Mahmood and Panesar power England to series glory

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Mahmood and Panesar power England to series glory







England secured their first series triumph since the Ashes with an outstanding display in the field as they surged to a 167-run win at Headingley. Monty Panesar's glorious summer continued while Sajid Mahmood out-bowled his more illustrious colleagues with Test-best figures of 4 for 22. Pakistan subsided with barely a whimper as the match was wrapped up midway through the afternoon session.

Considering that the day started with England only marginal favourites, their final-day performance was as crushing and clinical as they come. In many ways this was more impressive than their bowling performances in the three-day demolition job at Old Trafford. The Headingley pitch confounded expectations throughout and none of Pakistan's second-innings wickets can be put down solely to the surface.

What will please Andrew Strauss - and even the straight-faced Duncan Fletcher - is the fact that the main two protagonists, Panesar and Mahmood, form the young half of England's bowling attack. Slowly but surely England's jigsaw pieces are being slotted into place. Panesar gives them a match-winning spinner and Mahmood has thrown his hat into the ring for the back-up paceman slot.

As at Old Trafford, Panesar's figures were bettered by a seamer with Mahmood bagging his first four-wicket haul of an embryonic Test career. Yet it was still Panesar that was the key to victory and this time with little support from Steve Harmison. He produced the ball of the series to remove Younis Khan, the last barrier to England, seven overs after lunch and always kept the batsmen under pressure.

With Younis again playing serenely on 41, Panesar's ripping delivery pitched on middle and leg, turned, spun past the edge of the bat and just flicked the off bail. He has bowled some jaffers this season, but that ball topped the lot. A statistic bandied around throughout the match had been the two wickets taken by English spinners at Headingley in the last 10 years; Panesar trebled that with six and always offered Strauss control.

But while the wicket of Younis signalled that this was England's match, the victory charge had been set up during the morning session. There was no swing for Hoggard, but he still made the first breakthrough when Salman Butt flashed loosely to first slip, while Taufeeq Umar was tied in knots as Panesar made his first impact on proceedings. That was just a preamble; the real battle started when Mohammad Yousuf arrived to join Younis.

However, the stand had barely got going when Younis dropped the ball into the off side, but they'd picked out England's best ground-fielder. Collingwood sprinted in from backward point and hit the stumps - England's third direct hit of the match - to catch Yousuf inches short of his ground. The momentum was now all with the home side and they knew it.





Mahmood cranked his pace up into the nineties, while the fielders cranked up the verbals - so much so that Kevin Pietersen was told to calm down his chat with Faisal Iqbal. But Iqbal was never comfortable, although he can count himself slightly unfortunate to edge down the leg-side, where Chris Read continued his fine match. There was no fortune in Mahmood's second strike as Kamran Akmal nicked a perfect leg-cutter two balls later and Pakistan were in tatters at 80 for 5.

Their last glimmer of hope was Inzamam-ul-Haq, batting at No. 7 after his time off the field yesterday, but he'd been left with a mountain to climb. He and Younis showed positive intent but when Panesar produced his magic ball, Inzamam knew just the final rites remained. England administered them with a ruthlessness that bodes well for the challenges to come.

Another shambolic run out accounted for Mohammad Sami; a further slapdash piece of cricket from a player who failed to emerge from the doldrums in this series. Mahmood then ended some brief defiance from Shahid Nazir and bagged his fourth when Umar Gul was well caught, low at third slip by Collingwood.

The final wicket encapsulated the match as Inzamam charged Panesar and Read completed a simple stumping, making it five dismissals on his return. As Inzamam sidled slowly off the ground he was left to rue a series where his team made too many mistakes. However, over the last two weeks England's players have answered most of the questions that have been thrown their way. It has been a tough 12 months for a side that touched such exalted heights almost a year ago, but that will make this crushing victory taste even sweeter. SCORECARD AND NOTES:

England 1st innings R M B 4s 6s SR
ME Trescothick c & b Mohammad Sami 28 70 59 6 0 47.45
AJ Strauss c Younis Khan b Shahid Nazir 36 75 43 5 0 83.72
AN Cook c & b Umar Gul 23 49 32 4 0 71.87
KP Pietersen c Shahid Nazir b Mohammad Sami 135 272 169 20 2 79.88
PD Collingwood c Taufeeq Umar b Umar Gul 31 95 70 2 1 44.28
IR Bell b Danish Kaneria 119 267 206 12 0 57.76
CMW Read lbw b Umar Gul 38 92 74 4 1 51.35
MJ Hoggard b Umar Gul 0 11 12 0 0 0.00
SI Mahmood b Umar Gul 34 73 45 4 0 75.55
SJ Harmison c Mohammad Sami b Danish Kaneria 36 29 27 4 2 133.33
MS Panesar not out 5 13 12 1 0 41.66
Extras (b 13, lb 6, nb 11) 30

Total (all out; 123 overs; 527 mins) 515


Fall of wickets1-67 (Trescothick, 15.6 ov), 2-67 (Strauss, 16.4 ov), 3-110 (Cook, 26.1 ov), 4-192 (Collingwood, 48.2 ov), 4-259* (Pietersen, 60.6 ov), 5-345 (Read, 87.1 ov), 6-347 (Hoggard, 89.4 ov), 7-421 (Pietersen, 104.4 ov), 8-445 (Bell, 111.6 ov), 9-501 (Harmison, 119.4 ov), 10-515 (Mahmood, 122.6 ov)



Bowling O M R W Econ
Mohammad Sami 26 1 135 2 5.19 (6nb)
Umar Gul 29 4 123 5 4.24 (2nb)
Shahid Nazir 28 7 101 1 3.60 (3nb)
Danish Kaneria 34 4 111 2 3.26
Taufeeq Umar 2 0 8 0 4.00
Salman Butt 4 0 18 0 4.50



Pakistan 1st innings R M B 4s 6s SR
Salman Butt run out (Pietersen) 20 66 49 1 0 40.81
Taufeeq Umar c Read b Hoggard 7 57 38 1 0 18.42
Younis Khan run out (Mahmood) 173 405 285 22 0 60.70
Mohammad Yousuf c Read b Harmison 192 343 261 25 2 73.56
Inzamam-ul-Haq hit wicket b Panesar 26 58 52 5 0 50.00
Faisal Iqbal lbw b Collingwood 0 1 1 0 0 0.00
Kamran Akmal c Trescothick b Mahmood 20 42 38 4 0 52.63
Mohammad Sami c Harmison b Panesar 19 50 38 3 0 50.00
Shahid Nazir not out 13 65 44 0 0 29.54
Umar Gul c Panesar b Mahmood 7 14 14 1 0 50.00
Danish Kaneria c Trescothick b Panesar 29 39 36 3 1 80.55
Extras (b 1, lb 20, w 5, nb 6) 32

Total (all out; 141.4 overs; 575 mins) 538


Fall of wickets1-34 (Taufeeq Umar, 12.6 ov), 2-36 (Salman Butt, 14.4 ov), 3-399 (Mohammad Yousuf, 98.3 ov), 4-447 (Younis Khan, 112.2 ov), 5-447 (Faisal Iqbal, 112.3 ov), 6-451 (Inzamam-ul-Haq, 113.5 ov), 7-481 (Kamran Akmal, 124.4 ov), 8-489 (Mohammad Sami, 127.2 ov), 9-496 (Umar Gul, 130.4 ov), 10-538 (Danish Kaneria, 141.4 ov)



Bowling O M R W Econ
MJ Hoggard 29 4 93 1 3.20 (6nb, 3w)
SJ Harmison 30 1 142 1 4.73 (2w)
SI Mahmood 24 4 108 2 4.50
MS Panesar 47.4 13 127 3 2.66
KP Pietersen 1 0 14 0 14.00
PD Collingwood 10 1 33 1 3.30



England 2nd innings R M B 4s 6s SR
ME Trescothick c Salman Butt b Umar Gul 58 166 126 8 1 46.03
AJ Strauss c Kamran Akmal b Mohammad Sami 116 250 171 16 0 67.83
AN Cook c Faisal Iqbal b Danish Kaneria 21 39 34 3 0 61.76
KP Pietersen b Danish Kaneria 16 17 15 3 0 106.66
PD Collingwood b Shahid Nazir 25 82 57 3 0 43.85
IR Bell c Kamran Akmal b Mohammad Sami 4 8 5 1 0 80.00
CMW Read b Mohammad Sami 55 128 84 6 1 65.47
SI Mahmood c Kamran Akmal b Shahid Nazir 2 5 3 0 0 66.66
MJ Hoggard c Younis Khan b Shahid Nazir 8 31 30 1 0 26.66
SJ Harmison c sub (Imran Farhat) b Umar Gul 4 15 9 1 0 44.44
MS Panesar not out 5 24 16 1 0 31.25
Extras (b 8, lb 3, w 1, nb 19) 31

Total (all out; 88.3 overs; 387 mins) 345


Fall of wickets1-158 (Trescothick, 38.4 ov), 2-190 (Cook, 47.5 ov), 3-214 (Pietersen, 51.4 ov), 4-237 (Strauss, 58.3 ov), 5-248 (Bell, 60.2 ov), 6-299 (Collingwood, 72.2 ov), 7-301 (Mahmood, 72.5 ov), 8-323 (Hoggard, 80.5 ov), 9-332 (Harmison, 83.4 ov), 10-345 (Read, 88.3 ov)



Bowling O M R W Econ
Mohammad Sami 21.3 4 100 3 4.65 (7nb)
Umar Gul 20 1 76 2 3.80 (9nb, 1w)
Shahid Nazir 14 4 32 3 2.28 (1nb)
Danish Kaneria 33 2 126 2 3.81 (2nb)



Pakistan 2nd innings (target: 323 runs) R M B 4s 6s SR
Salman Butt c Trescothick b Hoggard 16 38 28 4 0 57.14
Taufeeq Umar c Cook b Panesar 11 79 54 1 0 20.37
Younis Khan b Panesar 41 109 83 4 0 49.39
Mohammad Yousuf run out (Collingwood) 8 13 7 1 0 114.28
Faisal Iqbal c Read b Mahmood 11 16 11 1 0 100.00
Kamran Akmal c Read b Mahmood 0 2 2 0 0 0.00
Inzamam-ul-Haq st Read b Panesar 37 84 73 6 0 50.68
Mohammad Sami run out (Pietersen/Mahmood) 0 6 6 0 0 0.00
Shahid Nazir c Trescothick b Mahmood 17 26 20 3 0 85.00
Umar Gul c Collingwood b Mahmood 0 4 4 0 0 0.00
Danish Kaneria not out 0 9 2 0 0 0.00
Extras (lb 6, w 5, nb 3) 14

