England rampant after Pakistan collapse in fourth Test
As improbable as it had seemed at times the day before, England left the field at Lord’s at the end of the third day’s play of the fourth Test match against Pakistan firmly in control.
Having been staring down both barrels of a series-levelling defeat, England will begin the fourth day’s play with the prospect of a resounding victory, with Pakistan still needing to score another 331 runs to avoid an innings defeat.
England began the third day where they had ended the second, with Jonathan Trott and Stuart Broad continuing their mammoth eighth-wicket stand.
Their partnership epic triple-hundred stand tore the initiative from Pakistan’s bowlers, who had England at 102-7 when Broad joined Trott at the crease, and the pair started from a position of strength needing only two more runs to eclipse England's record of 246 for the eighth wicket.
That barrier was passed and then the world record, which had previously stood at 313 for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Saqlain-Mushtaq-c88743 and was set in 1996. Broad, who has been dropped at slip the previous evening, had another life handed to him when a thin edge behind off Saeed Ajmal on 132 was not held by Kamran Akmal. Just when Pakistan may have given up hope of breaking the partnership Broad finally fell for 169 – lbw to Ajmal – as the record was set at 332 almost six-and-a-half hours and 584 balls, which was a record for any partnership for England against Pakistan.
Trott was joined by James Anderson and the pair began the second session with Trott closing in on a double century. But Pakistan finally wrapped up England’s innings when Anderson was out for six, caught by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Yasir-Hameed-c2811 off the bowling of Ajmal, for six and then the indefatigable Trott, who had begun his innings on Thursday when the score stood at 31-1, was, finally, the last man out; caught behind by Kamran Akmal from a ball by Wahab Riaz.
Trott’s marathon knock of 184, had lasted 383 balls and included 19 boundaries. It also pushed the boundaries of what was possible for his team from a struggle for survival against a rampant opposition to a position where the England bowlers had a 446-run lead with which to apply pressure on the Pakistan batsmen.
Having already had his name added to the Lord’s honours board for his batting, Broad wasted little time in working on a similar accolade for his bowling, taking the wicket of Yasir Hameed, caught by Graeme Swann, for just two and Anderson then took out the other opener, Imran Farhat, who edged one behind to Matt Prior for six.
Mohammad Yousuf had been brought into the Pakistan team to shore up the batting but was out for a duck, bowled Broad, as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 reached tea at 46-3, which became 46-4 when Salman Butt was also bowled, this time by Swann (pictured), with the first ball of the finals session. For reasons best know to himself, Butt elected to appeal the decision, but to no avail.
Azhar Ali was Swann’s next victim, a bat-pad catch for Alastair Cook, which brought Kamran Akmal to join his brother, Umar, but Umar was soon back on his way to the pavilion for six as Steven Finn took his first wicket of the match, who followed up with a full toss that had Mohammad Amir, who lasted just two balls, out for a duck 57-7.
Amir clearly did not see the ball’s trajectory but Pakistan could see what was coming with 190 needed to avoid the follow-on and only three wickets left. That became two when Kamran gave a thin edge behind for Prior, for Finn’s third scalp.
Pakistan were left with two wickets and two umpire decision reviews, one of each of which were scrubbed out when Wahab Riaz was out lbw to Swann for two, who then wrapped up the innings when Mohammad Asif offered a simple caught-and-bowled to leave the bowler with figures of 4-12, while Pakistan were left with a return of 74 and a deficit of 372 runs as they were politely asked by England captain Andrew Strauss to have another try.
They were trying times still to come as Imran Farhat played a wayward shot off Broad to give Cook some easy catching practice and he was followed by Imran Farhat, lbw to Anderson with the score at just 9-2.
Butt and Yousuf managed to steady the ship, but only briefly as Butt fell for Swann for the second time on the day, lbw, for 21. Then, as the final act on a dismal afternoon Yousuf holed out to Trott on the leg-side boundary off the bowling of Finn, and within a minute of him Yousuf leaving the field the heavens opened to bring the teams off the field.
Pakistan ended the day on 41-4 and there was very little light at the end of the tunnel for them.
http://www.senore.com/Pakistan-Test-team-rocked-by-betting-scandal-a24183
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