Cricket/ Test Match: England so dominated the second day of this first Test that by the time Shoaib Akhtar's bouncer cannoned into the chest of Marcus Trescothick, prompting the umpires to offer the light with nine overs remaining, they had batted their way to 253 for three and within 21 of Pakistan's first-innings 274.
Trescothick had no hesitation in leading the nightwatchman, Matthew Hoggard, to the sanctuary of the dressing-room. The England captain pro-tem - although maybe not for too long given the enthusiastic way Michael Vaughan was jogging and, with appropriate leggings, going through what appeared to be one of Max Wall's silly-walking routines - had batted brilliantly for more than five hours.
He sweated buckets for his undefeated 135, his 13th Test century, none of them made with more diligence or thought.
He will have required no reminding last night just how badly a significant first-innings lead was needed if the advantage of the first two days was not to be wasted.
England's attack, led by the redoubtable Andrew Flintoff, had responded magnificently to the challenge of bowling first on the sort of surface to deaden the hopes of any bowler. But the new ball, only a few overs old, swung enough in yesterday's morning mistiness to disquiet better batsmen than Pakistan's lower order and served up a cautionary tale.
The pitch is turning, for wrist and finger spin alike. The prospect of chasing even a modest target on the fourth or fifth day would not be an appetising one. England's objective would have been to get enough runs in one hit.
The fulcrum of their innings was the second-wicket partnership of 180 between Trescothick and Ian Bell who made 71 before he was undone by the turn and bounce of the offspinner Shoaib Malik and caught at short leg.
If Bell's innings went some way to redeeming him after a trying summer against Australia, it was not without its troubled moments. On 62 Akhtar's wonderful slower ball so deceived him that he was bowled through his legs, and the spinner's aeroplaning celebrations had almost reached third man when he realised, to his utter despair, that Billy Bowden was signalling no ball.
The pair had come together after Andrew Strauss was given out lbw to Mohammad Sami's inswinger, although the dark mutterings of the batsman as he headed off may have been indication of an inside edge on to his pad.
Later, Paul Collingwood, batting at four instead of Kevin Pietersen, offered proper support to Trescothick in a third-wicket stand of 53 before pushing forward to Shabbir Ahmed and edging tamely to the wicketkeeper.
Trescothick's innings was not totally unblemished. On 48 a more benevolent umpire than Bowden might have adjudged Danish Kaneria's beautifully spun leg break to have pitched in line and turned enough, but no more, to be going on to hit the stumps.
Later, when within six of his century (greeted incidentally with great acknowledgement towards the dressing-room but sadly scant recognition of the applause from the crowd), he appeared to edge Shoaib Malik to the wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, who dropped it.
That said, Trescothick played an accomplished innings, driving with substantial freedom and economy of movement or effort, tucking runs away off his legs as if saving for a rainy day, sweeping the spinners, none better than the stroke to very fine leg that saw him to three figures and once, hooking Akhtar thrillingly.
England's attack was outstanding, shrugging off a potentially demoralising situation on Saturday which had seen Pakistan race to 161 for one. England are a resilient side now, however, and with the exception of Ashley Giles, who was out of sorts by his standards, they blended well under some imaginative captaincy from Trescothick, backed up by hyperactive fielding.
* Guardian Service
Scoreboard
FIRST TEST
Pakistan v England (in Multan)
Overnight: Pakistan 244-6 (S Butt 74).
Pakistan: First Innings
Inzamam ul-Haq c Strauss b Flintoff 53
Mohammad Sami c G Jones b Hoggard 1
Shoaib Akhtar not out 10
Shabbir Ahmed b Flintoff 0
Danish Kaneria c Giles b Harmison 6
Extras (b1 lb7 nb11) 19
----
Total (98.2 overs) 274
Fall of wickets: 1-80, 2-161, 3-166, 4-181, 5-183, 6-238, 7-244, 8-260, 9-260.
Bowling: Hoggard 22-4-55-2; Harmison 16.2-5-37-3; Flintoff 23-6-68-4; Collingwood 4-1-15-0; Giles 16-3-44-0; Udal 17-3-47-1.
England: First Innings
M Trescothick not out 135
A Strauss lbw b Sami 9
I R Bell c Butt b Malik 71
P Collingwood c Akmal b Ahm 10
M Hoggard not out 0
Extras (b8 lb6 nb14) 28
----
Total 3 wkts (68 overs) 253
Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-198, 3-251.
To Bat: K Pietersen, A Flintoff, G Jones, A Giles, S Udal, S Harmison.
Bowling: Akhtar 15-2-48-0; Sami 10-1-49-1; Ahmed 13-3-32-1; Kaneria 16-2-60-0; Malik 14-1-50-1.
