Pakistan vs England in UAE: 10 things you need to know

Younis Khan needs just 19 runs against England to pass Pakistan legend Javed Miandad as the leading run-getter in Tests when the series gets underway at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

Miandad's tally of 8,832 runs scored in 124 matches during an illustrious career which stretched from 1976 to 1993.

Younis has so far scored 8,814 runs in 101 Tests, with a Pakistan record of 30 centuries.

"It would be great to achieve the record. I never thought I would do it at the start of my career," said Younis who is poised to set a new record in the first Test.

Here are 10 things you would like to know about the series in UAE between Pakistan and England.

1) England and Pakistan will have the number-two position in the ICC Test Team Rankings in their radar  during the three-Test series in the UAE.

England is currently sitting in third place on 102 points, one point ahead of Pakistan with Australia occupying second position on 106 points. This means the side that wins the series in the UAE by 2-0 or better, will jump to second position, according to icc-cricket.com website.

2) In 22 Test series to date, England has won nine and Pakistan seven, with the remaining six ending in draws. However, Pakistan won the last series by a 3-0 margin when the two sides met in the UAE in 2011-12.

3) Pakistan are undefeated in Tests at Abu Dhabi and have never lost a Test series here in the UAE.

4) England have not won a Test series abroad since defeating Bangladesh in 2009.

5) England’s Joe Root is the highest-ranked batsman from either side in third position. The 24-year-old will be aiming to reclaim the number-one ranking in the ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen from Australia captain Steven Smith with only 21 points separating the two.

6) Root is joined in the top 10 by sixth-ranked Younis Khan, who needs 19 runs to become Pakistan’s leading run-getter in Tests. He currently sits third in the list of all-time run-makers for Pakistan behind Javed Miandad (8,832) and Inzamam-ul-Haq (8,829).

7) Just a single point separates rival captains Misbah-ul-Haq (13th) and Alastair Cook (14th), while Sarfraz Ahmed and Azhar Ali (tied for 16th) and Asad Shafiq (19th) other batsmen inside the top 20.

8) In the ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers, second-ranked Stuart Broad is aiming to reduce Dale Steyn’s commanding lead at the top.

9) Just three points separate fourth-placed Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah (who has claimed an impressive 61 wickets in 10 Test matches to date) and England’s all-time highest wicket-taker James Anderson (413 wickets to date).

10) Broad, in fourth spot on 294 points, is the leading all-rounder on either side in the ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders.
 

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