England wants third spinner in decider

Skipper Alastair Cook admitted playing a third spinner would be a tough call as England prepares to take on Pakistan in the third and final Test at Sharjah from Sunday.

England are 1-0 down after losing the second Test in Dubai and drawing the first in Abu Dhabi, so are seeking to level the series, as New Zealand did last year.

The Black Caps also used three spinners in Daniel Vettori, Mark Craig and Ish Sodhi to beat Pakistan by an innings, also in Sharjah for a 1-1 result.

Asked if England would play a third spinner in Samit Patel in place of Mark Wood who is rested with an ankle problem, Cook termed it a tough call.

"That's the major decision we have to make," Cook said on Saturday. "Yesterday when we turned up they had just watered the wicket so it didn't give us too many clues.

"It will be really easy after the game in hindsight to see whether we've made the right decision but it will be a tough call."

If England lose the series 2-0, they will slump to as low as sixth in Test rankings and Pakistan will jump to their best-ever second spot.

England will also bring in James Taylor for Jos Butler to bolster theirstruggling batting.

"He's itching to play and you don't average 47-48 in first-classcricket without being a fine player," said Cook of Taylor whose only two Test were in 2012.

"One of his very strong points is that when he gets in he goes on toget big scores. We know how important first-innings runs are to set the game up."

Cook warned England will have to be at their best to beat Pakistan, unbeaten in a series in United Arab Emirates (UAE),being forced to play away from home due to security fears since 2009.(AFP)