Is it safe? England's marathon man asks the question

Alastair Cook praised the character shown by Adil Rashid after his 5 for 64 almost allowed England to burgle the most astonishing of Test heists in Abu Dhabi. Rashid's haul, which helped bowl out Pakistan for 173, left a tantalising race against the dark which England could not quite win.

It was fantastic response from Rashid to his first-innings none for 163, the most expense figures on Test debut. He could reflect on happier statistics: the ninth bowler in history to follow a wicketless first innings with a five-wicket haul in the second and the best Test figures by an England legspinner since 1959.

Since Rashid returned to the one-day side earlier this year he has been shown confidence by Eoin Morgan, the limited-overs captain, and the coaches, firstly Paul Farbrace and then Trevor Bayliss - advised to not worry about runs, just be an attacking weapon. It was a mindset Cook tried to bring into the longer format.

When Misbah-ul-Haq won the toss in Abu Dhabi, Rashid was thrust into what Cook termed "probably the worst wicket you'd ever want to make your debut on as a legspinner when you lose the toss." Cook made sure Rashid did not have to wait for long in the first innings, bringing him on the 13th over so nerves did not fester too much, and did not immediately withdraw him at the first sign of trouble.

In the second innings he was on in the 10th over and with the 265th delivery of his career could finally celebrate when Younis Khan was caught at cover. It began a dramatic spell of 5 for 34 in 8.5 overs, giving him the first five-wicket haul by an England spinner on debut since Peter Such against Australia, at Old Trafford, in 1993.

"Full credit to him for having that character and confidence in his ability to not get too down on himself," Cook said. "I think you saw the weight of the world lift off his shoulders when he got that wicket.

"Test cricket, a lot of it is played in the mind. He's obviously had a tough introduction, the first day-and-a-half… I thought he bowled okay and it was just about hanging in there. We know that legspinners come into the game later on. To get his rewards like he did, and bowl like he did, really sped up the game."

When Misbah-ul-Haq was asked about Rashid's final-day burst, he said that the England management deserved credit for keeping Rashid's spirits high. Cook said the squad had rallied around him, but that Rashid had handled himself impressively.

"He's got some good friends from Yorkshire, who he has played a lot of cricket with - Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root and obviously Paul Farbrace as well.

"As a captain, you always have a quiet word along the way. But it's not down to anyone else, it's down to him - sticking it out when it was tough and still having the ability and the confidence to rip his legspinner even when he hadn't got a wicket."

Such was the remarkable conclusion to the Test that Cook, whose 14-hour 263 dominated England's first innings, struggled to put into words the feeling inside the dressing room after the chase was curtailed by bad light 25 runs short. He admitted he had given up thoughts of forcing a win at tea, and that there had even been a chance of seeing him have a bowl, before the mayhem ensued.

"It's a really strange feeling," he said, "because there's a feeling of disappointment in the dressing room which is very strange because everyone would have taken the result at tea time."

"Getting those two very early wickets meant you were in the game for quite a long time. With Younis and Misbah there, who all their guys look up to, if you could break that partnership you never know. There was talk of me going off my long run at some stage but luckily it didn't get to that. It did surprise me, how quickly it happened, but it just shows things can change very quickly."

While the nature of the finish left Cook frustrated, he was reasonably phlegmatic about the umpires hauling the players off at 5.46pm - light is no longer offered to batsmen - which was a few minutes later than they had left the field the previous night when England were batting. However, Cook did question if, at the exact moment play ended, conditions were dangerous.

"We came off pretty much the same time as yesterday," he said, not entirely accurately. "The only query I have is, in the letter of the Law, is it unsafe to play? That's what I'm always told at match referees' meetings: 'Is it unsafe?'.

"It is so hard - because obviously, when the result's not on and it looked dark, we were quite happy to come off.

"I can only go back: I've sat in so many meetings. 'Is it unsafe, or is it unfair ... or unsuitable for cricket?' That's the wording. Safety is obviously paramount - that's what I'm always told. But it didn't look unsafe out there. It's just obviously a rule."