Pakistan whitewash England

The tourists were forced to chase 324 runs to claim an unlikely consolation win, but Andrew Strauss’s side again failed with the bat as they were bowled out for 252 in the final session.

Pakistan become the first side in 105 years to win a Test match after having made fewer than 100 runs in their first innings - a feat last achieved by England against South Africa at Headingley in 1907 – and Misbah-ul-Haq’s side again tormented their visitors in the field to whitewash the tourists for the first time.

It was a thoroughly chastening experience for Andy Flower's side, and South Africa can now usurp England at the top of the world Test rankings with a 3-0 series victory over New Zealand.

The afternoon wickets of Kevin Pietersen, Alastair Cook, Ian Bell and Eoin Morgan followed those of Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott in the morning at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium as England’s frontline batsmen again failed on what was a dismal tour.

Saeed Ajmal was England's chief tormentor, bowling in tandem for much of the second session with Abdur Rehman - who was unchanged for 30 overs from the start of play.

It was the slow left-armer who struck the first blow when Strauss, who had already survived a straightforward caught-behind chance off Umar Gul on 26, went without further addition lbw on the back foot. It was the 42nd lbw decision of the series, a record for a three-match contest.

Trott then fell shortly before lunch, sweeping Ajmal straight to deep backward-square but, by contrast, Alastair Cook's luck was in during an ultra-patient 187-ball 49 which took more than four hours. Cook passed a notable personal milestone when, with his 22nd run, he became the second-youngest batsman in cricket history to reach 6,000 in Tests.

Cook was earlier put down on 31 by Gul, after mis-sweeping Rehman to deep backward square. He was also the batsman on strike when Pakistan squandered their final DRS option, Ajmal reviewing an lbw for an off-break that pitched outside leg-stump.

Pietersen hinted at much better when he went up the wicket to Rehman and hit him for a straight four and then six in the same over - shots that raised stoic England's scoring rate to almost two runs an over. But Ajmal, scourge of the tourists with his doosras in the first Test here, out-thought both Pietersen and Cook with conventional off-breaks this time.

Ajmal proceeded to bowl Pietersen between bat and pad, on the front-foot defence, from round the wicket and then had Cook, trying to push his 50th run to leg, well caught at slip by a diving Younis Khan.

Bell and Morgan appeared to tame the spinners for a time with the old ball, only to fall in quick succession when Misbah-ul-Haq turned back to Gul's pace.

It was a lack of that which appeared to do for Bell, embarrassingly mistiming a cut for a simple catch at cover - and then Gul produced a fine delivery to find Morgan's edge for a caught-behind on the back foot.

The insipid demise of England’s batsmen left the lower order with an insurmountable task, and Stuart Broad was removed by Gul as he slogged out to Taufeeq Umar in the deep.

Graeme Swann did not last much longer as he fell, also to Gul, providing Asad Shafiq with a simple catch, before James Anderson departed for nine off the bowling of the irrepressible Ajmal.

Monty Panesar was the final wicket to fall as he was trapped lbw for eight by Rehman, and Pakistan sealed the rout with England left to reflect upon a humiliating series defeat.

A dejected England have to now lift themselves for a four-match one-day international series, which gets underway on February 13, before three Twenty20 contests.