Saeed Ajmal undid the good work of Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott by taking three wickets late on a topsy-turvy second day of the second Test between the Pakistan and England at Abu Dhabi.
The off-spinner’s trio of scalps left the tourists on 207-5, still 50 adrift of their opponents’ first innings total.
Earlier, England’s seamers disposed of Pakistan’s tail very swiftly as three wickets fell for just one run in 16 balls and Andy Flower’s charges would have been hoping to consolidate a strong bowling performance.
Though skipper Andrew Strauss recorded another failure, caught off the bowling off Mohammad Hafeez for just 11, it appeared as though England would manage exactly that, Cook and Trott sharing a stand of 139.
However, Trott was bowled by Abdur Rehman for 74 before vice-captain Cook, seemingly set for his twentieth Test match century, was extracted by the tireless Ajmal for 94.
This triggered a collapse, with Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan also perishing just before the close.
Despite enjoying the upper hand for the majority of the day, England will now need their lower order to graft out a lead in what promises to be an enthralling remainder of the match.