Total (all out; 47.5 overs; 198 mins) 155


Fall of wickets1-23 (Salman Butt, 9.1 ov), 2-52 (Taufeeq Umar, 17.4 ov), 3-68 (Mohammad Yousuf, 20.3 ov), 4-80 (Faisal Iqbal, 24.4 ov), 5-80 (Kamran Akmal, 24.6 ov), 6-112 (Younis Khan, 35.2 ov), 7-113 (Mohammad Sami, 36.4 ov), 8-148 (Shahid Nazir, 44.1 ov), 9-149 (Umar Gul, 44.6 ov), 10-155 (Inzamam-ul-Haq, 47.5 ov)


ORDER

OVERS MAIDENS RUNS WICKETS ECONOMY RATE AND THE LAST IS EXTRAS
BOWLING.
MJ Hoggard 7 3 26 1 3.71 (2nb)
MS Panesar 17.5 4 39 3 2.18
SJ Harmison 15 3 62 0 4.13 (1nb, 1w)
SI Mahmood 8 2 22 4 2.75





Toss England, who chose to bat first
Series England led the 4-match series 2-0


Player of the match Younis Khan (Pakistan)


Umpires BR Doctrove (West Indies) and DB Hair (Australia)
TV umpire NJ Llong
Match referee RS Madugalle (Sri Lanka)
Reserve umpire RJ Bailey


Close of play
day 1 - England 1st innings 347/6 (IR Bell 66*, 89.4 ov)
day 2 - Pakistan 1st innings 202/2 (Younis Khan 64*, Mohammad Yousuf 91*, 55 ov)
day 3 - England 2nd innings 3/0 (ME Trescothick 0*, AJ Strauss 3*, 2 ov)
day 4 - Pakistan 2nd innings 0/0 (Salman Butt 0*, Taufeeq Umar 0*, 1 ov)




Match notes


Day 1
England 1st innings
England: 50 runs in 11.6 overs (72 balls), Extras 1
1st Wicket: 50 runs in 72 balls (ME Trescothick 18, AJ Strauss 33, Ex 1)
Drinks: England - 64/0 in 15.0 overs (ME Trescothick 27, AJ Strauss 35)
England: 100 runs in 23.1 overs (142 balls), Extras 5
Lunch: England - 110/3 in 26.1 overs (KP Pietersen 17)
England: 150 runs in 37.1 overs (229 balls), Extras 12
4th Wicket: 50 runs in 86 balls (KP Pietersen 25, PD Collingwood 22, Ex 6)
Drinks: England - 168/3 in 41.0 overs (KP Pietersen 47, PD Collingwood 22)
KP Pietersen: 50 off 79 balls (8 x 4, 1 x 6)
England: 200 runs in 49.3 overs (304 balls), Extras 13
Tea: England - 224/4 in 54.0 overs (KP Pietersen 82, IR Bell 9)
5th Wicket: 50 runs in 52 balls (KP Pietersen 37, IR Bell 13, Ex 3)
KP Pietersen: 100 off 123 balls (15 x 4, 2 x 6)
England: 250 runs in 58.5 overs (361 balls), Extras 15
Drinks: England - 289/4 in 69.0 overs (IR Bell 32, CMW Read 14)
England: 300 runs in 73.4 overs (451 balls), Extras 21
5th Wicket: 50 runs in 99 balls (IR Bell 22, CMW Read 25, Ex 6)
IR Bell: 50 off 101 balls (5 x 4)
New Ball Taken: England 328/4 after 80.4 overs (IR Bell 51, CMW Read 34)
End Of Day: England - 347/6 in 89.4 overs (IR Bell 66)
KP Pietersen retired hurt on 104 from 259/4 (60.6) to 347/6 (89.4)
Day 2
England: 350 runs in 90.4 overs (553 balls), Extras 23
7th Wicket: 50 runs in 73 balls (KP Pietersen 20, IR Bell 27, Ex 3)
England: 400 runs in 102.2 overs (624 balls), Extras 24
IR Bell: 100 off 172 balls (11 x 4)
Drinks: England - 406/6 in 103.0 overs (KP Pietersen 124, IR Bell 102)
England: 450 runs in 112.2 overs (685 balls), Extras 26
Lunch: England - 488/8 in 117.0 overs (SI Mahmood 22, SJ Harmison 30)
9th Wicket: 50 runs in 38 balls (SI Mahmood 17, SJ Harmison 34, Ex 0)
England: 500 runs in 119.2 overs (727 balls), Extras 26
Pakistan 1st innings
Pakistan: 50 runs in 17.1 overs (108 balls), Extras 9
Tea: Pakistan - 66/2 in 19.0 overs (Younis Khan 15, Mohammad Yousuf 11)
3rd Wicket: 50 runs in 48 balls (Younis Khan 31, Mohammad Yousuf 16, Ex 5)
Pakistan: 100 runs in 24.3 overs (152 balls), Extras 14
3rd Wicket: 100 runs in 111 balls (Younis Khan 44, Mohammad Yousuf 48, Ex 8)
Drinks: Pakistan - 136/2 in 33.0 overs (Younis Khan 44, Mohammad Yousuf 48)
Mohammad Yousuf: 50 off 58 balls (6 x 4)
Younis Khan: 50 off 79 balls (8 x 4)
Pakistan: 150 runs in 39.4 overs (246 balls), Extras 20
3rd Wicket: 150 runs in 226 balls (Younis Khan 63, Mohammad Yousuf 77, Ex 11)
Pakistan: 200 runs in 53.5 overs (331 balls), Extras 20
End Of Day: Pakistan - 202/2 in 55.0 overs (Younis Khan 64, Mohammad Yousuf 91)
Day 3
Mohammad Yousuf: 100 off 145 balls (11 x 4, 2 x 6)
3rd Wicket: 200 runs in 287 balls (Younis Khan 74, Mohammad Yousuf 116, Ex 13)
Pakistan: 250 runs in 65.5 overs (404 balls), Extras 22
Drinks: Pakistan - 268/2 in 71.0 overs (Younis Khan 89, Mohammad Yousuf 130)
Younis Khan: 100 off 171 balls (15 x 4)
3rd Wicket: 250 runs in 365 balls (Younis Khan 106, Mohammad Yousuf 132, Ex 13)
Pakistan: 300 runs in 78.1 overs (478 balls), Extras 22
New Ball Taken: Pakistan 303/2 after 80.2 overs (Younis Khan 117, Mohammad Yousuf 137)
Mohammad Yousuf: 150 off 216 balls (17 x 4, 2 x 6)
Lunch: Pakistan - 331/2 in 86.0 overs (Younis Khan 122, Mohammad Yousuf 160)
3rd Wicket: 300 runs in 442 balls (Younis Khan 124, Mohammad Yousuf 166, Ex 13)
Pakistan: 350 runs in 90.2 overs (551 balls), Extras 23
3rd Wicket: 350 runs in 490 balls (Younis Khan 148, Mohammad Yousuf 185, Ex 19)
Younis Khan: 150 off 243 balls (21 x 4)
Drinks: Pakistan - 399/3 in 98.3 overs (Younis Khan 152)
Pakistan: 400 runs in 98.5 overs (603 balls), Extras 28
Pakistan: 450 runs in 112.4 overs (686 balls), Extras 29
Tea: Pakistan - 451/6 in 113.5 overs (Kamran Akmal 4)
Drinks: Pakistan - 494/8 in 130.0 overs (Shahid Nazir 2, Umar Gul 5)
Pakistan: 500 runs in 132.2 overs (804 balls), Extras 30
England 2nd innings
End Of Day: England - 3/0 in 2.0 overs (ME Trescothick 0, AJ Strauss 3)
Day 4
England: 50 runs in 10.2 overs (66 balls), Extras 5
1st Wicket: 50 runs in 66 balls (ME Trescothick 25, AJ Strauss 22, Ex 5)
Drinks: England - 75/0 in 15.0 overs (ME Trescothick 36, AJ Strauss 29)
England: 100 runs in 21.6 overs (137 balls), Extras 10
1st Wicket: 100 runs in 137 balls (ME Trescothick 46, AJ Strauss 44, Ex 10)
AJ Strauss: 50 off 68 balls (6 x 4)
ME Trescothick: 50 off 88 balls (8 x 4, 1 x 6)
Lunch: England - 121/0 in 30.0 overs (ME Trescothick 54, AJ Strauss 54)
England: 150 runs in 36.2 overs (229 balls), Extras 18
1st Wicket: 150 runs in 229 balls (ME Trescothick 55, AJ Strauss 77, Ex 18)
Drinks: England - 180/1 in 45.0 overs (AJ Strauss 88, AN Cook 13)
England: 200 runs in 49.1 overs (308 balls), Extras 21
AJ Strauss: 100 off 153 balls (13 x 4)
Tea: England - 237/4 in 58.3 overs (PD Collingwood 4)
England: 250 runs in 60.4 overs (380 balls), Extras 24
6th Wicket: 50 runs in 73 balls (PD Collingwood 15, CMW Read 31, Ex 5)
Drinks: England - 299/6 in 72.2 overs (CMW Read 31)
England: 300 runs in 72.3 overs (452 balls), Extras 28
New Ball Taken: England 323/7 after 80.3 overs (CMW Read 45, MJ Hoggard 8)
CMW Read: 50 off 78 balls (6 x 4, 1 x 6)
Pakistan 2nd innings
End Of Day: Pakistan - 0/0 in 1.0 overs (Salman Butt 0, Taufeeq Umar 0)
Day 5
Drinks: Pakistan - 48/1 in 15.0 overs (Taufeeq Umar 7, Younis Khan 17)
Pakistan: 50 runs in 15.2 overs (96 balls), Extras 8
Lunch: Pakistan - 84/5 in 28.0 overs (Younis Khan 29, Inzamam-ul-Haq 0)
Pakistan: 100 runs in 32.2 overs (198 balls), Extras 11
Drinks: Pakistan - 148/8 in 44.1 overs (Inzamam-ul-Haq 30)
Pakistan: 150 runs in 45.5 overs (279 balls), Extras 14
Test Match Scorer: Satish Kumar

BALL BY BALL DETAILS FOR DAY 5
Panesar finishes with 3 for 39, well bowled. "Montstrous," suggests wannabe-Sun-headline-writer Andrew Miller but he has a point, that was some way to finish: stumped Read, bowled Panesar.

Well, well, England well and truly blew Pakistan away there to wrap up the series 2-0 ahead of the final Test which starts at The Oval on the 17th. But today belongs to England and particularly their young bowlers, with three wickets for Panesar and 4 for 22 for Saj Mahmood, from eight overs. Glorious stuff.

