Michael Vaughan: Younis ton leaves England set for whitewash

Pakistan v England / Michael Vaughan / 04 February 2012 / Leave a Comment

Younis Khan celebrates scoring the series' first century

"The longer England have to wait, the more Saeed Ajmal will fancy his chances of causing England serious problems when they get in."

England's bowlers made a good start, then their batsman let them down before Younis Khan starred on day two. It all leaves Michael Vaughan feeling glum despite the fact that his match odds bet looks likely to come in...

I backed Pakistan to complete the whitewash before the start of the third Test and, at the close of day two, that looks like a pretty safe bet.

Saturday provided miserable viewing for England backers, to say the least. It's amazing to think that on day one they had Pakistan at 44/7. Likewise, the early breakthroughs that England made on day two seem a distant memory. The early dismissals of Umar and Hafeez suggested that this would be another day for the bowlers to thrive but Younis Khan and Azhar Ali showed grit, composure and panache to dig their team back into this match. Between them, they have put Pakistan in the driving seat and it's no surprise to see them [1.3] to win the Test with England out at [6.0].

Younis is a wonderful talent, he has fast feet, good defence and great ability to play spin, as Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann found out today. I'm surprised Younis hasn't scored more in this series but it's a credit to him and Azhar that DRS was hardly mentioned on day two. That's what happens when you get two world class batsman playing with their bats and not their pads.

Younis and Azhar's partnership grew into a masterpiece of methodical run making but, if anything, they became bolder as the day went on. The new ball, which was used for the final two overs, could help James Anderson and Stuart Broad early on Sunday and England's bowlers have had more luck in the morning sessions. They need to make an immediate breakthrough on day three. They must take six wickets, ideally by lunch, but one run out attempt and two LBW shouts in the entire final day two session will hardly strike fear into the Pakistan batsman.

England can't keep relying on Broad and Anderson. I don't think anyone bowled badly on day two and, if the team do, as I expect them to, lose this match, the blame will certainly not lie with the bowlers. The pitch has flattened out nicely but there are signs that it is starting to tear and, if I was an England batsman, I wouldn't take Pakistan's success as a sign that I was destined to get in and make a big score.

That said, Andrew Strauss played very nicely for his first innings 56 and, before falling to the spin again, Kevin Pietersen looked pretty good. Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott both failed but they have the ability to work the gaps with ones and twos and, as we saw on day two, that can be the route to a big innings in Dubai. At this stage, I'm pulling names out of a hat but I'll have a small bet on Jonathan Trott to be England's top second innings batsman.

Chasing is always very tough, especially against a side with Pakistan's momentum. Day two is often the best day to bat in Dubai and, the longer England have to wait, the more Saeed Ajmal will fancy his chances of causing England serious problems when they get in. Pakistan could blow England away in the final innings. When's it going to end? You might well ask. My money is on Monday afternoon.

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