5 Stand out performers from the Pakistan v England Test series

5 Stand out performers from the Pakistan v England Test series: Pakistan ended their 8th home season in the UAE with a fabulous last day finish against England. Already 1-0 up in the first two tests, Pakistan won the third test by 127 runs to not only win the series 2-0 but also become the second-best ranked test side. The series had many highs and lows which include Yasir missing out the first test, Azhar Ali’s injury, and the first test which should have been chased, ball tampering allegations on Wahab Riaz, Younis Khan’s record breaking outings and Jimmy Anderson’s misery economy. All these factors made it tough and competitive for the players but five men stood out and shined like the moon of fourteenth. 5. Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan) (© Getty Images) Matches Runs Highest Score Average 100s/50s 3 352 102 58.66 1/3 The series started with rumors of the Pakistani Kaptaan retiring and how to make it memorable for him. For Pakistan, repeating the result from 2012 was the least their fans wanted and the able shoulders of Misbah-ul-Haq were always said to be the deciding factor. Aide some sessions and a batting collapse in the second innings of the first test (which cannot be entirely blamed on Misbah), there was nothing Misbah could do wrong. Tactical bowling changes and the attacking and positive field settings are definitely enough to separate him from his English counterpart let alone his handy contributions with the bat down the order. He may be the third highest run-scorer of the test series but his four 50+ scores were the most anyone could score in the series. 4. Mohammad Hafeez (Pakistan) (© Getty Images) Matches Runs Highest Score Average 100s/50s 3 380 151 63.33 1/2 Many of the cricket pundits and keyboard cricket fans ruled Mohammad Hafeez – the Batsman out of the equation and even called him a free wicket but did he silenced his critics? From the very first ball of the test series, Mohammad Hafeez looked the best of all the Pakistan openers. The way he handled the in-an-out swingers from James Anderson and Stuart Broad and the vicious pace of Mark Wood reflected every aspect of his spirit and ability. His gritty and antagonistic one and a half hundred in the Sharjah test was the biggest A+ in his report card for the series if not the best test innings a Pakistani opener played in a long time. Solid starts and aggressive intent were the key factors in Hafeez’s success as he looked to have overcome his natural vendetta of poking at the ball on 5th and 6th stump cannel. 3. James Anderson (England) James Anderson (© Getty Images) Matches Wickets Best Bowling Strike Rate 4Ws 3 13 4/17 49.9 1 Not many fast bowlers can make the ball talk on spin-friendly Asian wickets but Jimmy Anderson’s consistent line and length and venomous spree of deliveries in the batsman’s weaker zone highlights him from all the faster bowlers in the series. His miserly series economy rate of 1.87 was the best by an English bowler in Asia (minimum: 100 overs) and a strike rate of nearly 50 truly shows the amount of effort he put into his bowling and the problems he created for the Pakistani batsmen. His average is better in the UAE than anywhere in the world and 13 wickets makes him the best English bowler of the series. 2. Alistair Cook (England) Alastair Cook. (© MARWAN NAAMANI/AFP/Getty Images) Matches Runs Highest Score Average 100s/50s 3 450 263 90.00 1/2 Not only England’s but Alistair Cook was indeed the best batsman of all in this series. 450 runs in the series against Yasir Shah’s spin and Wahab Riaz’s pace at an average equal to 90 is a remarkable achievement and indeed stamps Cook’s authority as the best England-born spin-player of the recent past. The highlight of his batting effort was his 263 in the first test where Misbah-ul-Haq and his bowlers almost looked clueless on how to get him out. He almost figured out a way to cope Yasir Shah but his inability to sweep and the natural instinct to present the front pad forward was largely exploited by Yasir Shah and Misbah-ul-Haq in later tests as he lost in wicket thrice to Yasir Shah is consecutive innings. Rest assured , Alistair Cook was the only English batter (maybe Root too) to offer some resistance to the spin-heavy Pakistan and not shrug down shoulders to Misbah’s box of trickery. 1. Yasir Shah (Pakistan) Yasir Shah (© Getty Images) Matches Wickets Best Bowling Strike Rate 4Ws 2 15 4/44 49.6 3 For Yasir Shah, this test series was a roller coaster ride from missing the first test because of an injury to his leg-spinning wiz to topple England in the final two tests. Yasir Shah was duly missed for the first test as the guests looked all at ease in pursuit of Pakistan’s belting first innings total and even obliged with a 75 run lead. If not for the bad light, England would certainly had Pakistan under their claws but with his return in the second test, it all looked like 2012 where a quality spinner itched upon England’s spin woes. 15 wickets from mere 2 test while the second-best bowler of the series took only 13 in all three tests. Not to mention, what would have been the final figures if he did played the first test. His career tally has reached 76 wickets in 12 games which is the most any bowler has taken in his first 12 games in over a century. Adjudged Man of the Series, Yasir Shah was truly the ‘Shiniest Star of the Series’.

Matches	Wickets	Best Bowling	Strike Rate	4Ws
3	13	4/17	49.9	1