A bad Test for Hales was made worse when he was fined 15 percent of his match fee for confronting third umpire Joel Wilson following his controversial first-innings dismissal off a low catch.
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It left England on 88 for four, still trailing by 126 runs, at the start of this fourth day. There are a lot of tours and even our home series are in the UAE.
Catching is one of them, as is England’s spin bowling, with Moeen Ali’s off-breaks bringing him 11 wickets in the series at 46 each and costing 4.65 an over.
Leg-spinner Yasir took five wickets for 71 runs as England, in their second innings, slumped to 253 all out, setting Pakistan a target of 40 runs to win.
Meanwhile England are due to announced on Tuesday their squad for a five-match one-day global series against Pakistan starting next week.
“This team deserves that (going to number one) for six years of no cricket at home, sometimes people think it’s easy – the UAE suits us, we win – but just living every day away from your country, without your family and friends, and playing every game away from Pakistan, is really hard”.
If Sri Lanka and West Indies either manage to draw or win their respective Tests against Australia and India Pakistan will become number one team.
“It is frustrating for the side and it is an area we have to work on”.
“We haven’t come through that but we haven’t lost the series”.
Then came Chris Woakes’ run-out soon after lunch, setting off for a faulty single on Bairstow’s call and short of getting back when the bowler Wahab’s throw on the turn from short mid-on was a direct hit.
There will be no deciding Test, however, and the teams will next meet again in limited overs cricket.
Defeat also prevented England from concurrently holding all nine trophies competed for by Test-playing nations for the first time.
England got through the first 45 minutes without losing a wicket – and early spells from Yasir, Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz – before Sohail Khan struck nearly immediately.
And the way Yasir sliced through the top order during England’s second innings on the third evening – removing Alex Hales, James Vince and Joe Root – extinguished hopes of a home recovery. They think the wickets suit us and we win there.
A clip off Steven Finn’s (16 not out) legs put England ahead in the match but the hosts could only build a minimal advantage, which Pakistan wasted no time in knocking off.
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Stokes has been sidelined with knee and calf injuries while Wood has undergone two ankle surgeries since last playing for England in a Test against Pakistan in Dubai in October.
