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Stuart Broad set the tone of a profitable day when he trapped Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq lbw in the very first over without adding to his overnight 102.
From there England’s bowlers earned reward for yesterday’s graft as they claimed six morning-session wickets to bowl Pakistan out for 378. Half-centuries from Joe Root and Alastair Cook then took England to 182 for three at stumps.
England’s reply with the bat was initially uncertain, with Moeen Ali and Ian Bell early departures, but Cook and Root settled any nerves in a century stand.
While the skipper would fall before the close, tickling leg-spinner Yasir Shah to leg slip when on 65, Root stamped his authority on the day with an unbeaten 76.
Root first had to overcome a fiery spell from Wahab Riaz, when he targeted the world’s second-ranked Test batsman with the short ball, but in typical style he gritted his teeth and waited for his chance to flourish.
Those moments came late in the day with some elegantly punched cover drives and with fellow Yorkshireman Jonny Bairstow, on 27, they had added an unbroken stand of 55 when bad light forced a slightly premature stumps.
England will therefore begin day three 196 runs behind and, with seven wickets in hand, a position they would have happily taken at the start of play.
Pakistan had been ominously placed at 282 for four when the players arrived back at the Dubai International Stadium this morning with their skipper Misbah looking to make full use of winning the toss and batting first.
But he was undone almost straight away by a crafted England plan that Broad played out to the letter.
With the field set back on the leg side Broad first unsettled Misbah with the short ball before firing into his pads with a fuller delivery that the veteran played around.
England had to wait another hour before making further inroads when Moeen struck twice in two overs after the drinks break. Sarfraz Ahmed and Wahab were both caught by James Anderson at mid-on trying to attack the off-spinner.
Adil Rashid then had his opposite leg-spinner Yasir caught at slip before Mark Wood, the pick of the attack yesterday, mopped up the tail to deservedly return his Test-best figures of 3-39 from 19.5 overs.
The last man to fall was Asad Shafiq, for 83, miscuing to Root at midwicket moments after he had taken a painful blow to his knee.
England returned after lunch with bat in hand but were soon 14 for two.
Moeen was the victim of a sharp reflex catch by Shan Masood at short-leg before Bell fenced at Imran Khan to offer an edge behind.
That was the cue for Cook and Root to take control, although the skipper did get one large chunk of fortune on 27 when the ball deflected back off his glove while sweeping and, while it hit the stumps at pace, the bails were not dislodged.
Cook as ever ensured he turned his luck into runs as he and Root looked to attack Yasir on his return. It was a surprise then that the skipper fell to the leg-spinner on 65, when it appeared he was again on course for many more.
A change of direction from over the wicket prompted Cook’s exit as he failed to get his angles quite right and directed Yasir to sub fielder Ahmed Shehzad.
Root had by this stage weathered the Wahab storm and as Bairstow found his groove, most significantly with a six off Zulfiqar Babar, they set about taking England through to the close and leaving the match well placed.
