Pakistan set for a competitive chase

THE ROSE BOWL—3rd ODI between Pakistan and England is well poised after the later scored a competitive total of 271 in their allotted 50 over. Paul Collingwood and Dalrymple scored 61 and 62 respectively. Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell led a confident England batting display in the third one-dayer against Pakistan at The Rose Bowl, before Pakistan levelled the contest with two quick wickets at the halfway stage.
After dominating the first two matches, Pakistan's bowlers were short of the mark in the first 15 overs, bowling too short and allowing England too much width. Bell and, in particular Strauss, took full advantage on a pitch offering little movement, crunching boundaries and - for the first time in one-dayers this summer - finally showing positive intent. It worked too.
Perhaps Strauss was spurred on by the loss of Marcus Trescothick - spectacularly bowled by Shoaib Akhtar with the first ball of the match - but, whatever his inspiration was he took the attack to Pakistan. Skipping down the pitch to Mohammad Asif, he chipped him for singles to upset his line before clattering a boundary down to third man and wristily flicking him with authority through midwicket. England were staging a recovery, and Inzamam was beginning to regret his decision to field.
While Strauss was intent on exuding aggressive intent, Bell was batting with his customary elegance and played all Pakistan's seamers with ease, particularly elegant through the leg side. After lacking any conviction in the seven one-dayers so far this summer, England were beginning to shine and reached 54 for 1 from 10 overs. Shoaib and Asif were soon replaced by Rana Naved and Abdul Razzaq, yet they too sprayed the ball around. Strauss pounced on Razzaq, again taking a couple of paces down the pitch to crunch him over extra cover. No sooner had he registered a very fine 45-ball fifty, his 10th, than he thick-edged Razzaq to the wicketkeeper Akmal.
Kevin Pietersen, yet to fire this series, marched to the crease and immediately got off the mark with a well-run single. On a rare outing to his home ground, he appeared bullish and confident at the crease, racing to 20 with his habitual flicks through midwicket. When they find the middle of the bat, they race for four and the crowd gasp in astonishment. When they don't, the shot appears arrogant, stupid even - and so it was, as he tried to flick a wide delivery from Rana but it was simply too short, and it handed gully the simplest of chances.
With England's key batsman back in the hutch, Inzamam brought Shoaib back into the attack who foxed Bell quite superbly. After narrowly evading a snorting bouncer, he mistimed a drive the following delivery and was caught in the covers. From 113 for 2, England stumbled to 125 for 4. The average first innings total on this pitch in 2006 has been 261: England will need that, and some, else Pakistan's batsmen could make hay.—Agencies