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| November 30, 2005 | Wednesday | Shawwal 26, 1426 |
Collingwood holds faltering England together: Final Test begins
LAHORE, Nov 29: Neither Pakistan nor England could claim any advantage on the first day of the crucial third Test at Qadhafi Stadium on Tuesday. When umpires offered light to the batsmen, England had advanced to 248 for six wickets, half an hour before scheduled close of play, with 13 overs still remaining.
Of the two skippers, however, Inzamamul Haq, surely, would be far happier than his counterpart Michael Vaughan on the first day’s proceedings.
On a placid track, England squandered a good chance of posting a big total after winning the toss for the first time and given an ideal start of 101 by Vaughan, opening the innings with Marcus Trescothick. The first session belonged to the tourists who were 93 without loss at lunch.
Pakistan should have ended the day better placed but for umpire Darrell Hair who not for the first time in the series made a mistake.
He gave Paul Collingwood benefit of doubt when on 54 after the batsman edged a snorter from Shoaib Akhtar behind the wicket. TV replays and the snickometre suggested otherwise with Kamran Akmal taking a fine catch.
Collingwood finished the day unbeaten at 71 with 11 hits to the fence. Yet the England camp must be ruing losing the initiative as four of their batsmen lost wickets playing ill-judged sweep shots.
The sweeping malaise enabled Pakistan to snatch three wickets each in the next two sessions with off-spinner Shoaib Malik, already under cloud having been reported by the umpires for suspect action, dismissing the first three batsmen.
Vaughan, Trescothick and Ian Bell fell in quick succession trying to sweep unsuccessfully as the tourist nose-dived from a healthy 101 without loss to 115 for three.
Malik, surprisingly, introduced in the attack before Danish Kaneria, was the surprise package, taking three wickets off 17 balls. Apart from Collingwood, both Vaughan and Trescothick hit half centuries but failed to convert them into three figures.
Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood steadied the innings and added 68 for the fourth wicket but the big-hearted Rana Navedul Hasan struck twice bouncing out the dangerous Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff.
Pietersen, who earlier struck the day’s only six off Shoaib Malik, was acrobatically caught behind by Kamran Akmal while Flintolff mistimed a hook to be well caught by Shoaib Akhtar.
Later Kaneria, who remained wicketless in Faisalabad, claimed the wicket of Geriant Jones who too perished as he lost his middle stump trying to sweep the leg spinner.
The home attack though never menacing stuck to the job with Shoaib Malik and Rana Navedul Hasan hogging the limelight. Pakistan fielding was better than in Faisalabad although Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Yousuf put down a couple of chances.
Trescothick was dropped by Kamran when 18 off Shoaib Malik while Yousuf let off Shaun Udal on nine at short cover off Shoaib Akhtar.
England and Pakistan made two changes forced by the circumstances.
Collingwood came in for home-bound Andrew Strauss and pacer Liam Plunkett replaced veteran Ashley Giles troubled by a hip injury.
Batsmen Hasan Raza and Asim Kamal replaced grieved Younis Khan and banned Shahid Afridi.
The match will resume on Wednesday at 10.am.
Scoreboard
ENGLAND (1st Innings):
M.E. Trescothick c Kamran b Shoaib Malik 50
M.P. Vaughan c Yousuf b Shoaib Malik 58
I.R. Bell c Yousuf b Shoaib Malik 4
P.D. Collingwood not out 71
K.P. Pietersen c Kamran b Rana Naved 34
A. Flintoff c S. Akhtar b Rana Naved 12
G.O. Jones b Kaneria 4
S.D. Udal not out 10
EXTRAS (LB-2, NB-3) 5
TOTAL (for six wkts, 77 overs) 248
FALL OF WKTS: 1-101, 2-114, 3-115, 4-183, 5-201, 6-225.
TO BAT: L.E. Plunkett, M.J. Hoggard, S.J. Harmison.
BOWLING (to-date): Shoaib Akhtar 14-4-29-0 (1nb); Rana Navedul Hasan 17-3-62-2; Mohammad Sami 14-2-53-0; Shoaib Malik 14-1-58-3 (2nb); Danish Kaneria 18-2-44-1.
PAKISTAN: Shoaib Malik, Salman Butt, Asim Kamal, Mohammad Yousuf, Inzamamul Haq, Hasan Raza, Kamran Akmal, Rana Navedul Hasan, Mohammad Sami, Shoaib Akhtar, Danish Kaneria.
UMPIRES: D.B. Hair (Australia) and R.E. Koertzen (South Africa).
TV UMPIRE: Zamir Haider (Pakistan).
MATCH REFEREE: R.S. Mahanama (Sri Lanka).
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