Day two of the second Test in Abu Dhabi witnessed a tough contest, with Alastair Cook's near century and Saeed Ajmal's three wickets defining the balance.

England would have sported a far more impressive total than the 207 for five they settled on at the close of play were it not for Ajmal.

The tourists' chief tormentor in Dubai, where his 10-scalp haul resigned the opposition to defeat inside three days, Ajmal dismissed Cook, Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan in relatively quick succession. England, meanwhile, were left to rue losing three wickets for just nine runs.

The day began in positive fashion for England, who needed just 16 deliveries to snare the last three wickets of Pakistan's first innings, which ended at 257 all out. Misbah-ul-Haq was again unable to convert a fine half-century into three figures, while Stuart Broad and James Anderson were merciless to the tail-enders.

Proceedings got even better for the visiting side on the back of Cook and Jonathan Trott's 139-run stand for the second wicket. Shrugging off the early loss of Andrew Strauss, who perished at short-leg off the bowling of Mohammad Hafeez, the duo dug in for the long haul.

Their collective approach, although pedestrian at times, was largely about seeing off a Pakistan attack laden with three threatening spinners. The hosts, meanwhile, did themselves no favours by wasting two referrals. The on-field decisions were spot on, with Misbah's hasty use of the Decision Review System sure to be questioned by the home media.

Seamers Umar Gul and Junaid Khan put in just 16 overs between them to the near 70 sent down by Hafeez, Ajmal and Rehman - and it was the latter that ended Cook and Trott's promising alliance.

The left-armer got one to pitch and rip away from the batsman, with Trott's off-stump toppled and the right-hander on his way back to the pavilion for 74.

Cook was gone less than 10 overs later. Yet again an Englishman found himself unable to pick Ajmal's doosra, with a rather selfless Cook avoiding the DRS despite being a mere six runs short of a century. His choice proved the right one, with television replays revealing a rather plumb lbw decision despite a large lunge forward on the defence from the opener.

Pietersen then had no clue in the face of Ajmal's devilish flight, while it was a similar case for Morgan in the final over of the day. Mohammad Hafeez was at hand in the slips on both occasions, holding onto catches that proved more of an inevitability than a probability.

Still 50 runs behind and sure to encounter a track with plenty of turn come Friday, England know full well that they have Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar to turn the tables on the opposition. But first, they must knock off the deficit and achieve, at least, a 60-odd lead.