1st Test: England v Pakistan at Abu Dhabi

Moeen Ali was out twice on the final day of England's last warm-up match before the first Test against Pakistan.

With England looking for an opener to partner Alastair Cook, Moeen was out for seven and 12 against Pakistan A as the tourists batted through the day in Sharjah regardless of wickets lost.

Alex Hales was out for nine, while Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes both fell for nought as England mustered 198-11.

James Taylor impressed with 61 after initially retiring for 45.

Ian Bell also retired at lunch for 53, with captain Alastair Cook and vice-captain Joe Root not batting after spending time in the middle during the first warm-up.

whaddabout Stokes and Bairstow ? 

DUCKS !!
Stokes playing Back to the spinner  :

                                       

A very underwhelming performance by many of those with big question marks surrounding them. The batting is going to be a major problem. I still don't believe Moeen is an opener although Hales hasn't done anything to make the position his own, Stokes is very hit and miss and Bairstow could really do with a score at the international level. I don't envy the selectors having to choose between Mo and Hales to partner Cook.

By contrast, Finn looked very good and Rashid picked up three-wickets. Both are likely fighting for the final bowling spot. Rashid offers a better bat, Finn provides some real pace.

My XI for the first Test would be:

Cook, Hales, Bell, Root, Taylor, Moeen Ali, Stokes, Buttler, Broad, Finn, Anderson

Root said on the ECB website: "We've definitely learned a lot from these two encounters with a strong Pakistan A side.

"There's some harsh lessons that'll have to be learned, and they'll stand us in good stead for that first (Test) match.

"You look where the game was at just before lunch, and we retired two blokes. Then it just shows how hard it can be starting an innings on these surfaces, in these conditions.

"That obviously made a big impact for the rest of the day.

"They're the sort of things, if we do lose a couple of wickets quickly, that can happen. We're going to have to be a little bit sharper when it comes to the Test matches."

All signs seem to point to Moeen opening the batting with Cook. That is a bold decision. I like Mo a lot but not sold on him being an opening batsman. This also puts a lot of pressure on his shoulders to bowl a considerable amount of overs and then go out and open the batting. That is going to take a mental and physical toll on him.

It seems to me that England are making the same mistake they made earlier in the year by trying to shoehorn Trott in to opening the batting with Cook. I have never been a fan of playing batsman out of their natural position. If Mo fails, Hales will be thrown to the wolves in South Africa.

Dunno man : both Hales and Ali are not ready in my opinion.

whatever happen to Nick Compton .

Good Luck Joe !

Pakistan is a tough act to follow 

In hindsight, Compton's brief Test run is now looking pretty good when compared to those that have partnered Cook over the last 4 years. In a vacuum, an average of 31 and a strike rate under 35 is no great shakes, and it was understandable for the selectors to turn to Joe Root. However, no other opener has staked their claim on the role which is now forcing the selectors hands to either shoehorn Moeen into opening the batting or go with Alex Hales who has struggled in international cricket to date, albeit in the shorter format for the game.

I like Hales' potential. He is aggressive and would be a good foil for Cook, however, the concerns about him playing across the line right from the first ball are very valid, and he could well be further exposed at the Test level. I would imagine that should Mo and Hales fail, Compton would likely be next in line.

seem like a distant memory  :-[