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Yousuf keeps Pakistan hopes high with unbeaten 84
Bureau Report
LAHORE—Pakistan lost Captain Inzamam-ul-Haq through injury to leave the
third Test against England evenly poised at the end of the second day’s
play in Lahore.
At the close, the home side were 185-4 in reply to England’s 288 all
out.
Mohammad Yousuf, dropped on 16 by Andrew Flintoff, made England pay and
was 84 not out on his home ground.
England all-rounder Paul Collingwood missed out on his maiden Test
century when he fell for 96 hooking a bouncer by Shoaib Akhtar to Danish
Kaneria.
Pakistan had got off to a shaky reply in the 20 minutes they had to bat
before lunch when opener Shoaib Malik was out for a duck, spooning a
Matthew Hoggard delivery to Liam Plunkett.
Hoggard made it 12-2 at the interval when Asim Kamal was plumb lbw for
five.
But Yousuf and Salman Butt went about restoring Pakistan’s innings,
although Yousuf had a huge let-off when the normally reliable Flintoff
dropped him in the slips.
They put on 56 for the third wicket before Butt became Plunkett’s first
Test victim.
The Durham pace bowler had looked nervous and did not seem to be bowling
any wicket-taking deliveries.
But Butt played a poor shot, attempting a cover drive but edging the
ball to wicket-keeper Geraint Jones after making 28.
Plunkett, whose wicket came with just his 11th ball in Test cricket, was
soon brought off after bowling three overs at a cost of 19 runs.
That brought Inzamam to the crease and, together with Yousuf, he
frustrated the England attack as Pakistan accumulated runs quickly to
cut down the deficit.
The Pakistan captain had to leave the field injured when he was hit on
the forearm by a rising Steve Harmison delivery just after the tea
interval. That brought the inexperienced Hasan Raza to the crease, but
he went about his business confidently, smacking Plunkett for an early
boundary.
Raza eventually went for 21 when Flintoff held onto a low catch from
Harmison. England resumed on 248-6 but lost their last four wickets for
40 runs.
Shaun Udal was dismissed facing his first ball of the day, thick-edging
spinner Kaneria to Asim Kamal at short leg.
Plunkett batted competently for nearly 90 minutes, providing great
support to Collingwood at the other end.
Collingwood was fortunate on 92 when an appeal for a catch behind was
turned down by umpire Darrell Hair.
But the reprieve was short-lived, the Durham star top-edging an
attempted hook straight down the throat of Kaneria just four runs short
of a ton.
Plunkett had been roughed up by Shoaib, taking one ball on the arm, but
he remained focused and faced 51 balls before he let one through the
gate and was bowled for nine.
Harmison did not hang around, edging Sami to wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal
for a first-ball duck. |