Complacency and a hint of carelessness perhaps, added to the desire to push on in the match, may have cost Pakistan dear in their effort to win the third Test and take the series.

If the first day had belonged totally to them, then yesterday was England's turn and they hit back with sufficient venom to be confident, if not of winning the match, then of saving it.

From 292 for three overnight and looking good for 500 plus, seven Pakistan wickets tumbled for only a further 123 runs. Four of them fell to Ashley Giles and there were two at the death for Darren Gough and one for Craig White.

All out 405 was no more than Pakistan would have expected on winning the toss but fewer than England might have been anticipating. It still left them requiring 206 to avoid the follow-on, a daunting prospect with the ball turning more quickly perhaps than in the first two Tests.

By the time play was halted with four overs still to be bowled, Mike Atherton and Hussain had taken England to 79 for the single loss of Marcus Trescothick, the victim of a spectacular one-handed catch by Imran Nazir. To round up and dispatch the remainder of the Pakistan innings so efficiently says much for the resilience of the England bowlers. From the first over in which Inzamam twice plastered Andy Caddick to the boundary, it looked as if he and Youhana were picking up where they had left off the previous evening, when they recorded a marathon 259 partnership.

Inside an hour, though, both batsmen had gone. Ten overs had been bowled and 33 added when Giles' first ball, a low full toss, accompanied no doubt by an equally low oath, was driven back firmly by Youhana, on 117. Giles instinctively thrust out his right hand and found the ball smacking into his palm.

Three overs later, Inzamam on 142 drove a wide half-volley from White to the left of Trescothick at cover who clung on.

Three more wickets went to Giles, with Abdur Razzaq caught at slip, the ball rebounding from Alec Stewart's gloves; Moin Khan offering a simple chance to mid-on from the leading edge; and Afridi allowing a ball that pitched on middle-stump to move away gently and hit off as he watched with bat upraised. Gough mopped up for a return of four for 94.