England facing a real challenge

CRICKET THIRD TEST:GOOD SIDES have the knack of digging themselves out of a hole. Somehow someone turns a calamitous day into one that is merely mediocre. By these standards England passed a test yesterday. Half an hour after lunch they were in disarray at 94 for seven.

Pakistan were being propelled by their Test debutant, Wahab Riaz, 25 and a muscular left-arm seamer from Lahore, who had taken four wickets in his first nine overs. For the first time this summer England were under the cosh. Then up cropped two men to give England a chance to stay in the game. It was hardly astounding that Matt Prior, a swashbuckling centurion in Nottingham, should be one of them. The identity of his partner was more surprising. It was Stuart Broad, demoted to number nine, who combined with Prior to register his highest score for England in 12 months and 14 innings.

The pair added 119 for the eighth wicket, a record for England against Pakistan. More importantly these runs gave England’s bowlers something to defend. Broad needed some luck; he scooped the ball in the air on the off side too often; he swished at thin air several times against Mohammad Amir. But one cover drive was princely and his sweeping of the spinner Saeed Ajmal was deft.

England look a far better balanced side when Broad is scoring runs. While this innings was more frenetic than is desired he should return to number eight immediately, allowing Graeme Swann to resume his role at nine.

Prior was brimful of aggression and confidence from the start. However,he was dropped a couple of times. On 25 he gave a very hard chance by the standards of Alan Knott, let alone Kamran Akmal, from his inside edge. That blemish aside Akmal had a good day behind the stumps, claiming four victims without much fuss. Indeed Pakistan’s catching was much improved even though Mohammad Yousuf was the second man to drop Prior, an absolute dolly at extra cover. It did not matter. Steven Finn was out to the next ball and the innings was over.

England had been bowled out for 233, which would have satisfied their skipper Salman Butt at the start. As usual Mohammed Asif was on target and swinging a dark Dukes ball, which must have come from the same batch that has swung all summer.

His sixth ball was too much for Alastair Cook; this was the deadly straight one, which did not swing back into Cook’s pads. Instead it brushed the outside edge of the bat and Cook’s torment continued.

A sheepish Strauss soon became Riaz’s first Test wicket, caught behind after a review. Umpire Tony Hill in the middle had not spotted the nick; umpire Billy Bowden, after consulting all the technology, knew better.

Soon Jonathan Trott, driving away from his body, was superbly caught by Yasir Hameed at second slip off Riaz. Next, Paul Collingwood drove a full-length ball from Amir with a wondrously straight bat and collected four runs; then he defended with a horribly crooked one and was bowled off the inside edge. Pietersen was another to be surprised by Riaz and England were staggering at 70 for five at lunch.

After the break Riaz dispatched Eoin Morgan, again due to exceptional bounce outside the off-stump. Swann, after two smooth boundaries, could only parry a delivery into the slip cordon and England were on the rocks.

Prior and Broad now countered forcefully. Once Broad was lbw to an outrageous slower ball to Riaz, which prompted a mystifying review that suggested the ball was hitting the middle of middle, the innings did not last for much longer.

In the evening sunshine Pakistan posted the highest opening partnership of the series – 48, with Imran Farhat defeated by Anderson just before the close.

Riaz was sent out as the nightwatchman and survived the last three balls of the day with a flourish. It was his day, even though there is no guarantee yet that this is Pakistan’s match. But for the first time this summer England face a real challenge.