Andrew Miller notes that that's England's first series victory since the Ashes last summer, and Pakistan's first defeat since their tour of Australia in 2004-05, six series ago. Perhaps Pakistan can restore some pride in Kennington next week, but before that, all the celebrating will be done by England. Thanks for joining myself and Will Luke over the past five days; this has been scintillating stuff and we hope for more next time.
47.5 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, OUT, and that’s it, England have won the series with that wicket. That was a sharp stumping by Read to dismiss Inzamam, who was out by some distance, there. Inzamam came charging down the pitch in a final act of defiance.
Inzamam-ul-Haq st Read b Panesar 37 (84m 73b 6x4 0x6) sr: 50.68
47.4 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, pitches on leg and that’s well defended
47.3 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, doesn’t quite drive that one properly and it cannons into the pitch
47.2 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, defended
47.1 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, pitches outside off, turns away and that sneaks past the outside edge into Read’s gloves
End of over 47 (5 runs) - Pakistan 155/9

Danish Kaneria 0* (2b) SI Mahmood 8-2-22-4
Inzamam-ul-Haq 37* (68b 6x4) MS Panesar 17-4-39-2


46.6 Mahmood to Danish Kaneria, no run, attempted yorker, a little too full, Kaneria spots it and digs it out - Inzamam will be on strike again
Stat attack courtesy of Andrew Miller: Inzy's just got past Alec Stewart (8463) and is now the 11th-highest run-scorer in Test history
46.5 Mahmood to Inzamam-ul-Haq, 1 run, strays down leg this time, stops a touch on the pitch, Inzamam waits for it and rolls his wrists over that one, sending it square with a languid pull
46.4 Mahmood to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, a curious shot from Inzamam who goes for a big pull shot but the ball doesn’t get up as much as he’d thought and it flies below his under edge
46.3 Mahmood to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, forced on to the back foot. Hostile this from Mahmood, who’s scenting blood
46.2 Mahmood to Inzamam-ul-Haq, FOUR, beautiful shot; there’s no messing there from Inzamam who larrups a charging cover-drive straight to the boundary. Glorious
46.1 Mahmood to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, ooh, lovely ball bounces short and shoots past the batsman’s nose
End of over 46 (1 run) - Pakistan 150/9

Danish Kaneria 0* (1b) MS Panesar 17-4-39-2
Inzamam-ul-Haq 32* (63b 5x4) SI Mahmood 7-2-17-4


45.6 Panesar to Danish Kaneria, no run, forward defence and Kaneria survives
45.5 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, 1 run, a single at last to square
45.4 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, that one deceives and leaves Inzamam who tries to drive that one
45.3 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, again Inzamam isn’t interested in the single, as he paddles that one down to fine leg
45.2 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, shortish one, keeps low and Inzamam sweeps that lazily, lovingly, to square but turns down the single
45.1 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, rocks on to his backfoot to push that gently into fully
End of over 45 (1 run) - Pakistan 149/9

SI Mahmood 7-2-17-4
Inzamam-ul-Haq 31* (58b 5x4) MS Panesar 16-4-38-2


44.6 Mahmood to Umar Gul, OUT, gone! Well, that didn’t take long. Gul prods forward and a huge edge just below the handle flies to Collingwood at third slip who snaffles a sharp chance. This game is England's for the taking
Umar Gul c Collingwood b Mahmood 0 (4m 4b 0x4 0x6) sr: 0.00
44.5 Mahmood to Umar Gul, no run, fine delivery; perfect line and length and a touch of inswing off the seam. The batsman reaches out at that one and then remonstrates with himself for that headrush
44.4 Mahmood to Umar Gul, no run
44.3 Mahmood to Umar Gul, no run, rises on his back foot to defend
44.2 Mahmood to Inzamam-ul-Haq, 1 run, the batsmen had crossed there, so Inzamam faced and he squeezes that one into midwicket
Hello again everyone. Wow, huge response to where everyone is and how sneaky you’re all being – apart from the bosses among you, good work, all round. But now let’s get right back to the cricket, with England needing just two more wickets to take the series.

Rather feel sorry for Harmison, who Nazir had climbed into in his previous over. Nevertheless it's another wicket for Mahmood, so well done that man. Pakistan are down and out here - England have been exceptionally professional after lunch. It's drinks out in the middle, and drinks here too as I hand over to Jenny Thompson for what could be the final hour of the day. T'ra
44.1 Mahmood to Shahid Nazir, OUT, short and on middle stump, rising on Nazir who mistimes a pull, top-edging it miles in the air to Trescothick at slip. Typical tail-end shot
Shahid Nazir c Trescothick b Mahmood 17 (26m 20b 3x4 0x6) sr: 85.00
End of over 44 (4 runs) - Pakistan 148/7

Inzamam-ul-Haq 30* (57b 5x4) MS Panesar 16-4-38-2
Shahid Nazir 17* (19b 3x4) SJ Harmison 15-3-62-0


Mahmood to replace Harmison
43.6 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, FOUR, and he skips down the pitch smacking Panesar over long-on for four, a wonderful free-flowing strike
43.5 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, the arm ball from Monty turning back into Inzamam who stays in his crease to play it off the back foot
43.4 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, blocked out, but a better length this time causing slight indecision
43.3 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, well flighted on middle and Inzamam skips outside leg, just a touch, driving him fluently. Too full to trouble him
43.2 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, on leg, nudged to short-leg and Ian Bell flings the ball back to Read, forcing Inzamam to jab his bat down
43.1 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, crunched powerfully but straight to cover
End of over 43 (10 runs) - Pakistan 144/7

Shahid Nazir 17* (19b 3x4) SJ Harmison 15-3-62-0
Inzamam-ul-Haq 26* (51b 4x4) MS Panesar 15-4-34-2


42.6 Harmison to Shahid Nazir, no run, bouncer and he evades it


COMENTARY FOR PAKISTAN'S SECOND INNINGS

Commentary

3rd Test: England v Pakistan at Leeds, Aug 4-8, 2006

England 1st innings
Full innings comms
Fours | Sixes | Wickets
ME Trescothick 28
AJ Strauss 36
AN Cook 23
KP Pietersen 135
PD Collingwood 31
IR Bell 119
CMW Read 38
MJ Hoggard 0
SI Mahmood 34
SJ Harmison 36
MS Panesar 5*

Mohammad Sami 2/135
Umar Gul 5/123
Shahid Nazir 1/101
Danish Kaneria 2/111
Taufeeq Umar 0/8
Salman Butt 0/18




Pakistan 1st innings
Full innings comms
Fours | Sixes | Wickets
Salman Butt 20
Taufeeq Umar 7
Younis Khan 173
Mohammad Yousuf 192
Inzamam-ul-Haq 26
Faisal Iqbal 0
Kamran Akmal 20
Mohammad Sami 19
Shahid Nazir 13*
Umar Gul 7
Danish Kaneria 29

MJ Hoggard 1/93
SJ Harmison 1/142
SI Mahmood 2/108
MS Panesar 3/127
KP Pietersen 0/14
PD Collingwood 1/33




England 2nd innings
Full innings comms
Fours | Sixes | Wickets
ME Trescothick 58
AJ Strauss 116
AN Cook 21
KP Pietersen 16
PD Collingwood 25
IR Bell 4
CMW Read 55
SI Mahmood 2
MJ Hoggard 8
SJ Harmison 4
MS Panesar 5*

Mohammad Sami 3/100
Umar Gul 2/76
Shahid Nazir 3/32
Danish Kaneria 2/126




Pakistan 2nd innings
Full innings comms
Fours | Sixes | Wickets
Salman Butt 16
Taufeeq Umar 11
Younis Khan 41
Mohammad Yousuf 8
Faisal Iqbal 11
Kamran Akmal 0
Inzamam-ul-Haq 37
Mohammad Sami 0
Shahid Nazir 17
Umar Gul 0
Danish Kaneria 0*

MJ Hoggard 1/26
MS Panesar 3/39
SJ Harmison 0/62
SI Mahmood 4/22




Filtered commentary - Pakistan 2nd innings

0.1 Hoggard to Salman Butt, no run
0.2 Hoggard to Salman Butt, no run, another leave, four balls left till the close now
0.3 Hoggard to Salman Butt, no run, straight ball this time and a late defence
0.4 Hoggard to Salman Butt, no run, that pitches on off and it’s driven off the back foot. Well picked up at cover and shied back in
0.5 Hoggard to Salman Butt, no run, ooooh, very close indeed. Butt tries to drive that one and nearly, very very nearly, edhes that one and it swings late away from him and on to Read
0.6 Hoggard to Salman Butt, no run, jams his bat down on that one convincingly, well played. And that’s stumps
Monty Panesar is to open the bowling! What a move this is from Strauss

Here we go then. And yes, we acknowledge the hundreds of emails to tell us that all four results are possible. Honestly, you lot. The players are out on the pitch and Strauss is giving the team-talk to England in their huddle

10.40am
Keep an eye on Andrew McGlashan's bulletin, updated throughout the day. Andrew Miller, our man at the ground, says "Huge interest in this final day. The crowds aren't exactly beating down the gates a la Old Trafford last summer, but there were long queues snaking in both directions around St Martin's Lane, outside the ground. Already the stands are about a quarter full, so by the time play begins there should be a healthy throng."


10.05am
Good morning and welcome to the final day at Headingley. I’m Will Luke and, with Jenny Thompson, we’ll be taking you through the concluding three sessions of this Test. And what a day we have in store, too. Pakistan need 323 to win. England need 10 wickets. Andrew Strauss, widely criticised at Lord’s for a rather delayed declaration, was positivity personified last night and identified Monty Panesar as the key to England’s chances of winning. He could well be right: Panesar’s opposite number, Danish Kaneria, bowled superbly yesterday – chicken wings and all – gaining not inconsiderable turn on what is a decidedly worn pitch.

Meanwhile Strauss’s opposite number, Inzamam-ul-Haq, has been cleared of major injury. Forced to spend most of yesterday in the dressing-room, an X-Ray in hospital revealed there were no significant problems despite the chest pains he experienced. His coach, Bob Woolmer, was keen to stress the discomfort was not caused by Inzamam’s comical dismissal on day three (see video). He can bat…but not until four hours 20 minutes have passed (or until five wickets have fallen) due to the time spent off the pitch.

It’s going to be a thrilling day and we hope you’ll stick with us for all the action. We’ll give you some news from the ground as soon as we can. Drop us a note about our commentary or whatever else is on your mind...

