England's bid to become the complete package in Test cricket got off to a disastrous start as they slumped to a 10-wicket defeat at the hands of Pakistan in Dubai.

After trouncing India at home last year to rise to the helm of the rankings, coach Andy Flower and captain Andrew Strauss waxed lyrical about how they would have to win away from home to be considered the real deal. Suffice to say, they've got a long way to go.

Meanwhile, still undefeated in the United Arab Emirates after six Test matches, Misbah-ul-Haq's men continue to secure the gulf region as their own little fortress.

Sporting high hopes of promptly wrapping up the tail, knocking off the deficit and launching into a hefty second-innings lead, England's gameplan - one that Stuart Broad had presumptuously insisted was falling into place nicely - gradually fell to pieces.

The start of play brought early promise for the hosts, with Umar Gul falling to Broad for a duck in the second over of the day. Adnan Akmal and Saeed Ajmal, however, dug in for long enough to have the lead reach a handy 146. While the wicketkeeper-batsman completed his highest Test score of 61, the tail-ender did his bit with a cheeky dozen before Graeme Swann capped a four-for with the dismissal of the stubborn duo.

In the field for over an hour on Thursday as the tail wagged, Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook had plenty of time to get a feel for the conditions that awaited them - and in truth, both openers were unlucky to fall early.

Adjudged caught behind despite an obvious lack of impact on HotSpot, Strauss was the second victim of the dodgy Decision Review System after Ajmal was earlier given out when a substantial amount of daylight separated the ball from his bat. Cook was out six overs later, gloving a rising delivery down the leg-side for Akmal to take with ease.

At 25 for two the signs were ominous and, at 87 for seven, the writing was very much on the wall in Pakistan's favour. Kevin Pietersen holed out to deep square-leg in impatient, unforgiveable fashion; Ian Bell fell prey to Ajmal's doosra for the second time in the match; Eoin Morgan had little clue in the face of Abdur Rehman's arm ball; the nervy 40s got the better of Jonathan Trott, who eventually chased a wide ball to spoon a thick edge to the wicketkeeper, and Matt Prior really should have played Ajmal's standard off-spin off the front foot.

With the scalps of Cook, Strauss, Pietersen and Trott in the bag, Gul was chasing a five-wicket haul. On the other end, Ajmal was hot on the heels of 10 victims for the match after completing a Test-best seven-for in England's first innings. Rehman, though, refused to be discounted and added a third party to the foot race with the quick dismissals of Broad and Chris Tremlett.

Gul could have emerged the victor had he not coughed up a no-ball for Graeme Swann to plug down the throat of the fielder in the deep. Instead it was Man of the Match Ajmal, even if the right-hander's 39-run cameo had forced Pakistan to bat again, that secured the second 10-wicket haul of his career when Swann too couldn't successfully pick the doosra.

A mere 15-run target greeted Mohammad Hafeez and Taufeeq Umar, with the former fetching all of them to welcome triumph shortly before the schedule close.

160 all out and with a mere 352 runs to show for their 20 wickets, England were well and truly found wanting by a team four spots lower than them in the ICC Test rankings. Entirely ring rusty on the back of a restful off-season, they've at least given themselves two days extra to prepare for the second Test in Abu Dhabi, which gets underway on Wednesday.