England pegged back by India

Cricket: England were pegged back by two quick wickets on the third evening of the first Test against India at Lord's.

Cricket:England were pegged back by two quick wickets on the third evening of the first Test against India at Lord's.

James Anderson's career-best Test figures secured a healthy first-innings advantage of 97 for openers Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook to build upon.

They did so with a 40-run stand but both perished to left-armer Zaheer Khan in consecutive overs of an intriguing contest.

After an afternoon session held up proceedings for a couple of hours, Strauss displayed further signs of improved form, following his first-innings 96, with a couple of fine off-side boundaries.

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But Zaheer sent him back with one which just held its line to take the outside edge and offer Sachin Tendulkar a regulation chance at first slip.

A delivery angled back in from outside off-stump then accounted for Cook as umpire Steve Bucknor upheld Zaheer's appeal.

That left captain Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen to develop the advantage further and England were 54 for two when the teams took tea due to further rain intervening.

Earlier India's innings was wrapped up in swift fashion by Lancashire paceman Anderson and fellow swing bowler Ryan Sidebottom.

Anderson finished with stunning figures of 24.2-8-42-5 while Sidebottom claimed four for 65.

Anderson completed a hat-trick of star dismissals to earn the first breakthrough of the day as Sourav Ganguly was bowled by a beauty.

That meant the 24-year-old Anderson has scalped Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Ganguly, a trio with 74 Test hundreds between them.

Ganguly, a former Old Trafford team-mate of Anderson, clipped a leg-glance for four in the first over of the day and was soon into the 30s.

But a perfectly-pitched inswinger found its way through Ganguly's defences to leave VVS Laxman and nightwatchman Rudra Pratap Singh together in a bid to reduce the first-innings arrears further.

Despite a flurry of runs in one Chris Tremlett over, however, ball dominated bat and the introduction of Ryan Sidebottom did the trick.

Singh had progressed to a Test-best score of 17 when a slog spiralled straight to mid-off.

Earlier in the over, Laxman survived a confident lbw shout thanks to an inside edge.

Anderson then claimed his 50th wicket in Tests when, having reverted to the pavilion end, he sent back Mahendra Dhoni for a duck.

Wicketkeeper Dhoni had already edged short of the slip cordon, attempting to leave a delivery alone, when another indecisive prod resulted in a straightforward catch for Ian Bell at third slip.

Veteran Anil Kumble and VVS Laxman both perished to left-armer Sidebottom but Anderson fittingly claimed his fifth when Zaheer got in a tangle and fended to slip attempting to pull.