Cricket Update: England vs. Pakistan, 4th Test at Lord's- Rain Playing Spoilsport on Day One
The fourth and final test between England and Pakistan looks set to be ruined by bad weather, as the start of the match was delayed by almost three hours due to a combination of intermittent rain and bad light, as murky conditions made it difficult for the umpires to get the proceeding underway.
However, the play finally started as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 captain Salman Butt won the toss and inserted the opposition in, as the match got underway after lunch.
The conditions were tricky for batting and English openers found the going tough against the seam and swing offered by Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif.
However, luck was on their side as after a fine catching display in the third test at Oval it was a case of Pakistani fielders returning to their usual butter fingers self. Umar Akmal was the guilty party, as he dropped a straight forward chance in the third slip of third test centurion Alastair Cook with the total on 6.
The English openers looked set to capitalise on the dropped chance, as they buckled down in tricky conditions hitting the odd boundary to frustrate the Pakistani bowlers.
Cook survived a confident caught behind appeal that was ruled in the bowlers favour by umpire Billy Bowden, yet the decision was overturned after Television replays.
The Pakistani opening bowlers looked more frustrated as they searched for a break through; there persistence was finally rewarded when Andrew Strauss the English captain fell to a beauty from Mohammad Asif, that nipped back from a good length and rattled the stumps via an inside edge.
Strauss scored 13 runs; his replacement was Jonathan Trott who started brightly scoring 8 runs off only 7 balls before the umpires stopped play due to bad light, as thick clouds covered Lords.
The hosts had reached 39/1 in 12.3 overs by then; meanwhile both teams fielded the same elevens that featured in the third test of the series at Oval.
England has played the entire series with same set of 11 players, and would be pleased that there are no injury concerns as they prepare for the Ashes tour to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 in three months time.
It remains to be seen if play resumes after the tea interval, as more poor weather is forecasted for the day, the interruption has come as a major disappointment for the full house that had hoped for a riveting day of test cricket.
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