Misbah-ul-Haq's decision to bowl first on an Edgbaston pitch raised more than a few eyebrows. The surface was not as hard as it had been this time last year during the Ashes series and the groundsman's pre-game moisture reading of the pitch rang no alarm bells. After Mohammad Amir went through his first couple of overs without asmuch as troubling Alex Hales - a batsman who has routinely struggled against the left-armer's angle - quick comparisons to Ricky Ponting's infamous decision to bowl at the very venue in 2005, were dished out.
His new-ball partner, Sohail, brought in as replacement for a misfiring Wahab Riaz to lend the bowling a right-handed dimension, began with four slips and a gully but hovered around the shortish good length that failed to produce results. A slightly fuller length coupled with his late outswing paid immediate dividends.
After a 36-run opening stand, Hales was sucked into playing a ball that left him late and feathered an edge to the keeper.
Joe Root, England's hero from the Old Trafford win, then uncharacteristically chased a wide one from Sohail and nicked to first slip. Cook, who admitted to have been surprised by Misbah's decision to bowl, had now seen two of his top-order linchpins depart with just 48 runs on the board. That, however, didn't force him to rein in his attacking instincts. He scored a series of boundaries off Rahat Ali to move into the forties before the left-armer trapped him in front of the stumps. Cook opted for a review but the decision was upheld and the England skipper was sent on his way after a sprightly 52-ball innings, pushing England further back.
Yasir Shah was brought into the attack late in the day but Gary Ballance and James Vince ensured there were no further setbacks.
Brief Scores: England 100 for 3 (Alastair Cook 45; Sohail Khan 2-28, Rahat Ali 1-33) vs Pakistan.
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