Pakistan comfortably placed

By Ted Corbett

FAISALABAD, DEC. 2. For every ounce of energy England expended to stave off defeat in the second Test at the Iqbal Stadium on Saturday, Pakistan crept further into the lead until by the end of the fourth day they had a stranglehold on a tight fought match.

So, as inevitably as Australia will beat West Indies and establish a deserving new record for successive victories, by Sunday lunch time Pakistan will be in a position to declare and give England long enough to lose but not to win. Tonight Pakistan was 186 for two, or 160 ahead, knowing England had to bat on a road marked `Drive With Care' for the last two sessions of the match.

The pitch has never been what the English professional calls a Bunsen Burner-producing turn at speed-and I wonder if we should ever again believe stories of Pakistan's disintegrating Test pitches. It would be easier to accept the word of those gentlemen who invite one to Find The Lady in the street outside the stadium.

But with Saqlain Mushtaq, Danish Kaneria, Arshad Khan and Shahid Afridi to choose from, the Pakistan captain Moin Khan has an abundance of options and if England is forced to defend for four hours on Sunday all the signs point to a defeat.

England began by establishing a first innings lead of 26 mainly because after Andrew Caddick had been caught behind-his head shaking suggested that he may not have touched the ball and for once the TV pictures were not of much help-Craig White, with two sixes and Darren Gough put on 47 for the last wicket before White was bowled trying to force Saqlain through the offside.

No-one can complain about his part in this series with six wickets and 134 runs in two innings.

We thought the absence of Saeed Anwar, who has an infection, would make a difference to the Pakistan batting and at times Pakistan was unnecessarily cautious. Not so Afridi. Given the opportunity to bat for hours he chose to go for his shots and was caught for ten, off ten balls, mishitting a hook to deep fine leg at 13.

No doubt the coach, Javed Miandad, wanted to kick him all the way home-either to Karachi or the Khyber-and he will have to be taught that opening in a Test is subtly different from playing SuperMax cricket in New Zealand. His bowling has been wasted in this Test and he has wasted his own batting talent.

Elahi: a neat, careful batsman

Salim Elahi, the new opener, and Abdur Razzaq, promoted from No.6, batted soberly until near tea when Elahi was caught behind down the legside on the England devil number of 111. He is a neat, careful batsman entirely suited to the No.3 spot but in ten Tests he has not reached a century. Once he does the floodgates will surely open. Razzaq put his one-day style aside and defended solidly.

Inzamam-ul-Haq, on a pair, got off the mark first ball, but he seemed content to cruise and only 33 came in the first 50 minutes after tea even though England's bowling was not inspired.

Razzaq went to his three and-a-half hour 50 with a two and two fours off successive balls from White and was almost out next ball.

White had kept the score down with a 12-over spell which cost only 35 runs. Caddick has bowled badly in this match and a few minutes from time put down a skier at backward square leg off Inzamam. The great sloth of Multan relaxed, particularly when a ball from Giles fizzed past his bat. Plenty of time to turn his 33 into a match-winning score tomorrow.

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