Dubai: England captain Andrew Strauss won the toss and elected to bat against Pakistan on Tuesday in the first of three Tests to be played in Dubai.

Pakistan entered the match with two spinners in Saeed Ajmal and Abdul Rehman, but England did not include left-arm spinner Monty Panesar, instead playing a third paceman, Chris Tremlett.

Stuart Broad (foot) and Ian Bell (left wrist) had minor injuries but both were well enough to be part of the starting eleven.

Teams

Pakistan: Misbah-ul Haq (capt), Mohammad Hafeez, Taufiq Umar, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Adnan Akmal (wk), Umar Gul, Aizaz Cheema, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman.

England: Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wk), Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Chris Tremlett, James Anderson.