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Headingley all set for an action
packed climax on the final day
– Day 4, 3rd Test
at Headingley Report |
August 07, 2006 (Link to
Scorecard)
The Headingley Test Match has come alive and is
tantalizingly poised with Pakistan required to
get 323 runs in the 90 overs to be bowled
tomorrow to level this 4 tests series. It has
been an absorbing day of cricket with England
getting off to a rollicking start in the morning
session and then Pakistan pulling back things
through some great bowling. All the Pakistani
bowlers chipped in with wickets to bowl out
England for 345 in their second innings. The
hero for England was mainly Andrew Strauss who
stroked his way to a 10th Test Match hundred but
without Chris Read's brilliant half century in
the end which had come under pressure, England
would have given away a much smaller target.
Pakistan can chase this target of 323 as the
pitch has been good for the batsmen with just a
bit of assistance for the bowlers. Mohammad
Yousuf and Younis khan are in magnificent form,
so the chase on the final day's play should be
very exciting. England need to make early
inroads to stay in this game otherwise they are
gone with the outfield being a quick one and
with most short deliveries sitting up to be hit.
Monty Panesar could be the key bowler tomorrow,
but England may not be having enough fielders
around the bat to support him as they have to
keep a check on the runs as well. It will be the
best test for Andrew Strauss' captaincy on how
he would attack Pakistan besides showing the
required caution. The fourth day's play has been
another high scoring one with 342 runs scored in
the 87.3 overs bowled with 10 wickets going down
indicating that this wicket is a sportive one
indeed. So it all boils down to the pressure
factor now, the team that keeps its cool should
go on to win this match and we are not talking
about a draw, which is also a realistic
possibility, but looks like nobody is interested
in that to happen.
The start of the day wasn't as nervous as it
turned out to be towards the end with England
first required to work towards getting into the
safety zone of having a huge score on the board.
Pakistan came onto the field without their
Skipper Inzamam who was suffering from chest
pain which was the after effect of yesterday's
awkward fall over his stumps. It was a clear
blue sky over Headingley today and the two
English openers Marcus Trescothick and Andrew
Strauss started to play their shots confidently.
Trescothick had an early let off in just the 4th
over of the morning with Kamran Akmal grassing
down the most simplest of catches after Umar Gul
had produced a faint outside edge. Mohammad Sami
had a totally different spell this morning as he
kept on clocking at around 90mph consistently,
something which he couldn't do in this entire
series. The bowling from Pakistan was by no
means easy yet the two experienced England
openers punished everything that was slightly
off in line or length. Runs were coming thick
and fast at almost five runs per over which was
later brought down by a tidy spell from one
change Shahid Nazir. However Pakistan failed in
getting the much needed breakthrough before the
lunch break as England went to lunch at a solid
121 for no loss with both the openers scoring
their half centuries. For Trescothick, it was
his first score of fifty in this Series and his
innings also contained a handsome lofted off
drive for a six in Kaneria's bowling.
Trescothick couldn't carry on after lunch for
much time as he gambled at playing a cut shot to
a wide delivery that was seaming away from Umar
Gul. Trescothick (58) got a bottom edge to that
and Salman Butt at second slip pulled off a low
forward bending catch. England lost its first
wicket at 158, which gives them a lead of 135.
Danish Kaneria started to produce his magic
finally to remove Alastair Cook and Kevin
Pietersen cheaply to reduce England to 214 for
3. Cook (21) was taken at short leg as Kaneria
got his leg break to turn sharply and take the
inside edge whereas Pietersen (16) was bowled
through the bat pad gap by a googly. Kevin
Pietersen had started off his innings by
launching into Danish Kaneria with a few
stunning sweep shots against the turn which had
got the bowler to get into a battle of words and
glares with him. In the end, Danish Kaneria had
the last laugh and the chicken dance which he
did to celebrate Pietersen's departure. Strauss
did have those two partnerships with Cook and
Pietersen but he had to be careful in seeing
that England did not give Pakistan the
opportunity to run through their batting line
up. The England Skipper could not afford to
relax even though he got to his 10th hundred and
he too was gone soon leaving England in a spot
of bother. It was the last over before the Tea
Break that Strauss was dismissed with the left
hander caught up in two minds whether to play or
leave a short of length delivery from Sami. The
batsman decided to leave it but it was rather
late as the ball already took the outside edge
to get into the keeper's gloves and that was Tea
with England at 237 for 4, a lead of 214.
Strauss departed after making a delightful 116,
which had come in 171 balls with the help of 16
fours.
In the final session, Pakistan pegged away at
the wickets and they even managed to get Ian
Bell who is in the form of his life for just 4
runs. Bell was out through a fabulous catch by
Kamran Akmal diving low to his left to take the
inside edge produced by a Sami delivery that
nipped back and kept low. Collingwood kept the
England innings going along with the aggressive
Chris Read, but it wasn't for a long time as he
got out playing onto his stumps to Shahid Nazir.
Collingwood could make just 25 leaving England
at 299 for 6 and with that left Chris Read with
the lower order. Sajid Mahmood was back in the
hut in the same over of Shahid Nazir. After that
Matthew Hoggard like he always does, showed the
discipline required for a tail ender when he has
a specialist batsman at the other end and he
supported Chris Read to gather as many runs as
possible. Pakistan were getting great amount of
reverse swing but they decided to take the
second new ball and that worked in their favour
with Shahid Nazir getting the extra sting and
bounce to force Hoggard to fend his short one in
the slips. Harmison played one good shot to get
a boundary but he got out soon playing another
aerial drive. Chris Read was left with just
Monty Panesar and the last pair for England
added 13 runs before Read dragged his forcing
shot onto his stumps off Mohammad Sami. Pakistan
were left to play one over before the close of
play which they did through Salman Butt
negotiating the six balls from Hoggard.
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