Pakistan On The Verge

Pakistan have bowled their way to the verge of a victory in the Third Test against England under the gasometers at the Oval, despite an Alistair Cook hundred which will lighten the load on the England opener. Apart from Trott, who spent three and a half hours trying to save England but ended it with a rash shot and then a 45 minute cameo from Pietersen laced with boundaries, the rest of the English could only manage single figures.

Joint responsibility for this second collapse lay with Mohammad Amir, who again kept the ball in dangerous places and just waited to pounce when England lost their way but the same could also be said of his usual partner in crime, Asif, who also bowled an immaculate line but without his pace bowling partners rewards. It was throwing arm which deserted him. Probably the stand out bowling performance of the day was that of off spinner Saeed Ajmal who, just as he did at Edgbaston, made several of the highly fancied batsmen who faced him look quite ordinary. This 32 year old virtual rookie whose experience in Test cricket before England has been some success on the subcontinent and two expensive wickets against Australia in Melbourne last summer, has bowled well in the Old Dart. Cricket fans would remember his work in the last Twenty20 World Cup as being most satisfactory. It was a lovely drifting off break that fooled Pietersen for length and upset his woodwork that started the English second innings collapse that has left them only 146 runs in front.

In England's defence, they battled hard yesterday with Cook, once receiving free passage for a edge between first and second slip, playing with the confidence that brings a batsmen into form and beyond. He will, however, never play a more unusual shot to score a hundred. On 97, he pushed a ball from Asif back down the wicket and then watched in disbelief as Asif picked up and sent a shy at the stump, over Cook's head, over Akmal's head and down to the boundary. Where was Asif all those times I was in the 90's?

What happens tomorrow is any body's guess. Pakistan have played the way they normally do here. They are a side that can hurt you but then they lay down in the next Test, next day or next session. This was a good day, afterall, Kamran Akmal held four catches and dropped none. You would think that England's lead is insufficient but as Pakistan have been out for less than a hundred twice already in this series, England would feel they only need to bowl tightly and hold their catches.

Perhaps the man back from the indefinite, Yousuf, may wish to have a further say on that, just as he did in the first innings. In that one dig, he looked more reliable than any of the Pakistanis in the previous two Tests and he is no giddy school girl, likely to blush at James Anderson's advances.

It will likely be an interesting day. Pakistan by two wickets.