Pakistan vs. England, 2nd Test: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview
But for bad light, England would be 1-0 up in the series heading into the second Test against Pakistan in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The tourists ran out of time trying to chase down a victory target of 99 on the fifth and final evening in Abu Dhabi, their second innings closing on 74 for four after 11 overs.
There had been no sign of the drama to come when only 16 wickets fell over the first four days, but Pakistan will be relieved to have escaped from the opening game unscathed.
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Pakistan will hope to turn in a better performance at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium—a venue where they have only lost twice in eight Tests.
Date: Thursday, October 22, 2015
Time: 10 a.m. local (7 a.m. BST, 2 a.m. ET)
Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, UAE
Live Stream and TV Info: Sky Sports (UK), PTV (Pakistan), SuperSport (South Africa), Ten Sports (Bangladesh), NowTV (UK Streaming Service)
Weather: According to AccuWeather.com, temperatures are set to hover around 34-36 degrees Celsius during the course of the Test. Friday (Day 2) could see a little advantage for the players in the form of cloud cover, offering them some protection from the sun.
Overview
So, was the first Test a missed opportunity for England, or a sign of things to come on the tour?
Only time will tell, but Alastair Cook and his touring squad can take great heart from the way they performed at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium last time out.
Captain Cook can be particularly pleased with his own efforts, having hit 263 in England's first-innings total of 598 for nine declared.
Another plus for the skipper was the second-innings performance of Adil Rashid.
The leg-spinner bounced back from recording the worst figures by a Test debutant (none for 163) on Days 1 and 2 with a five-wicket haul second time around, bowling England to the brink of glory.
Sadly, the combination of the setting sun and Pakistan's exceedingly slow over rate denied Cook and company what would have been an outstanding result at the start of the series.
Now they have to start afresh, although Pakistan could have a returning X-factor to tilt the balance of power in their favour.
Yasir Shah missed the first Test after suffering a back spasm in the nets on the eve of the match. However, the leg-spinner is confident he will be fit to feature in Dubai, per Sky Sports: "I am 99 per cent fit. I did bowl in practice on the third day of the Test, and I didn't feel any pain."
His availability will be a major boost for captain Misbah-ul-Haq. Yasir has picked up 14 wickets in two Test appearances at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium to date.
Pakistan have also called up Bilal Asif to make sure they do not get caught short again.
Yasir's absence for the first Test left the hosts with only one front-line slow bowler in Zulfiqar Babar—he had to toil away for 72 overs in England's first innings, finishing with figures of one for 183.
Off-spinner Asif is clear to bowl if selected, despite undergoing recent testing on his action, per ESPN Cricinfo.
While Yasir is ready to play, Azhar Ali could still be absent from Pakistan's top order. He missed the first Test with a toe injury, but he has now flown home following the death of his mother-in-law.
Team manager Intikhab Alam remains unsure if Azhar will return in time to play, according to the Express Tribune: "It's sad that Ali has to return home following the death of his mother-in-law and his return before the second Test will depend on his visa for the United Arab Emirates."
England, meanwhile, could opt to stick with the same XI.
Sussex paceman Chris Jordan is now with the squad after being summoned to replace the injured Steven Finn.
James Anderson, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad and captain Cook will all definitely be playing. The experienced quartet also featured in the two Tests played in Dubai during England's 2012 tour.
They will have unhappy memories of those games, though, as Pakistan won both on their way to sealing a 3-0 series sweep.
Key Players
Pakistan
Yasir Shah was initially picked as the player to watch in the first Test, only for injury to leave him stuck watching on from the sidelines.
His return will aid a Pakistan attack that lacked potency in Abu Dhabi. The overworked Babar will certainly be pleased to have his fellow slow bowler back in the ranks.
Yasir has been doing his homework, per Ali Martin of the Guardian: "In the past history England have been struggling against [Shane] Warne—they couldn’t play something exceptional in Ashes series. I’ve been following the Ashes and while it is on my mind, I have my own plans and I’ve been working on them also."
The 29-year-old will be a handful to deal with, judging by his figures. He has picked up 61 wickets in his 10 Test appearances at an average of 24.81.
England
After anchoring England's huge first innings in Abu Dhabi, Alastair Cook has to start all over again at the crease in the second Test.
The left-hander batted for an astonishing 836 minutes in making his second Test double century. Still, he looked a tad disappointed when he was finally out, caught at short fine leg when top-edging a sweep.
It was the longest Test knock by an Englishman, not that Cook noticed, according to Mike Selvey of the Guardian: "It’s just mind over matter and you get into this kind of blissful routine. It didn’t feel like 14 hours."
Few players could back up such a monumental knock, but the opener has both the physical and mental capabilities to make another big score in the second Test.
Squads
Pakistan
Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Ahmed Shehzad, Shan Masood, Mohammad Hafeez, Fawad Alam, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Azhar Ali, Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Wahab Riaz, Imran Khan, Rahat Ali, Junaid Khan, Bilal Asif.
England
Alastair Cook (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Samit Patel, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, James Taylor, Mark Wood.
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