August 19, 2006	Saturday	Rajab 23, 1427

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LONDON, Aug 18: Friday’s opening of the Pakistan Room at The Oval should coincide with Pakistan establishing an impregnable position in this Test match.

The room is in memory of Fazal Mahmood, sponsored by Pakistani businesses, and features two rugs at one end and a bar at the other. Next to the bar is a picture of Javed Miandad.

To reach the room requires a walk along from the new press box at the Vauxhall End, past the Australia Suite, and through the Ashes Suite. The first sign that you are approaching a Pakistan zone is an informal picture of Imran Khan sharing a joke with his pupils Inzamam-ul-Haq and Wasim Akram. On the opposite wall a beardless Mohammad Yousuf plays a pull.

Action shots of Fazal, Hanif Mohammad, Zaheer Abbas, Imran, Miandad, Wasim, Waqar Younis, and Inzamam adorn the wall of the room itself. Pride of place belongs to a portrait of Fazal painted by Shahnawaz Zaidi.

The spirit of these heroes of Pakistan cricket must be inspiring the current team, and a Pakistan victory here would be a fitting way to commemorate both the opening of the room and Pakistan’s proud record at this ground.

Interruptions by rain and bad light were not enough to shake Pakistan's batsmen from their purpose — although the sight of a first hundred in England did unsettle the openers.

Both should have converted nervous nineties to centuries but this point seems hardly worth quibbling about since Pakistan's openers have struggled to make double figures in this series let alone triple figures.

These welcome nineties had little in common other than both being a pleasant surprise and both batsman's fashion for bandana headwear. Like everything else about him on Thursday, Mohammad Hafeez’s green bandana had a little more style about it.

Imran Farhat moved from 56 to 91 in a frenetic blur of drives and upper cuts. The first ball he received from Monty Panesar was a reasonable length but Imran felt compelled to launch it over wide long-on for a six. You sensed he wasn't about to last.

A flash at a wide one lofted the ball over the slips to the third man boundary and also lofted him into the nineties. Two balls later he was unable to leave a delivery angling away from him, a curse he cannot shake, as the ball landed safely in the hands of Marcus Trescothick.

Imran’s attack had been exhilarating, at times brilliant, but always a swish away from disaster.

Hafeez, who had strained a muscle in his right leg, reappeared as Imran departed. His ninety was an altogether different affair, full of patience, control, and judicious aggression. One reprieve by Panesar at long leg, as he approached his century, was not enough to help him to the landmark.

His running between wickets was hampered by recurrence of his leg injury although it appeared to have no ill effect on his stroke play. Indeed, the injury did not deter him from joining in some reckless running, and a run-out once again looked the most likely mode of dismissal.

Hafeez, in particular, deserved a century here. In one innings he has already looked the most accomplished opener that Pakistan have featured on this tour. His last international incarnation was that of batsman out of his depth.

But the Hopalong Hafeez that was on view here was comfortable at international level — a remarkable transition.

Meanwhile, little noticed other than some sumptuous cover-driving, Yousuf eased his way to another century, sharing in a free-scoring hundred partnership with Hafeez, and making batting look ridiculously easy.

This was Yousuf's fourth hundred in five matches against England, and helped him to the position of leading Test run scorer of 2006.

As one English journalist said to me: “If this what converting to Islam does for you then all the England team should convert today.”

Conversion or no conversion, if England win from here it will probably require divine intervention.