England captain Andrew Strauss won the toss and elected to bat in the first test against Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

England - the No. 1 ranked test team - included three seamers and one spinner for the match while Pakistan opted to go with two spinners and two fast bowlers .

Middle-order batsman Ian Bell (wrist injury) and fast bowler Stuart Broad (bruised foot) both were declared fit for the match after sustaining injuries during practice over the last two days.

Pakistan offspinner Saeed Ajmal has promised to unveil a new mystery delivery the "teesra" during the series and will partner with left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman.

Fast bowler Aizaz Cheema will share the new ball with Umar Gul after Pakistan left out Junaid Khan and Wahab Riaz for the first of the three-test series.

It is the first clash between the two teams since a controversial 2010 series when three Pakistan players were charged and later jailed in England for conspiring and cheating.

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

Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Taufeeq Umar, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Azhar Ali, Adnan Akmal, Umar Gul, Aizaz Cheema, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman.