Pakistan rally frustrates England in Edgbaston Test

Second Test, Edgbaston (day three, close):

England 251 v Pakistan 72 & 291-9

Zulqarnain Haider and Saeed Ajmal scored remarkable fifties as Pakistan fought back brilliantly against England on day three of the second Test.
Debutant Haider, who was reprieved by the review system after being given out first ball, made 88 to steer the tourists to 291-9, a lead of 112 runs.
Graeme Swann, who took a Test best 6-60, had reduced Pakistan to 101-6.
But Haider's partnerships with Mohammad Amir (16) and Saeed Ajmal (50) have given Pakistan hope of a shock victory.
It was an extraordinary comeback from Pakistan, who looked to be heading for another heavy defeat after slumping to 94-5 at lunch.
Haider's partnerships with Amir and Ajmal mixed discipline and courage with moments of class and aggression as England's bowlers were flayed to all areas of the ground.

JONATHAN AGNEW'S COLUMN
Pakistan have given England plenty to think about and set up an intriguing finale at Edgbaston
And if conditions are favourable on Monday, Pakistan's bowlers could yet cause England some headaches as the home side chase a victory that would put them 2-0 up in the four-match series.
Andrew Strauss's men were surprisingly sloppy in the field, with several catches going down, while Matt Prior had an inconsistent day behind the stumps and Stuart Broad and Eoin Morgan fluffed run-out chances.
And perhaps more worryingly with the Ashes in mind, England's pace bowlers were far less effective when the ball did not swing, with Steven Finn and Broad letting their line and length stray later in the day.
Fortunately for England, Swann bowled superbly, taking four quick wickets either side of lunch and also broke the 105 stand between Haider and Ajmal.
His first wicket came with only his third delivery of the match - and 13th of the series - ending a partnership of 52 between Imran Farhat and Azhar Ali with a sensational ball to the left-handed Farhat, which drifted, gripped and turned from leg stump to clip the top of off stump.


Swann made his mark on the series with a stunning spell of spin bowling
It was the 20th time Swann has taken a wicket in the first over of a Test spell and an important breakthrough for England after Ali and Farhat, who was surprisingly dropped by Collingwood in the third over of the day, had begun to look settled.
Swann struck again in his next over, extracting alarming turn from the pitch to bowl Ali through the gate for 19.
Shoaib Malik, whose promotion from six to four in the batting line-up has done little to stiffen up Pakistan's top order, was the next to fall during a testing spell from Finn.
Malik withdrew his bat from a delivery which pitched outside off stump and straightened, but the ball brushed off his glove, gifting an easy catch to Prior.
Swann claimed his third wicket in the next over, with a delivery which did not turn as much but rapped Umar Akmal on the pads right in front of the stumps for a clear leg before wicket.
And it was almost two wickets in two balls as Haider was trapped by a ball which kept low. Umpire Steve Davis raised the finger again but a successful Pakistan referral showed the ball was missing leg stump.
Pakistan reached lunch on 94-5 but another wicket fell soon after the interval, with Swann drawing Umar Amin out of his crease and Prior pulling off a tidy stumping.
With six wickets down, it seemed as if an England victory was imminent but a disciplined partnership from Haider and Amir held England at bay for the remainder of the afternoon session.

606: DEBATE
Well done Pakistan. They might still lose but they haven't lost easily. They have outscored England and proven that they can get 250 plus 
Solo443
Broad cut a particularly frustrated figure. Seemingly angered by the umpire's decision to turn down a caught-behind appeal, he rashly threw the ball at Haider, and in the following over he misdirected a throw to the bowlers' end when Amir was well out of his crease.
England took the new ball after tea and finally the breakthrough came in the fourth over when Amir threw his bat at a ball angled across him by Broad and Strauss snaffled the catch at first slip.
The seventh wicket seemed to be the signal for Haider to go on the offensive, clipping Finn through midwicket for four to bring up his fifty and take Pakistan into the lead.
Haider found a worthy ally in Ajmal, who received several blows from England's pacemen but counter-attacked superbly to reach fifty in a thoroughly entertaining partnership.
But just when the duo seemed destined to see Pakistan through to the close, Swann rediscovered some of the turn that had been so effective earlier in the day and Ajmal's edge was well caught by Collingwood at slip.
Haider followed soon afterwards when he mistimed a drive off Swann and was caught by Strauss, but Umar Gul (nine) and Mohammad Asif (13) batted well to keep the Pakistan innings afloat going into what promises to be an intriguing fourth day.


Source:news.bbc.co.uk