Close, 4th day
Well, what a day today and what a day is in prospect tomorrow - with all three results possible. Pakistan did well to dismiss England before the close, but they now face a daunting ask of 323 on the final day at Headingley. We've enjoyed bringing the coverage to you, and hope that you will join us again tomorrow, on what promises to be a fine day weather-wise and cricket-wise, when it will be me and Will Luke once more to take you through the day.
End of over 1 (maiden) - Pakistan 0/0

Salman Butt 0* (6b) MJ Hoggard 1-1-0-0
Taufeeq Umar 0* (0b)


Three men round the bat
1.1 Panesar to Taufeeq Umar, no run, great line outside off stump, he comes forward to defend. “Catch it!” is the cry, but he’s safe
1.2 Panesar to Taufeeq Umar, no run, touch shorter, bit of bounce, batsman goes back to defend. Good line again
1.3 Panesar to Taufeeq Umar, no run, ooooh very close indeed! He doesn’t come forward enough, and it bobbles just wide of Bell at short-leg – Monty throws his arms up. Lucky
1.4 Panesar to Taufeeq Umar, 1 run, clipped off his legs with greater conviction this time
1.5 Panesar to Salman Butt, no run, outside off stump, defended on the front foot – great length
1.6 Panesar to Salman Butt, no run, clipped off the back foot
Harmison from the Kirkstall Lane end
End of over 2 (1 run) - Pakistan 1/0

Salman Butt 0* (8b) MS Panesar 1-0-1-0
Taufeeq Umar 1* (4b) MJ Hoggard 1-1-0-0


Three slips and a gully and a backward short-leg
2.1 Harmison to Taufeeq Umar, no run, early aggression from Harmison who sends Umar onto the back foot, a meek bouncer easily evaded
2.2 Harmison to Taufeeq Umar, no run, on middle stump and angling across the left hander who plays it neatly off the back foot with a straight bat
2.3 Harmison to Taufeeq Umar, no run, too wide and Umar can leave this alone comfortably
2.4 Harmison to Taufeeq Umar, no run, good length from Harmison forcing Umar onto the back foot, on his off stump, and he defends it solidly with a nice straight bat, head perfectly aligned with his feet
2.5 Harmison to Taufeeq Umar, no run, and again, lovely length but it’s firmly blocked out off the back foot. Time for a yorker?
2.6 Harmison to Taufeeq Umar, no run, there it is, the fuller delivery and although Umar inside-edged onto his foot, it was pretty safe
Three slips and a gully, short-leg in place

Good two overs for England. Who will it be, Panesar or Hoggard? Shame - it's Hoggard
End of over 3 (maiden) - Pakistan 1/0

Taufeeq Umar 1* (10b) SJ Harmison 1-1-0-0
Salman Butt 0* (8b) MS Panesar 1-0-1-0


3.1 Hoggard to Salman Butt, no run, on leg stump, flicked to short midwicket without timing
3.2 Hoggard to Salman Butt, no run, comes tentatively forward to this one on his off stump, prodding it into the covers. No great pace from Hoggard
3.3 Hoggard to Salman Butt, no run, excellent line, perfect length enticing the left hander forward. He defends it solidly on the front foot with great determination
3.4 Hoggard to Salman Butt, no run, just short of a good length this time allowing the batsman to rock back into his crease and punch-drive it into the covers
Huge support by the England fielders for Hoggard. “Come on Hoggy” they cry
3.5 Hoggard to Salman Butt, no run, wide this time, too wide to play and he leaves it alone
3.6 Hoggard to Salman Butt, no run, good leave! Very good leave indeed, just rising over his off stump – the first sign of some inswing to the left hander there
End of over 4 (maiden) - Pakistan 1/0

Salman Butt 0* (14b) MJ Hoggard 2-2-0-0
Taufeeq Umar 1* (10b) SJ Harmison 1-1-0-0


4.1 Harmison to Taufeeq Umar, no run, fuller ball outside the off stump and moving a touch away, dragging him forward and he plays and misses
Tickets for the main stand at Headingley today have already sold out. More on this at the end of the over
4.2 Harmison to Taufeeq Umar, no run, touch shorter this time, but a very good line. Left alone
4.3 Harmison to Taufeeq Umar, no run, straighter ball it’s pushed back to the bowler
4.4 Harmison to Taufeeq Umar, 2 runs, and Umar goes inside out here, pushing at it firmly through the covers – the first convincing drive of the morning
4.5 Harmison to Taufeeq Umar, no run, good bouncer, Umar evades it with ease though
4.6 Harmison to Taufeeq Umar, no run, sharp bounce this time, Umar sways out of the way. Quick, too (89.9mph)
End of over 5 (2 runs) - Pakistan 3/0

Taufeeq Umar 3* (16b) SJ Harmison 2-1-2-0
Salman Butt 0* (14b) MJ Hoggard 2-2-0-0


5.1 Hoggard to Salman Butt, no run
5.2 Hoggard to Salman Butt, FOUR, lovely drive, albeit with the closed face of the bat. Hoggard pitched this one up and it was driven with a flourish past mid-off
Deep silly-mid-off comes in
5.3 Hoggard to Salman Butt, FOUR, driven firmer and squarer for another fine four. Exciting stuff here!
5.4 Hoggard to Salman Butt, no run, better line from Hoggard outside the off stump, Read and the slip cordon roar their collective approval: “liking it, Hoggy” they grunt
5.5 Hoggard to Salman Butt, no run, outside off again, no swing though for Hoggard again. Butt shoulders arms
5.6 Hoggard to Salman Butt, no run, driven firmly but straight to Bell at short extra-cover who, although it was scorched straight to him, did well to collect it
End of over 6 (8 runs) - Pakistan 11/0

Salman Butt 8* (20b 2x4) MJ Hoggard 3-2-8-0
Taufeeq Umar 3* (16b) SJ Harmison 2-1-2-0


6.1 Harmison to Taufeeq Umar, no run, wrong line, wayward and too wide of the off stump
6.2 Harmison to Taufeeq Umar, no run, nasty delivery just short of a length, rising onto the batsman’s ribs but he plays it expertly, jumping back into his crease and playing it with a high and straight bat, down into the gully. Off his glove, though, and he's hurt
The Pakistan physio is on the pitch to help Umar and administer the magic spray. And he's good to go.

Three slips and a gully, fine leg, point, cover, mid-on, backward short-leg. No third man
6.3 Harmison to Taufeeq Umar, no run, far too wide. Rubbish
6.4 Harmison to Taufeeq Umar, 1 no ball, tighter line but it’s a no ball…
6.4 Harmison to Taufeeq Umar, no run, that’s better from Harmison. Umar shapes to play before wisely shouldering arms and letting the ball zip through just outside his off stump. Good bounce
6.5 Harmison to Taufeeq Umar, no run, a bouncer is easily evaded as Umar ducks well underneath it
6.6 Harmison to Taufeeq Umar, no run, pitches this up, firmly punched back to the bowler who fields it on his follow-through and aggressively flings it back to the batsman, mock-shying at his stumps. Crowd go “oooooh”, baying for blood…
Massive queues outside still. The "Green Team" are a bit slow to say the least...queues snaking down the road outside. Pretty poor show from Headingley
End of over 7 (1 run) - Pakistan 12/0

Taufeeq Umar 3* (23b) SJ Harmison 3-1-3-0
Salman Butt 8* (20b 2x4) MJ Hoggard 3-2-8-0


7.1 Hoggard to Salman Butt, no run
7.2 Hoggard to Salman Butt, no run, outside the off stump, left alone
7.3 Hoggard to Salman Butt, no run, attacking his off stump and he comes forward very confidently, with a pleasingly straight bat, defending it back to the bowler
7.4 Hoggard to Salman Butt, FOUR, fabulously driven down the ground – a check-drive; a half-volley on his off stump and it’s pumped with great timing down the ground
7.5 Hoggard to Salman Butt, no run, better length but wide enough to leave. No swing, worryingly, for Hoggard
7.6 Hoggard to Salman Butt, (no ball) FOUR, short and wide, Butt hammers it off the back foot in front of square for four. What a shot – and a no ball, too
7.6 Hoggard to Salman Butt, no run, that’s a better length, forcing Butt to squeeze an inside edge into midwicket
In case you thought my "Green Team" comment was evidence of life on Mars, it's not. They're the rather neanderthal security staff present at all Test grounds in the UK
End of over 8 (9 runs) - Pakistan 21/0

Salman Butt 16* (27b 4x4) MJ Hoggard 4-2-17-0
Taufeeq Umar 3* (23b) SJ Harmison 3-1-3-0


8.1 Harmison to Taufeeq Umar, no run, left alone
8.2 Harmison to Taufeeq Umar, no run, good ball, fuller this time from Harmison and the batsman nudges it to the leg side
8.3 Harmison to Taufeeq Umar, 2 runs, poor ball on leg stump and Harmison rather gets away with it as the left hander can only nudge it for two. This is a disappointing start for the big man
Coming round the wicket now. Good move
8.4 Harmison to Taufeeq Umar, no run, starts with a bouncer, angling into the batsman’s face who rightly ducks out of the way
8.5 Harmison to Taufeeq Umar, no run, driven confidently, arrogantly even, but straight to mid-off
8.6 Harmison to Taufeeq Umar, no run, ah that’s the line and length, left alone
Andrew Miller, the venerable geek that he is, mutters "If Pakistan win this match, they could surpass the record runs aggregate for a Test match in England, which currently stands at 1723 - the 1948 Headingley Test against Australia. But they would need to hit a four with the scores level to do so."
End of over 9 (2 runs) - Pakistan 23/0

Taufeeq Umar 5* (29b) SJ Harmison 4-1-5-0
Salman Butt 16* (27b 4x4) MJ Hoggard 4-2-17-0


9.1 Hoggard to Salman Butt, OUT, GOT’IM! The perfect length enticing the drive outside off stump and Butt’s rather crooked and flashing drive edges the ball to Marcus Trescothick at first slip
Salman Butt c Trescothick b Hoggard 16 (38m 28b 4x4 0x6) sr: 57.14
Big wicket that. Butt was looking quite firm but he rather cracked under pressure
9.2 Hoggard to Younis Khan, 2 runs, what a start for Younis, driving this full delivery down the ground – although without great timing
Man comes into a short mid-on position
9.3 Hoggard to Younis Khan, no run, Yowzers! Lovely delivery in the corridor of uncertainty, jags back to Younis who shoulders arms…close to his off stump, there. In the end a good leave
9.4 Hoggard to Younis Khan, (no ball) 1 run, too straight, Hoggard looking for Irish awayswing but it dips back into the right hander who whips it away
9.4 Hoggard to Taufeeq Umar, no run, defended ungainly without moving his feet into the covers
9.5 Hoggard to Taufeeq Umar, no run
9.6 Hoggard to Taufeeq Umar, no run
Mr Miller offers another interesting stat. "another failure for Pakistan's unsettled opening partnership," he chunters. "Four different batsmen have been used, but their returns have been uniformly poor - 28, 0, 4, 21, 34 and 23". Got an interesting stat? Let us know
End of over 10 (4 runs) - Pakistan 27/1

Taufeeq Umar 5* (32b) MJ Hoggard 5-2-21-1
Younis Khan 3* (3b) SJ Harmison 4-1-5-0


Three slips, a wide gully and a point, and a short leg plus a man standing almost on the non-striker's toes
10.1 Harmison to Younis Khan, 5 wides, oh blimey, that’s a Harmison special – miles down the leg side, short, and Read has absolutely no chance of stopping it. Get the man some Duracell – his radar’s broken down again
10.1 Harmison to Younis Khan, no run, better line, shorter and it doesn’t rise as much as Younis expects who defends off the back foot into the covers
10.2 Harmison to Younis Khan, no run, attempted pull to a leg-side-drifter, misses it and through it goes to Read
10.3 Harmison to Younis Khan, no run, crunching drive on the up! He really laced that, but straight to point
10.4 Harmison to Younis Khan, no run, oooh close! Not much bounce, outside off stump, keeps very low and Younis can’t adjust to the pea-shooter
10.5 Harmison to Younis Khan, no run, oh dear, miles down the leg side again. Quick (90mph) but ineffectively wide
10.6 Harmison to Younis Khan, no run, streaky, streaky shot there from Younis who flays his hands at it on the back foot, without moving his feet and it lands just short of extra cover
End of over 11 (5 runs) - Pakistan 32/1

