Pakistan vs. England: Winners and Losers from the 3rd Test
Pakistan sealed a 2-0 series triumph over England with a 127-run win in the third Test in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
Set a challenging target of 284 in the final innings of the match, England's slim hopes of success disappeared in a disastrous morning session on Day 5.
The tourists lost four wickets for 11 runs to slip to 59 for six, raising the possibility of a pre-lunch finish.
Although England captain Alastair Cook made a defiant 63, Pakistan bowled out their opponents for 156 during the afternoon.
Leg-spinner Yasir Shah finished with four for 44, while retiring all-rounder Shoaib Malik signed off from Test cricket with a three-wicket haul.
However, Pakistan's position of strength had been set up by Mohammad Hafeez's second-innings knock of 151.
Victory in the series finale lifts Misbah-ul-Haq's side up to second in the ICC Test rankings. England, meanwhile, sit in sixth place.
Here B/R picks out the winners and losers from the third Test.
Winners: Pakistan's Spinners
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Despite missing the first Test through injury, Yasir Shah's performances against England were still good enough to see him named man of the series.
The leg-spinner followed up his eight-wicket haul in the second Test in Dubai with another seven victims in Sharjah. He finished with 15 wickets at an average of 21.53.
However, it wasn't a one-man show for Pakistan in the final Test.
Shoaib Malik, who announced after Day 4 that he was quitting the Test team to focus on his limited-overs career, claimed match figures of seven for 59 with his off-spin.
He signed off in style with the ball, as statistician Mohandas Menon tweeted, "The maximum wickets Shoaib Malik had taken in a single Test was just four. But in his 35th & final Test he has taken seven!"
Left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar, meanwhile, weighed in with two wickets in England's second innings.
The trio were simply too much for the tourists to handle on a dry, slow pitch.
Losers: England's Spinners
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The numbers do not make pretty reading for England's slow bowlers.
Test Match Special tweeted out the bare facts: "In this series England's pace bowlers 31 wickets at 24 going at 2.28 an over. England's spinners 20 wickets at 59 going at 4.07 an over."
In the third Test, the tourists bolstered their slow-bowling ranks by selecting Samit Patel alongside fellow all-rounder Moeen Ali and leg-spinner Adil Rashid.
However, on a pitch at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium that turned from Day 1, the trio failed to pose enough problems to Pakistan's batsmen.
There were good balls, but too often they were followed by a gift that could relieve the pressure. It made setting fields hard work for their captain, Alastair Cook.
Seamer James Anderson said after Day 4, per Andrew McGlashan of ESPN Cricinfo, "In international cricket, you have to learn fast; if you don't, you don't stick around in it. So they're going to have to if they're going to improve and help us win next winter."
England play in South Africa next, a venue not known for favouring spinners, but there are tours scheduled to India and Bangladesh next winter.
It will be interesting to see if Moeen, Patel and Rashid are still considered the best options when the squad travels to the subcontinent in 2016.
Winners: James Anderson and Stuart Broad
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While England's slow bowlers failed to shine in Sharjah, the seam pairing of James Anderson and Stuart Broad was outstanding.
The experienced duo combined for match figures of 11 for 126. They also went at less than two runs an over.
Anderson's four-wicket haul in the first innings of the match took him past Shaun Pollock on the all-time list.
He is now on 426 wickets, just five back of Sir Richard Hadlee. Kapil Dev's career tally of 434 is also firmly in the Lancastrian's sights.
Broad, meanwhile, reached a milestone of his own during the Test. When he cleaned up Asad Shafiq on Day 4, the Nottinghamshire paceman became the first bowler to reach 50 Test wickets for 2015.
Both Anderson and Broad will now head home to get a well-earned rest before the series in South Africa. Conditions there should be a little more helpful.
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Loser: Ben Stokes
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Ben Stokes came extremely close to pulling off a spectacular catch on Day 1 of the third Test.
However, his diving attempt at backward square leg not only saw him spill the ball but also land awkwardly on his shoulder.
A collar bone injury meant the all-rounder was unable to bowl in the rest of the game. The 24-year-old did bat twice, though on both occasions, he was hampered in his movement.
Before he was hurt, Stokes had sent down 11 wicketless overs at a cost of just 23 runs.
England could have done with him continuing to offer the same kind of support to frontline seamers James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
They could also have done with a fully fit Stokes at the crease, too.
At least there is some positive news over his long-term health. It was thought he had dislocated his right shoulder at first, but scans revealed the injury wasn't as serious as first feared, per Ali Martin of the Guardian.
Winner: Mohammad Hafeez
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After several near misses, Pakistan opener Mohammad Hafeez finally recorded his first Test hundred against England.
The right-hander had already been agonisingly close to reaching three figures in the series—he was dismissed for 98 on Day 1 of the first Test.
He had also fallen for 95 against England at the Oval back in 2006, but in Sharjah, the 35-year-old made sure not to miss out on the landmark again.
Hafeez ended up making 151, including 15 fours and three sixes. His stroke play was in stark contrast to the slow nature of the match, and his knock put Pakistan in complete control.
However, he needed a reprieve early on.
The right-hander was given out caught behind when he had just two to his name, yet overturned the decision with the help of the review system.
Despite the absence of both Hot Spot and Snicko technology, third umpire Paul Reiffel decided there was enough visual evidence to reverse the original call by his on-field colleague, Bruce Oxenford.
Loser: Ian Bell
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Have we seen Ian Bell's last innings for England?
If the third Test in Sharjah was his final act at international level, Bell deserved a more fitting end than being bowled for a six-ball duck.
The 33-year-old did make 40 first time around in the match, and he finished the series with an average of 31.60.
However, Bell has now gone 23 innings since his last Test hundred. Since making 141 against West Indies in April, he has been dismissed for scores of 0 or 1 on nine occasions.
After helping England win the Ashes during the summer, Bell hinted at retirement.
However, he opted to carry on his Test career, writing in his column for the Metro (h/t ESPN Cricinfo): "I still have that hunger and desire. The day you don't, is the day you step away."
But, following a lean tour of the United Arab Emirates, that seed of doubt may just have started to grow again in Bell's mind.
England will want one of their most experienced players available for the tour of South Africa, but only if he is still completely committed to the cause.
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