the bowler banged one in short of a length. Trott paused, as though wondering whether he might escape with a review, then sensibly thought better of it; it was an obvious deflection.
Misbah taunted Pietersen with left-arm spin, his nemesis, in the shape of Abdur Rehman, but Pietersen, thrusting well forward, survived, only for Ajmal to bring about a remarkable transformation. England regard him as their greatest challenge and that feeling grew stronger as Strauss, Bell and Pietersen all departed.
Strauss had batted 42 balls for 19 when he misread the length, tried to pull a ball that was too far up to him, and was bowled.
Bell came in with his wrist heavily strapped, courtesy of a blow in the nets the previous day while batting against the dog thrower used by the England batting coach, Graham Gooch. He was met by a perfect doosra from Ajmal, which he edged to give the bowler his third wicket of the morning. Bell did not appear to read it but, first ball at the start of a new series, reading anything is a demanding task.
Bell then departed for a long conversation with Gooch, who exchanged dog thrower for any bone of consolation that he could toss his way.
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