There was a sense of disappointment in Alastair Cook’s tone after the drawn first Test against Pakistan. “We’d have liked another three or four overs at the end but that’s the way it goes,” said the England captain. There was a feeling that this was an opportunity missed. England finally had the game in their grasp, until the fading light and the pragmatic approach from the umpires made their advantage slip away.

So you could forgive Joe Root and Ian Bell for looking slightly despondent as they walked off the field of play at the end of the Test. Such opportunities for away teams to win in the subcontinent don’t come around too often.

Future Looks Bright For England After First Test Resolve

Yet as Cook’s men reflect on their efforts in Abu Dhabi upon preparing for the second Test in Dubai on Thursday, positivity and confidence will more likely be the sentiments.

Rightly so. England took on Pakistan at their own game and came agonisingly short of defying the odds. This was a monumental comeback. When a team scores 523-8 declared on such a docile track, it would have been easy for England to be cowed.

All the crash, bang, wallop of the Ashes went out the window. The game plan was different. England needed to bat long and bat big. There was no time for taking incalculable risks as their innings needed application and concentration to grind Pakistan into the dirt.

And who better to do it than Cook himself? The match situation was made for him. Cook knew that if he could lead from the front and do what he is so good at, England would save the game. What followed was a remarkable performance.

His 263 – an innings which lasted four minutes shy of 14 hours – summed up what his game is all about: Focus, patience, application, skill, and fitness. Admittedly, the pitch was as flat as anything you could ever wish for in world cricket, yet the runs still needed to be scored. The game still needed to be saved. The mental fortitude that Cook showed throughout his marathon effort was perfect for the sweltering heat of Abu Dhabi, as he batted his way into becoming the highest Test run scorer by an overseas batsman in the subcontinent. In doing so, along with admirable support from Ian Bell, Joe Root and Ben Stokes, Cook batted England into a position of safety.

On that fourth evening, Root believed England could even pull off a victory. “It’s given us a chance of getting a result out of this game,” he said. “It’s going to take something really special, but we have a glimmer of hope.”The pitch has started to spin a bit more, there’s a bit more rough there. There was a spell of reverse swing from Wahab [Riaz] that looked very threatening, so there’s plenty happening that could give us a chance of a result.”

Many would have been forgiven for laughing at Root’s comments. Surely it would be almost impossible to blow away Pakistan on the final day on such a flat pitch and then chase down then runs, bearing in mind the bad light that had curtailed further play on every day of this Test Match so far.

So when England started bowling again on the final morning after adding 21 more runs to their overnight 569-8, there was hope, rather than expectation that they could pull off something special.

The away side needed early strikes and Jimmy Anderson once again didn’t disappoint. Not only did Anderson finish off a horrid Test for opener Shan Masood, but he also got Shoaib Malik in the same over, the man whose 245 in the first innings dashed England’s hopes off getting ahead in the game early.

Suddenly, there was hope.

Then, as Mohammad Hafeez and Younis Khan were rebuilding, Ben Stokes produced the moment of magic his side needed. After a mix-up between the two batsman, Stokes picked up the ball and, knowing that the chance had to be taken to force a result, threw down the one stump he was given to aim at. Deadly.

But rarely has there been a game since Pakistan moved to their adopted home in which captain Misbah ul-Haq and Younis Khan haven’t had a say in the outcome of the match and the two combined to frustrate their opponents for over 20 overs. This time, surely the match was heading for a draw. Yet England never gave up.

Step forward, Adil Rashid. After having the worst figures by a debutant in the first innings (0-163), the Yorkshire leg-spinner stuck to his game plan and suddenly found life out of a pitch, which finally was offering some spin. “I got one, I got two, I had five,” said Rashid after running through the Pakistani lower order, a collapse started by Misbah and Younis bizarrely throwing their wickets away.

England gave themselves a huge chance and would have surely completed the run chase if light didn’t deteriorate as quickly as it usually does in the Arabian desert. It was a fantastic effort, yet the score still reads 0-0.

Perhaps England will look back on Ian Bell’s two drops and Stuart Broad’s no-ball wicket of Malik in the first innings, which together cost over 400 runs, as the point at which their opportunity had realistically gone. In these conditions, it is no secret that a team can ill-afford for such chances to be wasted.

However, amongst the disappointment, it is necessary need to see the bigger picture. England more than matched the Pakistanis in their own conditions. England batted bigger and longer, produced inspirational fielding and catching and had spinners that eventually found more from the pitch than the opposition did. Not to mention the displays of Anderson and Broad, who’s outstanding wicket-taking and economical spells completely outshone that of Pakistan’s opening bowlers, Rahat Ali and Imran Khan. Everything Pakistan offered, England offered more.

Therefore, the confidence in the England dressing room has every right to be brimming. Cook and his team showed that they have what it takes, not only to survive, but to thrive in these conditions. Consistency is what makes great teams, however, and in order to reach the target of regaining the world no.1 spot, England will need to maintain the same level of performance if they are to tick another box – win in the UAE.

Considering the debacle of the last tour to the UAE, when England were hammered by Saeed Ajmal and co. in the First Test, the start made this time round has been much more encouraging.

We all know how dangerous England can be in their own conditions, but the real test of a great team is how they perform away from home. And Abu Dhabi was the first sign that this England side may well be made of sterner stuff.