England vs Pakistan – Pakistan delay inevitable defeat
Published:England endured a frustrating session as Pakistan dug in to delay an inevitable defeat on day three of the second Test at Edgbaston.
The tourists, already 1-0 down in the series, lurched to 101 for six – still 78 short of making England bat again – when Graeme Swann had Umar Amin stumped, over-balancing in defence, for his fourth wicket just after lunch.
But by tea, there had been no further breakthrough as debutant wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider and Mohammad Aamer batted with great determination – if relatively few runs – on the way to 150, only 29 behind.
Pakistan are 5/6 to make over 200 runs, and they will be aiming to make England bat again.
Off-spinner Swann (four for 23) bowled an unbroken 24-over spell on a pitch offering him significant assistance, going for 67 balls without conceding a run at one stage.
The halted progress – Pakistan had stumbled from 53 for one to 94 for five in the last hour of the morning – appeared all too much for Stuart Broad, who vented his anger by throwing a ball back at Haider at the end of an over.
Broad was presumably so convinced he previously had Haider caught behind – enough to gamble and lose England’s last review – that he was still seething when he needlessly hit the batsman on his shoulder.
To make matters worse for Broad, he should have run Aamer out for one in the next over – but his throw to the non-striker’s end was far too high.
Do Pakistan stand any chance? They are 33/1 to win. See the full England vs Pakistan Match Betting Odds market.