Younis Khan 3* (9b) SJ Harmison 5-1-10-0
Taufeeq Umar 5* (32b) MJ Hoggard 5-2-21-1


11.1 Hoggard to Taufeeq Umar, no run, defended on the front foot
11.2 Hoggard to Taufeeq Umar, no run, excellent length enticing Umar forward who blocks it out solidly
Still three slips, but short cover seems to be creeping ever closer
11.3 Hoggard to Taufeeq Umar, no run, outside off and Umar shapes to play before bringing his bat inside the line, wisely leaving it at the last minute
11.4 Hoggard to Taufeeq Umar, no run, JUST short of second slip, it’s a lovely ball outside Umar’s off stump who flashes at it but it doesn’t quite carry to Strauss at second
Ouch, Hoggard aborts this ball as his front foot gets stuck in the crease on landing
11.5 Hoggard to Taufeeq Umar, no run, perfect line again from Hoggard, looks much more settled after that wicket. Pace is improving all the time too, and he’s making the left hander play
11.6 Hoggard to Taufeeq Umar, no run, left alone outside off
Good maiden over
End of over 12 (maiden) - Pakistan 32/1

Taufeeq Umar 5* (38b) MJ Hoggard 6-3-21-1
Younis Khan 3* (9b) SJ Harmison 5-1-10-0


12.1 Harmison to Younis Khan, no run
12.2 Harmison to Younis Khan, 2 runs, bit too full to pull but he does so anyway, clubbing it over short-leg’s head. Aggressive intent from Younis this morning…he looks like he’s had a dozen espressos before coming out to bat, absolutely fizzing with energy and intent
12.3 Harmison to Younis Khan, no run, short again and played off the back foot
12.4 Harmison to Younis Khan, 1 run, wayward line drifting down leg and he flicks it away to fine-leg
Harmison coming around the wicket now
12.5 Harmison to Taufeeq Umar, no run, and immediately he induces Umar into an airy cut outside his off stump, very close to the outside edge
12.6 Harmison to Taufeeq Umar, 2 runs, pushed defensively, neatly, to the leg side for a couple
End of over 13 (5 runs) - Pakistan 37/1

Taufeeq Umar 7* (40b) SJ Harmison 6-1-15-0
Younis Khan 6* (13b) MJ Hoggard 6-3-21-1


13.1 Hoggard to Younis Khan, 2 runs, wrong line from Hoggard and Younis clips him off his legs through to deep midwicket
13.2 Hoggard to Younis Khan, 3 runs, beautifully driven on the front foot through the covers, “catch” is the cry but the outfield is quite slow today, and he didn’t time it as well as he might. Mahmood collects
13.3 Hoggard to Taufeeq Umar, no run, aggressive, nasty length from Hoggard – short of his “natural” – and rising up, and into, the left hander who rocks back and defends with a pleasingly straight bat
13.4 Hoggard to Taufeeq Umar, no run, almost a mirror of the previous ball but Hoggard straightens his line a bit here
13.5 Hoggard to Taufeeq Umar, no run, angled off the back foot. Umar didn’t really move his feet there, prodding at it
13.6 Hoggard to Taufeeq Umar, no run, fabulous ball outside off, quick too, and just a foot or so outside his off stump. Well left by Umar
Time for Monty? He's warming up in the field...could be into the attack very soon
End of over 14 (5 runs) - Pakistan 42/1

Taufeeq Umar 7* (44b) MJ Hoggard 7-3-26-1
Younis Khan 11* (15b) SJ Harmison 6-1-15-0


14.1 Harmison to Younis Khan, no run, nasty bounce from Harmison, down the corridor of uncertainty and Younis is cramped for room – attempting to work it through leg – chopping the ball down which narrowly misses his off stump
14.2 Harmison to Younis Khan, 2 runs, too wide allowing Younis to cut it past point. Although, not a bad ploy from Harmison – it was an uppish-cut which really could have flown into the packed cordon
14.3 Harmison to Younis Khan, no run, this is good bowling, bouncing viciously into his ribs. Younis rocks back and defends it with both feet pointing down the pitch, dropping the ball down beneath him
14.4 Harmison to Younis Khan, FOUR, aggressively pulled and with immense power over midwicket, very strongly hit indeed. He was so quick onto that – and hit it in front of square, too
14.5 Harmison to Younis Khan, no run, pushed into the covers, no run on offer there
14.6 Harmison to Younis Khan, no run, clunked back to the bowler
Thanks Will. Good morning everyone! (or afternoon… or night…) Interesting stuff, this, but before we turn to the action, a few of you have been emailing in to ask where the wicket alert has gone. Well, if you can hold your horses for the next Test (and not your ‘houses’ as I just mistyped) then there will be a new alerts product which will actually be far better than the old alert. Hurrah! In the meantime, you’ll just have to risk opprobrium from your bosses, sorry… Worth it, though, I’d say, given the state of the game.


“Since 1954, Pak have only had to bat last in a Test match in England on eight occasions, and they have never yet chased down a target,” volunteers Najeem. Interesting. Here’s Jenny to take you through until lunch. And, in response to several requests we’ve had to provide the required run-rate, it currently stands at 3.62. Drop us a line if you like. What a fascinating first hour
End of over 15 (6 runs) - Pakistan 48/1

Younis Khan 17* (21b 1x4) SJ Harmison 7-1-21-0
Taufeeq Umar 7* (44b) MJ Hoggard 7-3-26-1


15.1 Panesar to Taufeeq Umar, no run
15.2 Panesar to Taufeeq Umar, FOUR, sliced away through backward point, a risky shot, and that had the silly mid-off jumping and turning his back
15.3 Panesar to Taufeeq Umar, no run, pushed up more, defended this time
15.4 Panesar to Taufeeq Umar, no run, played defensively into the rough area and that just dropped short of Ian Bell at short leg
15.5 Panesar to Taufeeq Umar, no run
15.6 Panesar to Taufeeq Umar, no run, got that one to go over the batsman’s top edge, very close indeed, and that flies behind Read, where the first slip picks it up
Great over that from Monty, had the batsmen jumping, the fielders jumping, all sorts of excitement going on. Mahmood to bowl now, let's see if he can find the same sort of tasters he was dishing up in the first innings
End of over 16 (4 runs) - Pakistan 52/1

Taufeeq Umar 11* (50b 1x4) MS Panesar 2-0-5-0
Younis Khan 17* (21b 1x4) SJ Harmison 7-1-21-0


16.1 Mahmood to Younis Khan, no run, straight, keeps low and forces the batsman on to the backfoot, where he jabs it down eventually
16.2 Mahmood to Younis Khan, no run, didn’t quite connect with an on-drive which Bell dives right over and grabs with his right hand for a good stop
So, the field: three slips, deep point, cover, mid-off, ridiculously straight mid-on, fine leg, and a sweeper on the square-leg boundary
16.3 Mahmood to Younis Khan, no run, shouldered arms and the ball sails through on a good length
16.4 Mahmood to Younis Khan, no run, left alone again
16.5 Mahmood to Younis Khan, no run, speared right in, good line and that moves into the short midwicket area where it’s picked up and fired back in to Read
16.6 Mahmood to Younis Khan, no run, pitches on a good length, rises, but it’s outside the off stump and so that’s left alone
16.6 Mahmood to Younis Khan, no run, pitches on a good length, rises, but it’s outside the off stump and so that’s left alone
Harmison has left the field, so Michael Powell from Glamorgan comes on to field at mid-on
End of over 17 (maiden) - Pakistan 52/1

Younis Khan 17* (27b 1x4) SI Mahmood 1-1-0-0
Taufeeq Umar 11* (50b 1x4) MS Panesar 2-0-5-0


17.1 Panesar to Taufeeq Umar, no run, big shout for a catch at silly point
17.2 Panesar to Taufeeq Umar, no run, big turn back into the left hander
17.3 Panesar to Taufeeq Umar, no run, tried to drive that to short midwicket who picks it up and shapes to shy it back in at the keeper
17.4 Panesar to Taufeeq Umar, OUT, the ball pitches just outside off, turns and the batsman bottom edges that one on to his pad where it flies up to Cook short in on the off-side. Panesar deserved that wicket, and he bounds up and down in delight (some may call it a skip): he’d had the batsman in all kinds of bother
Taufeeq Umar c Cook b Panesar 11 (79m 54b 1x4 0x6) sr: 20.37
17.5 Panesar to Mohammad Yousuf, no run, round the wicket and it’s defended first up by Yousuf
17.6 Panesar to Mohammad Yousuf, FOUR, reaches out for that one, no effort required in that cover-drive (or at least it seemed that way, such is his skill) and the ball runs away to rapturous applause from the Pakistan contingent of the crowd. Game on, all right
Now the England section of the crowd cheer Monty for a fabulous over with a big breakthrough
End of over 18 (4 runs) - Pakistan 56/2

Mohammad Yousuf 4* (2b 1x4) MS Panesar 3-0-9-1
Younis Khan 17* (27b 1x4) SI Mahmood 1-1-0-0


18.1 Mahmood to Younis Khan, no run, defended
18.2 Mahmood to Younis Khan, 2 runs, on a good length, but the batsman gets a thick outside edge on that one off the back foot and it flies to point for two
18.3 Mahmood to Younis Khan, FOUR, short and the batsman waits for that, pushing it away behind a diving backward point who can’t get anywhere near it, even at full stretch
18.4 Mahmood to Younis Khan, 1 leg bye, strayed on to a legside line and Khan works that easily off his legs, erm, literally as that's a leg-bye
18.5 Mahmood to Mohammad Yousuf, no run, tries to work that out on the on-side off the off stump line and Mahmood stops the rebound by diving down on it. Thoughts of a single are soon brushed aside
18.6 Mahmood to Mohammad Yousuf, no run, defended
Hey gang, just to reiterate, we can't add the required run-rate to the scoreboard, as that requires all sorts of crazy coding that takes a while and buckles brains much bigger than ours. But we can update it from time to time. And at the moment Pakistan need 3.61 from a minimum of 72 overs. We can update you on the field too - four crowding the bat for Monty
End of over 19 (7 runs) - Pakistan 63/2

Mohammad Yousuf 4* (4b 1x4) SI Mahmood 2-1-6-0
Younis Khan 23* (31b 2x4) MS Panesar 3-0-9-1


