Wahab defies a barren surface

The scorecard after the third day's play in Abu Dhabi would suggest that Pakistan's bowlers were toothless. But conditions remained unforgiving and it was another day of unremitting toil. Sixty wicketless overs, so far, in the innings for the spinners and three scalps for the quicks.

Two of those went to Wahab Riaz, late on the third day as he removed Ian Bell and nightwatchman Mark Wood. He also had the highest economy rate, but sometimes figures are not a true reflection on the effort.

What a bare bowling analysis does not reflect is the emotion and passion Wahab put into flogging himself on a barren 22 yards. The Pakistan bowlers did well on a sluggish pitch, which has taken the life out of the game, trying to make up for the absence of the injured legspinner Yasir Shah, conceding just 234 runs in the day.

Yasir's late withdrawal was always going to bring the sides closer together, and then the pitch has done the rest. Still, there is a feeling Pakistan did not have a Plan B - always assuming Yasir would be their trump card. Before Yasir, Misbah had Saeed Ajmal who took 33% of Pakistan's wickets between 2010 and 2014. Now since his debut, Yasir has taken 35% of the scalps.

The surface in Abu Dhabi had been expected to provide more assistance for the spin bowlers, while allowing the seamers to play a supporting role. The plan was for Yasir and Zulfiqar Babar to work their chemistry on England the way Ajmal and Abdur Rehman did in 2012; both left-arm spinners allowed their team-mates to attack. But now it was Shoaib Malik with Zulfiqar and three quicks: Wahab, Imran Khan and Rahat Ali.

But today Zulfiqar looked slightly ineffective and was over-burdened leading the spin attack, a role that is not natural to him. He is a great supporting actor but he has yet to lead the show although he did not bowl badly. He created enough chances on an unresponsive track, troubling Bell and he should have had Alastair Cook for 147 but the substitute fielder Fawad Alam couldn't hold on at deep square-leg. He bowled 15 maidens out of 38 overs, giving away an economy of just 1.76.

Wahab, meanwhile, has been carrying a reputation since that fiery exchange with Shane Watson at Adelaide during the World Cup. Here, on a pitch aimed to make fast bowlers (and spinners) question their profession, he was regularly above 90mph. Though his line sometimes wavered and he leaked runs, it eventually paid off when he chipped out those two wickets in the dying moments of the day.

Wahab's pitch map shows he mixed up his lengths - 61 good-length balls and 21 bouncers - which might be seen as too much variation, but it was a batting paradise. It was worth trying to make something happen.

Mushtaq Ahmed, the bowling coach, said the day was "quite satisfying" for the attack, especially as they kept England's scoring rate at under three an over and he was pleased with the way they tried to make up for Yasir's absence.

"There was some need to create chances and Wahab did well and though he gave too many runs we needed an attacking bowler all the time in such a pitch," he said.

"Obviously when the settled combination [Yasir and Zulfiqar] broke down it created a problem and we had to go with whatever we had for a replacement. Malik scored a double hundred which is good but we were slightly deprived from his bowling advantage as after his innings he got dehydrated and unfortunately we weren't able to utilise his offspin accordingly.

"Yasir in the last three series has played a key role and with Zulfiqar and they had great chemistry. But without him Zulfiqar definitely got affected as the condition of the pitch required a bowler like Yasir who can spin the ball from the side [of the hand]. But this is what it is and we can't do anything about it."

The pitch has been a talking point throughout the three days and now there is evidence that it has little for either side. Mushtaq conceded it was not an ideal surface for Test cricket and can make the game "dull".

"The pitch didn't behave according to our expectation as in last two matches it wasn't playing as slow," he said. "In previous Tests against Australia and New Zealand the ball was travelling but it's not working this time."

"The wicket is too slow so even if you manage to deceive a batsman it still isn't making any difference. I clearly saw batsmen deceived by spinners but there was no zip in the pitch and on the pitch so once you settled in it's easy for you to go long. We did create chances, nearly had Bell caught at silly point and later Cook could have been caught sweeping. It could have been a difference game together and we would have in a much better position.

"To be honest with you [pitches like this] make cricket dull. But the last two or three Test matches here the pitches were brilliant. I don't know what happened this time, maybe different weather as there is more heat this time. They might have protected the pitch with grass on it so that the cracks do not open up but I am not an expert."

Which makes the fact that Wahab kept on steaming in all the more admirable.