Abbas strikes after Fakhar, Sarfraz rescue act.

ABU DHABI -- No one really has a clue how Tests in the UAE go. "Slow burners" seemed to be the conclusion last week. Win the toss, bat first, put up a big score, and dominate.

Nathan Lyon made a mockery of that formula in Abu Dhabi. He shredded his way through Pakistan's middle order and turned conventional wisdom on its head. Just after Pakistan had recovered from the loss of an early wicket and begun to put on a partnership that would reset them on course came a spell any grand old Asian spin master would remember in the rocking chair decades on.

Spread across two overs, he took four wickets in six balls as Pakistan tumbled from the relative affluence of 57 for one to the penury of 57 for five within 10 minutes. It didn't only tear up the narrative of the opening session, it may yet be the defining period of this Test series.

If it is not, that would be single-handedly down to one partnership, the one that came right after the carnage. Debutant Fakhar and a rejuvenated Sarfraz added 147 to lift Pakistan from the doldrums and carry them through to a relatively respectable 282. At the end of their careers, this innings is likely to rank near the top, and yet both were denied richly-deserved hundreds. Each fell for 94, ensuring that despite their brilliance, the day ended with honours even.

Pakistan finished on a high, though...