19.1 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run
19.2 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, defended
19.3 Panesar to Younis Khan, 1 run
19.4 Panesar to Mohammad Yousuf, 2 runs, ooh, the batsman was drawn into that one. He pushed that one through and a huge outside edge off an attempted cut flies over the slips
19.5 Panesar to Mohammad Yousuf, no run, ooh (again). That one flew off the edge again but drops nowhere near the slips
19.6 Panesar to Mohammad Yousuf, 2 runs, driven commandingly off the middle of the bat right to the boundary where a sliding Pietersen gathers and returns. Lovely shot
Word from Andrew Miller. "That earlier stat was nonsense. Pakistan have had four successful run-chases in England: Lord's 1982, Lord's 1992, The Oval 1992, and The Oval 1996. But they've not exactly been stretched. The highest of those chases was 138, and the lowest was, err ..., 2!"
End of over 20 (5 runs) - Pakistan 68/2

Mohammad Yousuf 8* (7b 1x4) MS Panesar 4-0-14-1
Younis Khan 24* (34b 2x4) SI Mahmood 2-1-6-0


20.1 Mahmood to Younis Khan, no run, defended
20.2 Mahmood to Younis Khan, no run, tucked onto the back foot, nearly squared up, defends
20.3 Mahmood to Younis Khan, OUT, what an extraordinary run to be taking there. A disastrous judgement from the batsmen. It was dabbed down behind square so technically it was Yousuf's call and Collingwood with the underarm sling does for Yousuf. Let’s not underestimate what a big blow that is for Pakistan – and, conversely, what a huge boon for England
Mohammad Yousuf run out 8 (13m 7b 1x4 0x6) sr: 114.28
Faisal Iqbal strides in on a king pair, and KP of course can't resist a word as he does
20.4 Mahmood to Faisal Iqbal, no run, strays down leg
20.5 Mahmood to Faisal Iqbal, 3 runs, off the pair with a lovely clip off his legs. Panesar flings that one in from the boundary
20.6 Mahmood to Younis Khan, no run, defended off the backfoot
20.6 Mahmood to Younis Khan, no run, defended off the backfoot
Cheers from the crowd at the end of the over, recognising the huge importance of that wicket for England's chances of winning
End of over 21 (3 runs) - Pakistan 71/3

Younis Khan 24* (38b 2x4) SI Mahmood 3-1-9-0
Faisal Iqbal 3* (2b) MS Panesar 4-0-14-1


21.1 Panesar to Faisal Iqbal, 1 run, helped out square
In case you're wondering, Inzamam cannot bat until No. 7, because his chest/rib problem has been deemed an internal injury by the match referee
21.2 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, tucked up, forward defence
21.3 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, on the money again and the batsman can only defend – probing, tight lines here from Monty
21.4 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, looked to work it out square, but defended at the last minute
21.5 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, the batsman goes for a huge swipe of a sweep but misses it and it just hits his bat. He looks to have been a tad rattled by the chatter of the close-in fielders (and there are a hatful) and this sort of head-rush has resulted
21.6 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, defended once more to round off a good over from Panesar
End of over 22 (1 run) - Pakistan 72/3

Younis Khan 24* (43b 2x4) MS Panesar 5-0-15-1
Faisal Iqbal 4* (3b) SI Mahmood 3-1-9-0


22.1 Mahmood to Faisal Iqbal, no run, waits for that one on the back foot and simply offers the full face in defence
22.2 Mahmood to Faisal Iqbal, no run, an on-drive squirts up, but keeps low and soon falls into space at short midwicket
22.3 Mahmood to Faisal Iqbal, no run, good pace, just above 90mph, from Mahmood and that one’s defended this time. Nice seam-up stuff from the bowler
22.4 Mahmood to Faisal Iqbal, 1 run, that one’s taken off his legs and lazily whipped to square
22.5 Mahmood to Younis Khan, no run
22.6 Mahmood to Younis Khan, no run, speared right in, dug out with a drive of sorts. Mahmood picks that one up and flings it back in at Read. Good pressure here from England and you sense the momentum is with them right now. Can they take any more wickets before lunch?
End of over 23 (1 run) - Pakistan 73/3

Younis Khan 24* (45b 2x4) SI Mahmood 4-1-10-0
Faisal Iqbal 5* (7b) MS Panesar 5-0-15-1


23.1 Panesar to Faisal Iqbal, 1 run, thick inside edge behind square
23.2 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, a front foot push of a defensive shot move out to the covers
23.3 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run
23.4 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, huge throaty roars from England after Khan’s attempted sweep is dived on by short leg. There didn’t appear to be any bat on it, though
23.5 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, defended
23.6 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, cut away
End of over 24 (1 run) - Pakistan 74/3

Younis Khan 24* (50b 2x4) MS Panesar 6-0-16-1
Faisal Iqbal 6* (8b) SI Mahmood 4-1-10-0


24.1 Mahmood to Faisal Iqbal, 1 run, strayed down leg and that’s helped to a very wide long leg
24.2 Mahmood to Younis Khan, 1 run, went forward, thick inside edge flew behind square to fine leg
"The run-rate creeps up to 3.66," says the ever-helpful Andrew of Millersville, "but for those of you who desperately need to know, it'd probably be easier to keep your calculator open, and divide runs required by overs left. We believe in the 3 R's here at Cricinfo."
24.3 Mahmood to Faisal Iqbal, FOUR, straight-driven four, lovely crunching shot
24.4 Mahmood to Faisal Iqbal, OUT, full ball down the leg side, hit with nearly the full face of the bat and Read pouches the ball, diving low to his left. A sharp take indeed and England will be licking their lips. Pakistan have some rebuilding work to be doing here now
Faisal Iqbal c Read b Mahmood 11 (16m 11b 1x4 0x6) sr: 100.00
24.5 Mahmood to Kamran Akmal, no run, forward drive pushed back to the bowler
24.6 Mahmood to Kamran Akmal, OUT, pearler of a delivery, pitches on a good length, rises, and Akmal can only edge that one through to Read as he’s squared up a treat. That’s an easier catch for Read this time, but he still hangs on to it. Pakistan are in tatters here and it’s no wonder Akmal trudges off so slowly.
Kamran Akmal c Read b Mahmood 0 (2m 2b 0x4 0x6) sr: 0.00
Huge, huge cheers for Mahmood, of course...

Pakistan will need a captain's innings to sort them out, and Inzamam strides in, though he'll be at the non-striker's end to begin with, as that was of course the over
End of over 25 (6 runs) - Pakistan 80/5

SI Mahmood 5-1-16-2
Younis Khan 25* (51b 2x4) MS Panesar 6-0-16-1


25.1 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, defended
25.2 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, more defensive stuff, Panesar continues to ask those questions
25.3 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, defended once more
25.4 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, strong defence from Khan; he knows he's got a job to do to rescue Pakistan
25.5 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, yet more defending on the front foot
25.6 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, and, guess what, a defensive shot to end the over. You can’t blame Khan at all, though; he’s got some job on his hands
End of over 26 (maiden) - Pakistan 80/5

Younis Khan 25* (57b 2x4) MS Panesar 7-1-16-1
Inzamam-ul-Haq 0* (0b) SI Mahmood 5-1-16-2


26.1 Mahmood to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, 91.2mph bouncer delights the crowds and the batsman ducks that
26.2 Mahmood to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, another bouncer, fast and would-be nasty, but down the off side channel and Inzamam decides to take his bat away from it at the last minute after thinking about going for a back foot shot
26.3 Mahmood to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, Inzamam just gets his bat down on that one in time as it comes in low, full and pitches on off stump
“I was just looking at the over comparison for the three innings so far,” writes David Wagstaff. “After 89 overs (which is when England's second innings finished) the scores were remarkably similar – 346 for 5, 343 for 2 and 345 for 10. For this reason, I would stake a large amount of money against the draw. England should get the wickets but if they don't I am quite sure that Pakistan will get the runs.” Admittedly, he did send that in before Mahmood's last over.
26.4 Mahmood to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, leaves that one
26.5 Mahmood to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, another short one, rises and swings in at Inzamam and ultimately over him. The batsman thought about swishing at it, but changed his mind – and probably wisely
26.6 Mahmood to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, slower ball, pitches in line with off stump but hardly gets up off the pitch
End of over 27 (maiden) - Pakistan 80/5

Inzamam-ul-Haq 0* (6b) SI Mahmood 6-2-16-2
Younis Khan 25* (57b 2x4) MS Panesar 7-1-16-1


27.1 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, in on a good length and defended
27.2 Panesar to Younis Khan, FOUR, good shot, that was four all the way; cracking cover-drive, reaching out for that one and going down on one knee
27.3 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, picked Pietersen out at backward point with a back foot cut
27.4 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, crouches over to defends that. “Yeeees,” chirp the close-in pack
27.5 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run
27.6 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, more defence - and that's lunch
Andrew Miller: Only three teams have made a 500-plus score in the second innings of the match, and gone on to lose the game. South Africa (506) against Australia at Melbourne in 1910-11, Pakistan (574 for 8 dec) against Australia at Melbourne in 1972-73, and Sri Lanka (547 for 8 dec) against ... yes, Australia, at Colombo in 1992. That last match, incidentally, was Shane Warne's breakthrough performance. He took 3 for 11 to sneak a 16-run win. Maybe the same will one day be said of Sajid Mahmood ...

Welcome back one and all. And, as Richie Benaud might say, what a game of cricket we’re witnessing here today. He’d be spot on, too – it’s a corker and by no means are England home and dry just yet. They are, though, in the box seat after picking out five wickets in the morning session. However, two of Pakistan’s most impenetrables are at the crease, like two dams. Here come the players and we’re nearly ready to get going

Lunch
So, England are in the driving seat now, after taking five wickets in an energetic morning session.

But don't just take our word for how exciting it's all been. The fans have voted with their feet and run down to Headingley to catch up with the rest of the day, so much so that the day is now a sell-out. So, you'll just have to stick with us, I'm afraid, though there are worse fates. Um, aren't there?

Now, while you're twiddling your thumbs itching for the next session - which will be brought to you by Will Luke - we have a message from our lovely colleague in product development, the debonair Andrew Hall. “There's a new cricket version of the fantastic card game Top Trumps,” he says. That's good news, of course, but what I’d like is to play online, and for it to be full of live stats from Cricinfo.

“You can play it online,” he continues, “and it’s full of live stats from Cricinfo.” Brilliant. “And,” he adds, “it’s a great way to while away a quiet over or two.” Well, in this match, you’d be lucky, but maybe that’s something for you to play now, during lunch. Go on, go on, go on.


