Lunch Update: Pakistan look set to win 3rd Test against England
ENG 233 & 222
PAK 308 & 115/3 LUNCH – Day 4
The third test between England and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 being played at the Oval in London is heading for an early finish as Pakistan is heading smoothly towards the victory target of 148 runs to stage a comeback in the series after losing the first two tests.
The hosts started their second innings at an overnight score of 221/9 with the last two men Stuart Broad and Steven Finn aiming to add some crucial runs in the morning session to extend their team’s lead to something more substantial than the 146 runs overnight.
However, their hopes extinguished in only the first over of the day when Stuart Broad’s attempted pull shot off Mohammad Aamer landed in the hands of Mohammad Asif at mid-on with only one more run added to the total. The wicket was Aamer’s fifth in the innings, giving him his best ever test analysis of 5-52 which was a thoroughly deserved performance.
Set a target of 148 to win, the Pakistanis were rocked early on when http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Yasir-Hameed-c2811 edged the first ball he faced into the hands of second slip Graeme Swann off Mike Anderson.
His demise sent flutters in the visiting camp as the out of form captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Salman-c88163 Butt came out to face the music. However his partner Imran Farhat refused to bow down to the pressure, hitting his way out of trouble with some adventurous stroke play. He hit six cracking boundaries in his 33 run knock that came off only 39 balls.
Farhat’s aggressive intentions calmed the nerves in the dressing room, yet he perished while attempting another mighty sweep off Graeme Swann to leave Pakistan at 57/2, 91 runs short of the target.
Farhat’s departure brought the ever reliable Mohammad Yousuf to the crease who absorbed the pressure at one end as Salman flayed away at other end.
The Pakistani captain who was enduring a miserable run in the series before this knock came out in a positive frame of mind taking the attack to the opposition.
He attacked the faster bowlers as Swann tightened the noose from the other. Salman’s aggressive intent was written all over his face as he took 10 runs including two boundaries of Finn’s over.
He repeated the dose to Stuart Broad who replaced Finn taking 12 runs of one over including three sumptuous boundaries.
Butt however failed to reach his fifty, edging Swann’s delivery into the hands of Paul Collingwood at first slip.
He scored 48 off 64 balls with six hits to the fence, the lunch was taken with Pakistan 115/3 a mere 33 runs away from an important win.
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