England close to big win

NOTTINGHAM, England (AP):

Pakistan is facing a heavy defeat against England in the first Test after lurching to 15-3 at stumps yesterday while chasing 435 for victory.

Stuart Broad took 2-14 and James Anderson 1-1 in the evening session after England declared on 262-9 at Trent Bridge.

“They bowled superbly,” Pakistan coach Waqar Younis said. “Anderson at one stage was literally unplayable, swinging the ball both ways with good pace and for the guys it was hard to handle.”

Matt Prior hit an unbeaten 102 from 136 balls, with two sixes and seven fours, as England’s last four wickets added 164 runs in the evening session, having recovered from 98-6.

“When I came to the crease it was still swinging and seaming quite a bit,” Prior said. “But the guys had taken the shine off the ball and it was a bit softer, so it was far easier.”

Umar Gul was Pakistan’s leading bowler with 3-41 and he was also their best batsman, hitting 65 not out in the morning session as the tourists avoided the follow on before being bowled out for 182.

James Anderson took 5-54 and Steven Finn 3-20.

Pakistan began the day on 147-9, requiring eight runs to ensure England batted next.
Gul hit the first ball, from Anderson, for four through mid-on and then launched a blistering attack on Finn, taking 18 off his first over to reach a maiden Test 50.

First innings lead

He then smashed three sixes from five balls, all off Finn.

The innings ended when Gul tried to take a single off the final ball of the 54th over and Morgan, fielding at point, threw down the stumps to run out Mohammad Asif for 0.
That gave England a first-innings lead of 172, but its second innings was only four balls old when captain Andrew Strauss fell on 0 to a bizarre dismissal.

Strauss edged Mohammad Aamer’s delivery to second slip, where Umar Akmal failed to hold on to the ball but flicked it up volleyball-style. His brother, wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, dived full length to take the catch, leaving England on 2-1.

Asif claimed his 100th Test wicket with the first ball of the eighth over, drawing Alastair Cook on 12 into a flick down the leg side that was caught behind.

England reached 49-2 at lunch and batting in the afternoon session proved treacherous. Just as Kevin Pietersen seemed to have played himself in on 22, he was caught behind after Gul drew an inside edge.

Missed easy chance

Gul should have had a wicket with his next ball, but Akmal dropped an easy chance from Paul Collingwood. In his next over, however, he produced a superb delivery to splay Jonathan Trott’s stumps, bowling him for 26.

Collingwood hung around for 33 minutes after his reprieve but scored a solitary single before he was lbw to Gul, a decision he opted not to review after consulting batting partner Eoin Morgan.

Morgan was the only batsman who looked comfortable, but he was run out for 17 by Umar Akmal, chasing a third run when he was sent back by Matt Prior at the end of the 38th over.

That reunited Prior with Graeme Swann, who ran him out in the first innings on Friday, and the pair added 22 runs to reach 120-6 at tea.

Pakistan’s hopes of limiting England to a manageable target were dashed by the tail in the evening session.

Swann was lbw to Danish Kaneria for 28, after a referral, but Prior moved to his 50 with a sweep off Malik in the 56th over.

Prior and Stuart Broad built England’s biggest partnership of the innings, 56, before Broad was caught at first slip by Imran Farhat off Malik in the 60th.

Anderson was out for 2 two overs later, top-edging Malik to give Kamran Akmal a steepling catch.