England’s lop-sided bowling yesterday left them with one final mission improbable to try to salvage a drawn Test series against Pakistan.

James Anderson is therefore in the curious position of being able to reflect personal satisfaction at his and Stuart Broad’s efforts throughout three matches in the unforgiving climes of the United Arab Emirates, yet having to concede that England’s spinners have found life much tougher in the desert.

After England stumbled to 46 for two in pursuit of their record chase of 284 to win on day four at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Anderson also found himself responding to Mohammad Hafeez’s assertion that he has never played against bowlers so adept at reverse-swing.

Pakistan centurion Hafeez did not appear to imply questionable methods — although in international cricket the achievement of reverse-swing is often accompanied by whisperings about the condition of the ball.

Instead, Hafeez — whose 151 was the cornerstone of the hosts’ second-innings 355 all out — mentioned Broad and Anderson in the same breath as Pakistan’s own brilliant and revered reverse-swing exponents of yesteryear, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis.

Anderson duly took his remarks as a compliment.

“I think the seam-bowling unit are pretty happy with their work, they’ve done a really good job,” he said.

“It’s been tough for us and I think Stuart and I, particularly after our efforts in this second innings, feel like we’ve put in a good stint.”

Hafeez handled all of England’s bowlers adeptly in his six-hour innings.

But afterwards, he said: “I’ve been playing international cricket for the last 13 years and I haven’t seen that much reverse-swing in my career.

“I believe there is something very special they’ve got — maybe the art or something.

“I’m really surprised to see that much reverse-swing happening.

“I’ve watched games when Wasim (Akram) and Waqar (Younis) used to do these things.”

England have indeed made an art of keeping the ball in best condition to help unconventional swing.

Anderson said: “It’s a very abrasive wicket.

“We bowled a lot of cross-seam balls with the new ball, particularly the second one.

“We didn’t get much normal swing, so you’re looking at ways of trying to get it moving laterally — especially on wickets out here, that don’t do a great deal.

“We’ve tried to keep the ball dry, get it ‘reversing.’ Then it’s not just about trying to do that you’ve got to bowl well with it.”