Prior and Broad steady England innings at The Oval
Matt Prior and Stuart Broad have steadied England’s innings in the second session on day one of the Test against Pakistan at The Oval, after the home side were at one stage seven wickets down with just 94 runs on the board.
They now head to the tea break on a far more respectable 175-7, with both batsmen eying their half-centuries and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 searching for the breakthrough that they’ll hope triggers an England tail-end collapse.
After leaving England precariously poised at 70-5 at lunch, Pakistan continued where they left off in the second session, sending Eoin Morgan back to the pavilion for 17 in the fourth over after lunch, another caught behind casualty as Kamran Akmal, who wasn’t capable of catching a cold at Trent Bridge two matches ago, making sure everything that came his way stuck today as Wahab Riaz took his fourth wicket on debut.
Wahab’s inclusion in the Test XI may not have come in ideal circumstances for Pakistan, with the 25-year-old gaining his chance in place of the injured Umar Gul (hamstring), but in his maiden attempt at the five-day format, the paceman has so far proved to be tough to handle for the England batsmen.
Graeme Swann was the next to depart, the off-spinner succumbing to a swinging Mohammad Asif delivery and supplying Umar Akmal with the catch in the slip cordon as he departed for eight and England’s situation worsened as they slumped to 94-7.
With England already feeling the pinch, it was hardly the performance Swann would have wanted to turn in with the bat, although in a week where he has appeared at the Nottingham Magistrates' Court to answer a drink-driving charge (the hearing has now been adjourned until October 7th), it’s certainly not the lowlight.
The steadying partnership that England needed came courtesy of Prior and Broad who will begin the final session of the day one having amassed a 81-run partnership.
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