Swann on song

Swann's eventful night, in front of the biggest crowd of England's tour to date under the Dubai International Cricket Stadium lights, began with a glaring drop to reprieve Asad Shafiq on nine but he returned to see off the same batsman, with a clumsy and marginal run-out, and then take three wickets for one run in eight balls.

The off-spinner's final analysis of three for 13 included a double-wicket maiden and was a new personal best, by just one run ahead of the figures he returned against these opponents at this stadium almost exactly two years ago.

He induced a significant mid-innings wobble this time, before top-scorer Shoaib Malik (39) and Misbah-ul-Haq kept the hosts competitive.

After Stuart Broad won the toss, the captain himself did most to quell an explosive start from Pakistan - with a first spell of two runsin as many overs, in powerplay but debutant opener Awais Zia had already fulfilled his brief, clubbing a six and a four in his 18 from 12 balls, before mistiming a slower ball from Steven Finn straight to mid-off.

Number three Shafiq had his moment of fortune, dropped by Swann off Jade Dernbach running back from mid-off, as he and Mohammad Hafeez more than doubled the score.

Swann then earned his first moment of redemption when he somehow managed to dislodge the bails - it was not evident with which part of his body and whether it was in contact with the ball - to complete the run-out of Shafiq.

That began a run of four wickets for the addition of eight runs - Swann having a hand, or something similar in the first - and then the bowler for the rest.

Hafeez picked out the man in the leg-side deep and Shahid Afridi chipped straight to midwicket. Then Umar Akmal went for a duck as Dernbach, clearly holding no grudges for Swann's drop, took a fine tumbling catch at long-off.

From 65 for one in the ninth over, Pakistan were 73 for five in the 11th. Shoaib and Misbah therefore had to bat sensibly to try to salvage a worthwhile total, and fared admirably in a stand of 71 - which included a blatant Swann misfield at short third-man to concede an extra boundary in the final over, off a grimacing Dernbach.