Cricket: Captain Michael Vaughan hit a defiant 17th Test hundred but England were left contemplating defeat to India in the second npower Test.
Vaughan, 32, guided his team into profit at Trent Bridge, the scene of his Test-best 197 against India five years ago.
The England captain was at the crease for nearly five hours, giving his team confidence they could deny India's push for only their fourth Test triumph on English soil in 15 Tests.
But his freakish dismissal sparked a dramatic collapse as the final seven wickets went down for 68 runs as England totalled 355 in their second innings. India, needing 73 to win, closed on 10 without loss.
Vaughan fell to an unlucky deflection off the bottom of his thigh pad which sent the ball onto his stumps as he attempted to flick left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan off his hip for 124 in the third over with the new ball.
At that stage England had wiped out India's 283-run first-innings advantage and claimed a slender four-run lead.
But India's stunning fightback represented a major turnaround in fortunes for a team who were saved from defeat by rain and bad light in the opening Test at Lord's.
England resumed 240 runs adrift today on 43 without loss and their prospects of survival were not helped when they lost opener Alastair Cook lbw to a Khan inswinger in the third over of the day.
After criticism for his field positions and his under-par over-rate in the previous Test, Vaughan had a point to prove to his critics and he responded in brilliant style.
Arriving at the crease with seamers Zaheer and Sree Sreesanth swinging the ball prodigiously, both Vaughan and opener Andrew Strauss needed their share of luck to survive the nervous early stages.
Vaughan was fortunate not to have his off stump knocked back by another Khan inswinger in the next over while Strauss took 15 balls to get off the mark.
Once both batsmen became accustomed to the conditions, however, they became more dominant with Vaughan delivering his best innings for England since his 166 against Australia at Old Trafford two summers ago.
Vaughan oozed composure throughout his innings, which included 18 fours, and refused to become distracted from his objective of saving the match even when tempers became frayed.
Kevin Pietersen was given his chance after Strauss (55) played a loose shot at a wide delivery from Khan, who finished with five wicket for 75 runs, soon after lunch.
After allegations of incessant sledging and Khan's confrontation with Pietersen on the third evening, it was always going to be spicy when the two were reunited.
Dinesh Karthik and Sourav Ganguly quickly made comments to Pietersen and Khan was also happy to add his thoughts - but in the end it was Sreesanth who unsettled England's premier batsman.
Pietersen had progressed to 19 when Sreesanth forced him into evasive action with an accidental beamer which he immediately apologised for, but it obviously unsettled the batsman because he fell only three balls later having also survived an appeal for a catch behind from left-arm seamer RP Singh.
Disappointed at the failure to win the appeal off the previous ball, Singh responded with a brilliant inswinger which trapped Pietersen in front of his stumps.
For another 28 overs, however, England dominated with Vaughan teaming up with golfing partner Paul Collingwood to forge a 112-run stand which threatened to save the game.
However, Vaughan fell in bizarre circumstances having claimed his 17th Test century and two balls later Zaheer trapped Ian Bell lbw for a duck.
By the time Singh knocked back Matt Prior's middle stump seven overs later with another extravagant inswinger, the outcome of the match seemed inevitable with only Collingwood remaining as a specialist batsman.
Television replays suggested he should have fallen for 48 when he gloved Sreesanth behind but umpire Ian Howell again rejected the appeal - but it only delayed the inevitable.
Collingwood became Khan's fifth victim of the innings with a loose shot to Karthik at first slip and with Anil Kumble running through the tail, India were firmly on course for victory.
Chasing a modest target, the tourists chose not to ask for the half hour and attempt to finish off England in four days - preferring to wait until the following morning to administer the last rites.