Ajmal leaves England in a spin

Saeed Ajmal took three wickets in five balls to put England, the world's top Test team, in dire trouble on day one of their three-match series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.

Four wickets fell to spin in a lunchtime 52 for five after England had chosen to bat first at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

The tourists had already lost Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott in the first hour before the intervention of Ajmal, who saw off Andrew Strauss, Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen in quick succession.

Ajmal had taunted England with talk of a new mystery delivery in the build-up to this tough examination of their new world-beating credentials.

Whether the off-spinner was profiting from those mind games was a moot point. But either way, clever disguise of his off-breaks, doosras - and maybe even a 'teesra' or two - proved too much for England.

Cook (3) soon departed, to only the third delivery of spin after Pakistan had turned for the first time to one of their slow bowlers in just the sixth over. England chose to select just Graeme Swann as their spin option, with Pietersen also able to bowl part-time off-breaks.

Pakistan, meanwhile, named two frontline slow bowlers. But it was neither of them, instead occasional off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez who struck. Cook went back to cut, and a small amount of turn was enough to take the edge for caught-behind.

Strauss was joined by Trott, who registered England's first three boundaries before going too far across to Aizaz Cheema to edge behind down the leg-side for 17. But it was the introduction of Ajmal (three for five), Pakistan's fifth bowler used at 42 for two, which spelled real danger for England.

Strauss (19) paid for an apparent misjudgment, attempting to pull off the front foot and bowled by a ball which did not seem to be short enough for the shot.

Bell then went for a first-ball duck, in Ajmal's next over, pushing forward in defence only to get a thin edge behind to a delivery that appeared to have spin imparted but barely moved off the straight. Three balls later, Pietersen (2) had to go lbw - after the series' first DRS ruling - to one that snaked past the outside edge and hit him low on the front pad.