Meanwhile, an apology from Cricinfo for Marc Knoll. "I was given a formal warning for having the site open permanently," he says. "I can now only read and follow during my lunch hour, when I will promptly overdose on... not as good as being at the cricket of course, but a very close second." Cheers Marc (and sorry again, eek)
End of over 28 (4 runs) - Pakistan 84/5

Younis Khan 29* (63b 3x4) MS Panesar 8-1-20-1
Inzamam-ul-Haq 0* (6b) SI Mahmood 6-2-16-2


28.1 Harmison to Inzamam-ul-Haq, 1 run, down the leg side, and short – not rising enough to trouble Inzamam who paddles it around the corner
28.2 Harmison to Younis Khan, 3 runs, just a touch too full and Younis pushes this, nothing more, down the ground forcing mid-off to sprint back to the boundary. No power in the shot
28.3 Harmison to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run
28.4 Harmison to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, down the leg side, utterly wasted delivery
28.5 Harmison to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, and it’s an improved length and line from Harmison this time forcing Inzamam forward who defends with typical solidity
28.6 Harmison to Inzamam-ul-Haq, FOUR, short. Wide. Outside off. Cut. Four. Rubbish.
Here comes Monty
End of over 29 (8 runs) - Pakistan 92/5

Inzamam-ul-Haq 5* (11b 1x4) SJ Harmison 8-1-29-0
Younis Khan 32* (64b 3x4) MS Panesar 8-1-20-1


29.1 Panesar to Younis Khan, 2 runs, wide of the leg stump, too wide for it to turn and it’s flicked down to fine leg
29.2 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, quicker ball, perhaps the arm ball, batsman leaves this well alone. Too short, too, although it didn’t bounce much
29.3 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, That’s better. On middle, well flighted and attacking his stumps
29.4 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, And again he comes forward to a well-pitched delivery on off
29.5 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, on middle-and-leg and squirted to leg, good length
29.6 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, ah ha, there we go, a little bit of turn there – best ball of the over has the batsman in two minds as he opens the blade of the bat at the last minute to angle it down
Three slips and a leg-slip for Harmison, and a gully
End of over 30 (2 runs) - Pakistan 94/5

Younis Khan 34* (70b 3x4) MS Panesar 9-1-22-1
Inzamam-ul-Haq 5* (11b 1x4) SJ Harmison 8-1-29-0


30.1 Harmison to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, reasonable line outside off, ignored by the right hander
30.2 Harmison to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, yowzers that was close! Short, and Inzamam rightly stayed back in his crease but it ducked down low and his attempted late-cut missed the ball…just. Jagged back late, too
30.3 Harmison to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, ooh another good one from Harmison (88mph) wide of the off stump but spearing back into the right hander. Touch of reverse swing, perhaps
30.4 Harmison to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, a real firecracker from Harmison! Quick, angling into Inzamam’s off stump who comes forward to defend before it straightened markedly to miss his outside edge. Jaffer
30.5 Harmison to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, ever-so-slightly fuller allowing Inzamam to meet it with a heavy, solid bat this time
30.6 Harmison to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, good end to a fine over, jagging back into Inzamam
End of over 31 (maiden) - Pakistan 94/5

Inzamam-ul-Haq 5* (17b 1x4) SJ Harmison 9-2-29-0
Younis Khan 34* (70b 3x4) MS Panesar 9-1-22-1


31.1 Panesar to Younis Khan, 1 run, short and drifting down leg, Younis sits back and whips it fine
Leg-slip comes over to gully for Inzamam
31.2 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, pushed off the back foot straight to short-leg
31.3 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, lovely ball on middle, turning just a touch and Inzamam is forced back on his crease, and to leg, playing it back to the bowler
31.4 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, 2 leg byes, loses his line again, Monty, and it’s off the pad from Inzamam to fine-leg
31.5 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, 1 run, Inzy takes off for a quick single, sprinting like an Elephant in the sand – well run
31.6 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, yikes that was vicious! Outside the off stump and it spits up – Chris Read takes it brilliantly, at neck height
Oh dear, we’re wreaking more more office-related havoc. This time it’s Tom Glavina. “I am between an informal warning and most likely a formal one regarding my similar use of Cricinfo at work. Long may the boss continue to not catch me, or I will be joining Marc in the 'lunchtime catchup' zone. Doesn't bear thinking about !”
End of over 32 (4 runs) - Pakistan 98/5

Younis Khan 35* (72b 3x4) MS Panesar 10-1-24-1
Inzamam-ul-Haq 6* (21b 1x4) SJ Harmison 9-2-29-0


32.1 Harmison to Inzamam-ul-Haq, 1 run, neatly played by Inzamam off the back foot into the covers for a single
32.2 Harmison to Younis Khan, 2 runs, cut off the back foot with a flourish through point, Pietersen got a hand on it at backward point and it’s tidied up by Cook – a very, very leisurely two there!
32.3 Harmison to Younis Khan, no run, cramping him for room, Younis awkwardly punches this lifted off the back foot
32.4 Harmison to Younis Khan, FOUR, dreadful ball just about hitting the cut strip and Younis, without moving his feet, simply launches it past cover for four
32.5 Harmison to Younis Khan, no run, an improved line this time, on middle stump – exactly where he ought to be bowling every ball – and it’s defended on the back foot
32.6 Harmison to Younis Khan, no run, good ball to finish the over, jagging away off the seam but it was too wide to really threaten the batsman
End of over 33 (7 runs) - Pakistan 105/5

Younis Khan 41* (77b 4x4) SJ Harmison 10-2-36-0
Inzamam-ul-Haq 7* (22b 1x4) MS Panesar 10-1-24-1


33.1 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run
33.2 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, 3 leg byes, ooh, Inzamam nearly threatened to match his first-innings tumbling effort as this leg side ball is paddled around the corner
Monty’s bowling just a bit too quick here, almost nervously so. Needs to loop it up a touch more
33.3 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, driven to mid-off
33.4 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, better, much better, on off stump and turning away. Defended calmly, though
33.5 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, there’s the arm ball on off stump and going on, well read by the batsman who stays back to defend
33.6 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run, well flighted but driven firmly back
End of over 34 (maiden) - Pakistan 108/5

Younis Khan 41* (81b 4x4) MS Panesar 11-2-24-1
Inzamam-ul-Haq 7* (24b 1x4) SJ Harmison 10-2-36-0


34.1 Harmison to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, driven with a high left elbow, firmly, to mid-off
34.2 Harmison to Inzamam-ul-Haq, FOUR, short and wide, Inzamam carves this with relish through the off side
This is dreadful bowling I’m afraid, and all too easy for Inzamam
34.3 Harmison to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, again short but Harmison finds his line, and – as you might expect – it rises viciously onto Inzamam who fends it off his throat.
Harmison getting tetchy now, annoyed with himself
34.4 Harmison to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, the bouncer but easily evaded by Inzamam
34.5 Harmison to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, very short and Inzamam sways out of the way. No need to play at those
34.6 Harmison to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, played off the back foot by Inzamam
That’ll be Harmison’s last over for a while, I imagine
End of over 35 (4 runs) - Pakistan 112/5

Inzamam-ul-Haq 11* (30b 2x4) SJ Harmison 11-2-40-0
Younis Khan 41* (81b 4x4) MS Panesar 11-2-24-1


35.1 Panesar to Younis Khan, no run
35.2 Panesar to Younis Khan, OUT, HE’S BOWLED HIM! It’s a crackerjack rip-snorting jaffa from the Montster! Lands it on middle-and-leg, Younis comes forward, misses, and it turns to hit the top of his off stump, just removing the bail. A remarkable ball, turning out of the rough
Younis Khan b Panesar 41 (109m 83b 4x4 0x6) sr: 49.39
Here comes Mohammad Sami

Inzy's having extensive running repairs while the new batsman comes out
35.3 Panesar to Mohammad Sami, no run, lands it outside off, an enourmous appeal from the increasingly vocal Chris Read, and the bowler, but it’s not out
35.4 Panesar to Mohammad Sami, no run, ooh, he tosses this up on leg, turning away, and it’s well defended by Sami coming forward
35.5 Panesar to Mohammad Sami, no run, shorter, quicker too and Sami is stuck in his crease. Fortunately no turn there and he defends
35.6 Panesar to Mohammad Sami, no run, lovely bowling, forcing him forward
What an over
End of over 36 (wicket maiden) - Pakistan 112/6

Mohammad Sami 0* (4b) MS Panesar 12-3-24-2
Inzamam-ul-Haq 11* (30b 2x4) SJ Harmison 11-2-40-0


36.1 Harmison to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, chipped to mid-on
36.2 Harmison to Inzamam-ul-Haq, 1 run
36.3 Harmison to Mohammad Sami, no run, this swings in again, to Sami this time, and he fishes outside off. Well bowled – a nervous poke and prod from the batsman
36.4 Harmison to Mohammad Sami, OUT, Sami comes forward solidly, pushes out into the covers, Pietersen sprints in from point. Picking it up one-handed and flings it into the stumps to the waiting fielder who whips off the bails, and he’s short. A dreadful, pointless run but quite brilliant fielding from Pietersen – his second run-out of this match
Mohammad Sami run out 0 (6m 6b 0x4 0x6) sr: 0.00
Harmison has lost a slip with Inzamam on strike
36.5 Harmison to Inzamam-ul-Haq, FOUR, short, and rising, but Inzamam swats it brilliantly over midwicket for a commanding four
36.6 Harmison to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, pushed forward straight to mid-off
End of over 37 (5 runs) - Pakistan 117/7

Inzamam-ul-Haq 16* (34b 3x4) SJ Harmison 12-2-45-0
Shahid Nazir 0* (0b) MS Panesar 12-3-24-2


37.1 Panesar to Shahid Nazir, no run, on middle and defended on the front foot
37.2 Panesar to Shahid Nazir, no run, too short, allowing Nazir to play it off the back foot. Read urges Monty to pitch it up
37.3 Panesar to Shahid Nazir, 1 run, but this time it’s down the leg side and Nazir neatly nudges it fine
37.4 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, 2 runs, well flighted and turning back into Inzamam, but he adjusts superbly, as he always does, whipping him through leg
37.5 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run
37.6 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, punched off the back foot
The office horror tales are flying in thick and fast. Rohan writes: “My boss is away and I have had to steal a password and then log-on to cricinfo just to catch the cricket. I hope I don’t lose my job…” So do we.

“A more happy tale,” chirps Richard Liggins. “My office obviously likes cricket, as I have not been warned. However, a colleague was warned for looking on a Star Trek website. Live long and (may cricinfo.com) prosper.”

Also prospering is Andy Wyatt, who says: “I’m working out my notice until September 1st, so can view your commentary with impunity, and keep other less fortunate workers here informed of events.” Then he pats himself on the back. “Top stuff!” Indeed.

