Pakistan, India 3rd Test
Misbah leads fightback against India

BANGALORE (India)—Pakistan rode on Misbah-ul-Haq’s fighting half-century to boost their chances of avoiding a follow-on in the third and final Test against India here on Monday.
The tourists were 369-5 in their first innings at stumps on the third day in reply to India’s mammoth 626, needing just 58 more runs to avert the follow-on. Misbah (54 not out) and Kamran Akmal (32 not out), who made centuries in a similar situation in the previous Test at Kolkata, rallied Pakistan with an unfinished 81-run stand for the sixth wicket.
Pakistan were in trouble at 288-5 before Misbah and Akmal denied India further success with their responsible knocks. Misbah has so far struck eight fours in his second half-century. India also made a dubious record of conceding 70 extras, their previous highest being 60 against England in 1979. The hosts lead 1-0 in the series following their six-wicket win in the opening Test in New Delhi. The second match ended in a draw.
Pakistan were strongly placed at 221-2 before stand-in captain Younis Khan was bowled attempting a reverse-sweep off spinner Harbhajan Singh, starting a slide that saw his team lose three crucial wickets in the space of 67 runs. Younis, leading the team in a second successive Test in the absence of unfit Shoaib Malik, batted confidently during his 156-ball 80 before he fell playing one reverse-sweep too many.
He had played the same shot with success on a couple of occasions in the morning session but missed the line this time off Harbhajan, bowling round the stumps. He struck 12 fours in his 20th half-century. Younis, who scored a match-saving hundred in the previous Test, propped up the innings with a 90-run stand for the second wicket with Salman Butt (68) and 72 for the next with Mohammad Yousuf (24). After the reverse-sweep came a poor stroke that led to the dismissal of Yousuf, who uppishly drove left-arm seamer Irfan Pathan to Yuvraj Singh at point a few deliveries after exchanging words with India skipper Anil Kumble. Pakistan threw away two vital wickets just when Younis, seven overnight, and Yousuf looked set to play long innings on a track which had little for seamers and spinners even on the third day.
The Indian captain kept changing his bowlers but the next success came with the second new ball, with inexperienced Ishant Sharma making amends for a below-par performance by removing Faisal Iqbal.
Seamer Sharma, playing only his second Test, struck in his third over with the new ball when he surprised Iqbal (22) with extra bounce to have him caught by Gautam Gambhir at short-leg. It was part-time seamer Sourav Ganguly who provided the much-needed breakthrough when he dismissed left-handed opener Butt, who could add only 18 to his overnight score of 50. Spinner Harbhajan Singh and seamer Irfan Pathan shared two big wickets to rattle Pakistan in the third and final Test against India here on Monday.
Pakistan lost well-set Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf in the space of six runs before reaching 265-4 in their first innings at tea on the third day in reply to India’s 626. The tourists, trailing 1-0 in the series, now need 162 more runs to avoid a follow-on. Misbah-ul-Haq (17) and Faisal Iqbal (14) were unbeaten at the interval.
Pakistan were comfortably placed at 221-2 midway through the afternoon session when stand-in captain Younis (80) was bowled attempting a reverse-sweep off spinner Harbhajan, bowling round the stumps. Younis, leading the side in a second successive Test in place of unfit Shoaib Malik, looked solid during his 156-ball knock before playing one reverse-sweep too many.
He had played the same shot with success on a couple of occasions in the morning session, but missed the line this time. He struck 12 fours in his 20th half-century. Younis, who scored a match-saving century in the previous Test in Kolkata, sustained his team’s hopes of averting the follow-on with a 90-run stand for the second wicket with Salman Butt (68) and 72 for the next with Yousuf (24).
Pakistan suffered another setback when left-arm seamer Pathan had Yousuf caught driving by Yuvraj Singh at gully, just a few deliveries after the batsman and India skipper Anil Kumble had exchanged words. India struggled for wickets in the two-hour morning session on a placid track as Younis batted confidently against both pace and spin to help his team add 94 runs to their overnight total of 86-1.
It was part-time seamer Sourav Ganguly who provided the much-needed breakthrough when he dismissed left-handed opener Butt, who could add only 18 to his overnight score of 50.—Agencies