Jonathan Trott and Alastair Cook hit half-centuries to help England recover from the early loss of Andrew Strauss on the second day of the second Test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
Trott was unbeaten on 57 and Cook on 58 at tea to power England to 1-132, the pair sharing a 105-run second-wicket partnership after Strauss was dismissed in the first session.
England trail Pakistan’s first innings score of 257 by 125 runs.
In the morning, Stuart Broad completed bowling figures of 4-47 to bowl out Pakistan, who added just one run to their overnight score of 7-256.
Pakistan had hoped for more wickets on an uncharacteristically helpful Abu Dhabi Stadium – expected to help batsmen initially – but Trott and Cook survived some anxious moments and two leg-before reviews.
Trott was batting on 22 when Saeed Ajmal appealed for a leg-before but Australian umpire Steve Davis replied in the negative, although television replays showed the England batsman was out.
Pakistan did not go for a review, but they did unsuccessfully challenge the same umpire’s decision of not out when Trott was trapped by Ajmal on 48.
Unperturbed, Trott took a single off Mohammad Hafeez to reach his ninth half-century off 95 balls. He has so far hit six boundaries off 130 balls.
On 51, Trott again survived a leg-before review, this time off Hafeez.
Cook was more cautious and assured as he hit Hafeez towards mid-wicket for his sixth boundary to complete his 27th fifty in Tests, which came off 133 balls.
When England began their innings, Cook and Strauss were opening the innings together for the 100th time, but the captain’s early fall for 11 meant they were unable to mark the milestone with a big stand.
Pakistan introduced Hafeez in the seventh over and were rewarded with the wicket of Strauss, who edged a sharp turner that flew off his pad to Asad Shafiq at short leg.
Earlier, Broad and James Anderson (2-46) took 16 deliveries to wrap up Pakistan’s innings, the last three wickets falling within just seven balls.
Misbah-ul Haq added just one to his overnight score of 83 before being trapped leg-before by Broad.