England’s tour of the UAE had it all. There were a couple of double tons to start off with, a sensational spell of reverse swing, some superb leg-spin bowling from both sides, two retirements and a Super Over finish to cap proceedings.
Pakistan got off to a flyer in the opening Test, scoring 523 with Shoaib Malik roaring back to form thanks to a superb double ton. But Alastair Cook replied with one of his own to even matters.
The hosts were lucky to escape with a draw as England came precariously close to the 99-run target that was set up largely by Adil Rashid’s superb five-for in the second innings that had Pakistan batsmen in knots.
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Misbah-ul Haq’s boys showed greater fight in the second match, Wahab Riaz bowling beautifully with the old ball to help Pakistan earn a big lead. Victory was just a formality thereafter.
The visitors were in with a shout in the final Test in Sharjah but Pakistan were powered by a superb 151 from Mohammad Hafeez which tilted the balance in Pakistan’s favour as they took the series 2-0 with Yasir Shah scalping seven wickets.
In the one-day series, Pakistan kept up the good form, winning the first game but were thrashed in the next three as a young and energetic England team found its rhythm.
And the story continued in the T20 series, which Eoin Morgan’s side won 3-0, with a one-over eliminator in the third game. In between all of this, veteran Pakistan players Shoaib Malik and Younis Khan decided to retire from Tests and ODIs respectively.
It is clear that while both teams had their moments during the tour, England have gained a lot more than Pakistan. Cook’s boys were competitive in the Tests and under Morgan, they simply blew the hosts away in coloured clothing.
They had some brilliant performances from batsmen Alex Hales and Jos Buttler, seamer Reece Topley and offie Moeen Ali among others and almost everyone chipped in when it mattered.
Pakistan, however, have a lot more questions than answers at the moment. As coach Waqar Younis pointed out, the whitewash in the T20 series is a big worry with the World T20 in India three months away.
The wickets at the World T20 will be fairly similar to the ones in the UAE and Shahid Afridi should be a worried man as England kept their cool in all three games that went down to the wire.
It is not a great sign that the hosts had to call upon a 39-year-old debutant – Rafatullah Mohmand – in a T20 game as it shows their bench strength in poor light.
Compare that to England who have a surfeit of options when it comes to limited overs cricket.
They even have the luxury to swap between world class all-rounders like Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan and Liam Plunkett.
England will leave the UAE shores knowing that they have plugged a few holes in their Test batting with James Taylor, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes showing promise, witnessed Jos Buttler establish himself as a world-class hitter and oversaw Rashid’s rise as a genuine leg-spinner.
Pakistan need to dig deep and plan for the future as they can’t be taken forward on the ageing shoulders of Misbah and Afridi much longer.
And with quality players not coming through the ranks with great frequency, Pakistan might find the going very tough in 2016.