Pakistan Nearly Blow It

Despite the busyness of the antipodean umpiring collective of Davis, Hill and Bowden, Pakistan won the 3rd Test against England by four wickets.

Finn departed quickly leaving Pakistan a target of 147. Despite the loss of Yasir early - caught via a juggling act by Swann at second slip - Farhat and Butt set after the required runs at a pace, bringing up the first fifty at a run a ball. It was almost as though they knew Pakistan might not last over time so best get runs quickly. Swann trapped Farhat in front trying to sweep and the opener left after asking Bowden for a critique but the reviews were not good. The old pro Yousuf steadied the ship with the new skipper Butt and they moved steadily to the hundred but soon after it was up, Swann spun one off Butt's outside edge to Collingwood at slip and that was just about lunch.

After lunch, Anderson came into play. Azhar Ali hit to leg - literally hitting Cook's leg at short leg - and Anderson swept a return onto the stumps at the bowlers end via Swann's hand and the hesitation between Ali and Yousuf left Ali short. Run outs always cause the blood pressure to rise and the batsmen to get jittery and when the batsmen are from Pakistan, that reaction is amplified. Soon after, Anderson bowled a beautiful inswinger which cleaned up Yousef and then Kamran Akmal padded up to a big off spinner from Swann in the next over and was again out twice after Hill and Bowden both judged correctly that the top of off stump was endangered.

All this nervous nelly stuff came too late to save England but it had been a good showing of the threat their attack, especially Swann and Anderson, pose. Even they, however, find it hard to win Test matches when the batsmen fail twice.