Pakistan made a good recovery on Monday after Marcus Trescothick’s 193 gave England a big first-innings lead in the first cricket Test.
Pakistan — trailing by 144 in the first innings — finished the third day at 125 for two. The home team now trail by just 19 runs, with the likes of experienced batsmen captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Yousuf to follow.
Opening batsman Salman Butt — who scored 74 in the first innings of 274 runs — was batting on a resolute 53. Butt put on 93 runs for the second wicket with vice-captain Younis Khan (48) in two hours before Andrew Flintoff dealt a blow in the penultimate over of the day.
Khan looked in good touch on an easy-paced wicket but guided Flintoff’s short delivery straight to Trescothick’s hands in the slip.
Trescothick spearheaded England — which resumed at the overnight 253-3 — to 418 with a fantastic knock. But he fell seven runs short of his second Test double hundred and his team were bowled out an hour after lunch.
Trescothick then grabbed a two-handed catch in the first slip to dismiss opener Shoaib Malik (18) an hour before tea, but Khan and Butt scored at more than four-an-over and went for tea at 64 for one.
Leading in the absence of injured Michael Vaughan, Trescothick and Flintoff ensured England took a big lead with nearly a run-a-minute sixth-wicket partnership of 93 runs in the first session.
Trescothick, who resumed at 135, held the England innings together until he was the seventh man out — at 388 — after spending nearly eight hours at the wicket.
His marathon innings included 20 boundaries and two big sixes and came off 305 balls before he edged seamer Shabbir Ahmed’s away swinger to wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal.
Paceman Shoaib Akhtar finally got a wicket in his 18th over of the innings when he had night watchman Matthew Hoggard (1) caught behind.
Kevin Pietersen’s (5) poor run of form on the current tour continued. After hitting Danish Kaneria for a boundary, he was caught by Butt at forward short leg. Pietersen had made just 16 runs in the four innings of two warm-up games.
However, Flintoff continued his fine Ashes form and blazed a quickfire 45 with seven boundaries before he was caught in the deep off Akhtar’s delivery, before Pakistan took the second new ball in the 98th over of the innings at 366-6.
Pakistan’s substitute fielder Rana Naved fumbled fatally twice.
He failed to hit the stumps at the striker’s end when, on 26, Flintoff was only halfway down the crease. Trescothick also had a lucky escape on 181 when Naved put down a straightforward catch at deep square leg.
Ahmed was the leading wicket-taker with four for 54, while Akhtar took three wickets but conceded 99 runs. Leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, whom Inzamam had tipped to be the key player for Pakistan before the match, ended up with just one wicket for 106. — Sapa-AP