Read sets up a thriller

CRICKET - Third Test: Chris Read justified his contentious recall for England by contributing a crucial half-century to set …

CRICKET - Third Test: Chris Read justified his contentious recall for England by contributing a crucial half-century to set up another final-day thriller at Headingley.

The Nottinghamshire wicketkeeper, brought in from the cold after an absence of two years because of his failure to contribute runs at number seven, hit a vital 55 to help set Pakistan a challenging victory target of 323.

Read's defiant 128-minute innings, which followed an equally crucial 116 from stand-in captain Andrew Strauss, helped England add 44 runs for the final three wickets before being dismissed for 345 to leave Pakistan chasing history to claim victory.

Apart from Don Bradman's Invincibles in 1948, who scored 404 for three, and England's 2001 Ashes line-up who reached 315 for four, no other team has scored over 300 in the fourth innings to win a Test at Headingley.

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There was no sign of a fightback in the morning session as stand-in captain Strauss and Marcus Trescothick forged their first century opening stand since the fourth Test against Australia at Trent Bridge a year ago.

Somerset left-hander Trescothick enjoyed a charmed life during the early stages but grew in confidence as England took advantage of captain Inzamam-ul-Haq's absence - he was off the field most of the day with chest pains - to forge a 158-run stand in 39 overs.

But just nine overs after lunch, Pakistan made their breakthrough with Trescothick mistiming an attempted cut to be superbly taken by Salman Butt at second slip off the bottom of the bat for 58.

Pakistan then turned to leg-spinner Danish Kaneria and after several rejected appeals against former Essex team-mate Alastair Cook for catches close to the bat, he succeeded with his persistence.

Pushing forward, Cook got an inside edge onto his pad and Faisal Iqbal claimed the rebound at short leg, to spark a mini-collapse which saw England lost the wickets of Kevin Pietersen, Strauss and Ian Bell for 58 runs in only 15 overs.

England were just 225 ahead on 248 for five when Read walked out to bat.

By the time he chopped onto his stumps as the last man, he had hit a six and six fours in his key innings of 55.

His contribution sets up another tense finish as both sides set their sights on victory.