Pakistan grabbed two early wickets to hit England hard in their chase of a 284-run target as the third and final Test heads for an intriguing finish after day four on Wednesday.
England were 46-2 with Alastair Cook (17) and Joe Root (six) fighting hard against Pakistan's spinners, led by Shoaib Malik who claimed both the wickets.
England will need another 238 runs on the fifth and final day on Thursday for a series-levelling win while Pakistan will fancy a 2-0 win.
Pakistan won the second Test by 178 runs in Dubai while the first ended in a draw in Abu Dhabi.
It was Malik, due to quit Test cricket after this match, who provided Pakistan early breakthroughs, trapping Moeen Ali (22) leg-before and then bowled Ian Bell in successive overs. Cook and Root survived confident leg-before appeals off Zulfiqar Babar in the dying moments, much to the relief of the England camp.
Brief Scores
Eng: 306 & 46/2 (Cook 17*, Root 6*) trail Pak: 234 & 355 (Hafeez 151, Broad 3/44) by 238 runs.