“It is quite different fielding here at slip compared to England”.
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Hafeez said the surface was conducive to scoring heavily once batsmen were settled.
Worryingly, England had even spoken about their catching issues prior to the match.
Anderson could have had his second wicket in the seventh over of the match when Hafeez prodded at an away-going delivery and edged a simple catch to Ian Bell in second slips, only for the fielder to drop it.
Masood took his eyes off a bouncer, and the ball hit the grille of his helmet before dropping on the stumps.
However, the 37-year-old still had the chance to raise his bat to the crowd before his departure.
Pakistan was 173-2 at tea, with Hafeez falling leg before wicket to Ben Stokes in the second ball of the last over before the break.
Shoaib Malik was the star turn with the bat, as he marked his first Test appearance since 2010 by making an unbeaten 124. Moeen Ali will also be in the XI for Tuesday’s First Test, though there has always been debate as to whether Ali qualifies as a true all-rounder, or simply a part-time bowler. Before the Ashes Trevor Bayliss dedicated a training camp in Spain to fielding and they held on to a few blinders, most noticeably at Trent Bridge where Broad inked his name in cricketing folklore.
At the same time, England’s pacemen will additionally have to manage the desert warmth, something which they are not used to typically, and that might have a bearing on their efficiency.
Earlier, Pakistan’s plans to hit England with spin were dealt a blow when Yasir Shah was ruled out of the match with a back problem. He sustained the injury during a warm-up match against Pakistan A in Sharjah.
Unfortunately for England, that was the highlight of the morning session. The leg before decision was reviewed by the opener but the umpire’s call was upheld. Yet Sundaram Ravi, the third umpire, gave the benefit of the doubt to England, a rare touch of fortune on an otherwise luckless day. “He has his one-day experience and is feeling a bit more comfortable around the group”.
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Anderson could at least console himself with the fact he is now the 10th most-prolific bowler in Test history, his dismissal of Misbah taking him past Pakistan great Wasim Akram on the all-time list with 415 wickets. There was an irony in this, for that stroke took Younis beyond the 8,832 career runs of Javed Miandad to become the most prolific of all Pakistan batsmen. Still, spinners are judged on their performances on the last two days, not the first. They are presently positioned 4th in the ICC Examination positions and also are just one point reluctant of England at number 3.
