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| July 29, 2006 | Saturday | Rajab 2, 1427 |
Runs for England, ruins for Pakistan on 2nd day
MANCHESTER, July 28: Pakistan face a record deficit in the second Test as England thumped home their advantage, mainly thanks to a serene century from Alastair Cook and a late blitz from Ian Bell.
No team has ever conceded such a large lead as 342 runs and won a Test match. A record-breaking victory appears unthinkable with Pakistan's rapid surrender of Old Trafford. Such is their predicament that an honourable defeat will be a minor triumph.
With the spineless - and lest we forget slabless - performance in the first innings, Inzamam-ul Haq's players have left themselves pining for a miracle to escape Manchester on level terms.
A heavenly intervention might well come, however, because rain is forecast for the next three days at Manchester.
But with the pride of Pakistani batsmanship unable to last a mere forty overs in the first innings at Old Trafford, a serious doubt hangs over this team's ability to survive the last three days even if they are traditionally Mancunian and soggy.
For their part Pakistan's bowlers performed reasonably for the first two sessions at Old Trafford with Umar Gul being the pick of them. But reasonable is no longer good enough.
Pakistan required a spectacular performance from their depleted attack to haul themselves back into this game.
Umar Gul did find a much improved line and swing to trouble England. With intermittent support and occasional fire from Mohammad Sami, Pakistan kept England in check until sloppiness won the day in the final session.
Pakistan are handicapped by bowlers who are missing and by bowlers who are playing as if they are missing in action. Danish Kaneria pressurised England at times without ever seriously threatening to run through them.
Worse still, Abdul Razzaq confirmed that his transition to a front-line bowler is a fanciful ambition.
Using him as a third seamer has become a fool's gamble. But that doesn’t take much away from Ian Bell’s fine knock. He has, indeed, looked the part.
Pakistan also dropped two more catches. Younis Khan missed Paul Collingwood on 37, and Kamran Akmal dropped Matthew Hoggard. Neither miss proved to be expensive but they were symptomatic of an uninspired display, as was a half-hearted appeal by Gul and his fielders when Cook was on 79. Replays showed that the ball would have clipped leg stump.
The only tangible encouragement for Pakistan was the sight of Shoaib Akhtar limbering up in the nets. If the result now goes as expected there will be real pressure to hurry him back for the third Test at Headingley.
To highlight Pakistan's bowling poverty, they have conceded a massive lead to England despite the absence of Andrew Flintoff and despite containing Kevin Pietersen.
You would think that most bowlers are unlikely to lose sleep over the rest of England's batting order. Pakistan, in truth, have made them look formidable, even failing to snuff out the tail.
The ninth wicket stand between Bell and Harmison was the final droop in Pakistan's display of impotency.
Today's stern examination will be hampered by the news that Imran Farhat fractured a finger in his left hand in catching Pietersen. Farhat, rated by Jonty Rhodes as Pakistan's best catcher in the training camp, has made catching a complicated and now bone-breaking business. Faisal Iqbal is another hand injury.
Both young men will be required to fight through their pain, though, and it was a surprise, and a welcome display of commitment, to see Farhat emerge to open Pakistan's innings.
His team is in desperate need of heroes, and even its heroic middle-order may not be formidable enough for this task.
It might be enough though if the Manchester sky does what it does best and rains down on Old Trafford and England 's near-certain victory. If anybody knows a rain dance do it now.
Scoreboad
PAKISTAN (1st innings) 119 (S Harmison 6-19)
ENGLAND (1st innings, overnight 168-2)
M. E. Trescothick c Akmal b Sami 5
A. J. Strauss c Akmal b Razzaq 42
A.N. Cook lbw b Gul 127
K.P. Pietersen c Farhat b Gul 38
P.D. Collingwood c Sami b Gul 48
I.R Bell not out 106
G.O Jones lbw b Sami 8
S. Mahmood c&b Razzaq 12
M.J. Hoggard lbw b Afridi 6
S. Harmison c Akmal b Kaneria 26
M. Panesar not out 3
EXTRAS (B-9, LB-10, NB-14, W-7) 40
TOTAL (for 9 wickets decl, 133 overs) 461
FALL OF WKTS: 1-30 2-95 3-169 4-288 5-304 6-321 7-357 8-384 9-457
BOWLING: Sami 28-5-92-2 (w-1); Gul 28-2-96-3 (nb-6 w-1); Razzaq 19-4-72-2 (nb-5 w-5); Kaneria 37-8-106-1 (nb-1); Afridi 21-0-76-1 (nb-2)
PAKISTAN (2nd innings)
Kamran Akmal not out 2
Imran Farhat not out 9
EXTRAS (W-1) 1
TOTAL (for no loss, 4 overs) 12
TO BAT: Younis Khan, Faisal Iqbal, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Sami, Umar Gul, Danish Kaneria.
BOWLING: Hoggard 2-0-10-0; Harmison 1-0-2-0 (w-1); Mahmood 1-1-0-0.
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