And this from Lakshman. "I’m only a student, so I don’t work. But I’m in the middle of exams, and I’ve been issued a very formal and scary warning from my mum about reading cricinfo instead of studying. Umm, I’m not sure which is worse, the getting sacked or facing the wrath of mum."
End of over 38 (3 runs) - Pakistan 120/7

Inzamam-ul-Haq 18* (37b 3x4) MS Panesar 13-3-27-2
Shahid Nazir 1* (3b) SJ Harmison 12-2-45-0


38.1 Harmison to Shahid Nazir, no run, full bunger from Harmison which he edges short of the wicketkeeper. Harmison’s all over the shop today
38.2 Harmison to Shahid Nazir, no run, slow ball – actually, that’s rubbish, it was 86mph – defended off the back foot. Perhaps it came off the pitch a touch slower. Yes, that’ll be it
38.3 Harmison to Shahid Nazir, no run, comes forward to this straight, accurate delivery and punches it back to the bowler
38.4 Harmison to Shahid Nazir, no run, cracker from Harmison. That’s where he should bowl, short of a length and it jags back into the batsman, bouncing awkwardly, and misses an airy waft from the batsman’s outside edge. A frustrated grunt and roar from the bowler
38.5 Harmison to Shahid Nazir, no run, backs away to leg to a severely fast ball (91.2mph) but he plays this comfortably enough to cover
38.6 Harmison to Shahid Nazir, no run, full and straight, clunked back to Harmison who athletically dives to stop it in front of the non-striker
"Monty is absolutely galloping up from fine leg. He can't wait to get back into the action, " says Cricinfo's own Andrew Miller

“As the boss it is difficult to chase my staff when I cannot keep my mind or eyes off this match,” says Cliff Halls. Now there's a leader to inspire us all.
End of over 39 (maiden) - Pakistan 120/7

Shahid Nazir 1* (9b) SJ Harmison 13-3-45-0
Inzamam-ul-Haq 18* (37b 3x4) MS Panesar 13-3-27-2


39.1 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, on middle and defended
39.2 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, 2 runs, lovely shot, beautifully played by Inzamam who rocks back and turns his wrists, timing it nicely through midwicket
39.3 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, FOUR, too full, flighted on Inzamam’s middle stump but it’s right up in his block hole. Inzy simply leans on it, caressing it through the covers for another glorious four
39.4 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, GONE! Dropped! Shorter and quicker and it spits on Inzamam who fends it off to short-leg but Bell can’t take it. Panesar is furious but he need not be. He’s just outwitted one of the best players of spin
39.5 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run
39.6 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, 1 run, nudged past Bell for a single
End of over 40 (7 runs) - Pakistan 127/7

Inzamam-ul-Haq 25* (43b 4x4) MS Panesar 14-3-34-2
Shahid Nazir 1* (9b) SJ Harmison 13-3-45-0


40.1 Harmison to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, outside off and ignored by the batsman
40.2 Harmison to Inzamam-ul-Haq, 1 run, Inzamam comes forward, laconically, forcing it out through the covers
40.3 Harmison to Shahid Nazir, no run, boshed to mid-off. Innocuous ball from Harmison outside the off stump
40.4 Harmison to Shahid Nazir, FOUR, quicker ball outside off, Nazir attempts to launch him over long-on somewhere into the Leeds countryside…but it spears off his outside edge down to third man, and he rather quizzically wonders how it ended up where it did
40.5 Harmison to Shahid Nazir, 2 runs, chipped through midwicket
40.6 Harmison to Shahid Nazir, no run
End of over 41 (7 runs) - Pakistan 134/7

Shahid Nazir 7* (13b 1x4) SJ Harmison 14-3-52-0
Inzamam-ul-Haq 26* (45b 4x4) MS Panesar 14-3-34-2


41.1 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, on leg stump, Inzy goes back but it turns and he’s rapped on the pads. Well bowled
41.2 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, pads this away to short-legtoo full and Inzamam smothers it, clunking it back to the bowler
41.3 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, too full and Inzamam smothers it, clunking it back to the bowler
41.4 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, “Howwww” is the half-appeal from Monty and Read as Inzamam pads this away
41.5 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, defended off the back foot, expertly, by Inzamam
41.6 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run
I am my own boss," David Morris proclaims, "and am sitting in my office in Rome following the game with you." Alright for some. "I am well aware that I am not setting a very good example to my staff (all Italian)," he continues, "and I have considered explaining cricket to them but they just wouldn't understand (or care less probably!)"

So, where are you?
End of over 42 (maiden) - Pakistan 134/7

Inzamam-ul-Haq 26* (51b 4x4) MS Panesar 15-4-34-2
Shahid Nazir 7* (13b 1x4) SJ Harmison 14-3-52-0


42.1 Harmison to Shahid Nazir, no run, backs away to leg and plays it off the back foot, rather ungainly but effectively
42.2 Harmison to Shahid Nazir, no run, yikes, a swing-and-a-miss. The only thing he connected with was fresh air, there. And maybe a stray wasp or fly
42.3 Harmison to Shahid Nazir, FOUR, outside off, an awkward bouncer which is fended by Nazir over the slips
Fly slip in – a short third-man effectively
42.4 Harmison to Shahid Nazir, FOUR, shot! Outside off and Nazir climbs into it, backing to leg – as is his wont – but it’s too short and wide from Harmison and Nazir flays it over cover for four
42.5 Harmison to Shahid Nazir, 2 runs, bit of class there from Nazi, as he chips Harmison through the same extra-cover region – but without the timing of the previous shot
42.6 Harmison to Shahid Nazir, no run, bouncer and he evades it
End of over 43 (10 runs) - Pakistan 144/7

Shahid Nazir 17* (19b 3x4) SJ Harmison 15-3-62-0
Inzamam-ul-Haq 26* (51b 4x4) MS Panesar 15-4-34-2


43.1 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, crunched powerfully but straight to cover
43.2 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, on leg, nudged to short-leg and Ian Bell flings the ball back to Read, forcing Inzamam to jab his bat down
43.3 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, well flighted on middle and Inzamam skips outside leg, just a touch, driving him fluently. Too full to trouble him
43.4 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, blocked out, but a better length this time causing slight indecision
43.5 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, the arm ball from Monty turning back into Inzamam who stays in his crease to play it off the back foot
43.6 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, FOUR, and he skips down the pitch smacking Panesar over long-on for four, a wonderful free-flowing strike
Mahmood to replace Harmison
End of over 44 (4 runs) - Pakistan 148/7

Inzamam-ul-Haq 30* (57b 5x4) MS Panesar 16-4-38-2
Shahid Nazir 17* (19b 3x4) SJ Harmison 15-3-62-0


44.1 Mahmood to Shahid Nazir, OUT, short and on middle stump, rising on Nazir who mistimes a pull, top-edging it miles in the air to Trescothick at slip. Typical tail-end shot
Shahid Nazir c Trescothick b Mahmood 17 (26m 20b 3x4 0x6) sr: 85.00
Hello again everyone. Wow, huge response to where everyone is and how sneaky you’re all being – apart from the bosses among you, good work, all round. But now let’s get right back to the cricket, with England needing just two more wickets to take the series.

Rather feel sorry for Harmison, who Nazir had climbed into in his previous over. Nevertheless it's another wicket for Mahmood, so well done that man. Pakistan are down and out here - England have been exceptionally professional after lunch. It's drinks out in the middle, and drinks here too as I hand over to Jenny Thompson for what could be the final hour of the day. T'ra
44.2 Mahmood to Inzamam-ul-Haq, 1 run, the batsmen had crossed there, so Inzamam faced and he squeezes that one into midwicket
44.3 Mahmood to Umar Gul, no run, rises on his back foot to defend
44.4 Mahmood to Umar Gul, no run
44.5 Mahmood to Umar Gul, no run, fine delivery; perfect line and length and a touch of inswing off the seam. The batsman reaches out at that one and then remonstrates with himself for that headrush
44.6 Mahmood to Umar Gul, OUT, gone! Well, that didn’t take long. Gul prods forward and a huge edge just below the handle flies to Collingwood at third slip who snaffles a sharp chance. This game is England's for the taking
Umar Gul c Collingwood b Mahmood 0 (4m 4b 0x4 0x6) sr: 0.00
End of over 45 (1 run) - Pakistan 149/9

SI Mahmood 7-2-17-4
Inzamam-ul-Haq 31* (58b 5x4) MS Panesar 16-4-38-2


45.1 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, rocks on to his backfoot to push that gently into fully
45.2 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, shortish one, keeps low and Inzamam sweeps that lazily, lovingly, to square but turns down the single
45.3 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, again Inzamam isn’t interested in the single, as he paddles that one down to fine leg
45.4 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, that one deceives and leaves Inzamam who tries to drive that one
45.5 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, 1 run, a single at last to square
45.6 Panesar to Danish Kaneria, no run, forward defence and Kaneria survives
End of over 46 (1 run) - Pakistan 150/9

Danish Kaneria 0* (1b) MS Panesar 17-4-39-2
Inzamam-ul-Haq 32* (63b 5x4) SI Mahmood 7-2-17-4


46.1 Mahmood to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, ooh, lovely ball bounces short and shoots past the batsman’s nose
46.2 Mahmood to Inzamam-ul-Haq, FOUR, beautiful shot; there’s no messing there from Inzamam who larrups a charging cover-drive straight to the boundary. Glorious
46.3 Mahmood to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, forced on to the back foot. Hostile this from Mahmood, who’s scenting blood
46.4 Mahmood to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, a curious shot from Inzamam who goes for a big pull shot but the ball doesn’t get up as much as he’d thought and it flies below his under edge
46.5 Mahmood to Inzamam-ul-Haq, 1 run, strays down leg this time, stops a touch on the pitch, Inzamam waits for it and rolls his wrists over that one, sending it square with a languid pull
Stat attack courtesy of Andrew Miller: Inzy's just got past Alec Stewart (8463) and is now the 11th-highest run-scorer in Test history
46.6 Mahmood to Danish Kaneria, no run, attempted yorker, a little too full, Kaneria spots it and digs it out - Inzamam will be on strike again
End of over 47 (5 runs) - Pakistan 155/9

Danish Kaneria 0* (2b) SI Mahmood 8-2-22-4
Inzamam-ul-Haq 37* (68b 6x4) MS Panesar 17-4-39-2


47.1 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, pitches outside off, turns away and that sneaks past the outside edge into Read’s gloves
47.2 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, defended
47.3 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, doesn’t quite drive that one properly and it cannons into the pitch
47.4 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, no run, pitches on leg and that’s well defended
47.5 Panesar to Inzamam-ul-Haq, OUT, and that’s it, England have won the series with that wicket. That was a sharp stumping by Read to dismiss Inzamam, who was out by some distance, there. Inzamam came charging down the pitch in a final act of defiance.
Inzamam-ul-Haq st Read b Panesar 37 (84m 73b 6x4 0x6) sr: 50.68
Panesar finishes with 3 for 39, well bowled. "Montstrous," suggests wannabe-Sun-headline-writer Andrew Miller but he has a point, that was some way to finish: stumped Read, bowled Panesar.

Well, well, England well and truly blew Pakistan away there to wrap up the series 2-0 ahead of the final Test which starts at The Oval on the 17th. But today belongs to England and particularly their young bowlers, with three wickets for Panesar and 4 for 22 for Saj Mahmood, from eight overs. Glorious stuff.

Andrew Miller notes that that's England's first series victory since the Ashes last summer, and Pakistan's first defeat since their tour of Australia in 2004-05, six series ago. Perhaps Pakistan can restore some pride in Kennington next week, but before that, all the celebrating will be done by England. Thanks for joining myself and Will Luke over the past five days; this has been scintillating stuff and we hope for more next time.

FROM:
MICHEAL

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Check Official thread please.

*snap*