England collapse after
record 267 stand

Tony Lawrence

Pakistan rekindled their victory hopes in the second Test on Saturday by scything through the England lower order to dismiss them for 357 after a record stand of 267 by Michael Vaughan and Graham Thorpe. At close Pakistan had taken the lead to 133, ending up on 87-3 at close. Inzamam-ul-Haq was batting on 25 and Yousuf Youhana was on three.

The touring team seized England's last eight wickets for 75, including the last five batsmen for nine in 34 balls, to snatch a first innings lead of 46 at Old Trafford.

Pakistan must win the game to level the two-Test series while England need only a draw to record their fifth consecutive Test series success.

Vaughan and Thorpe, who came together on Friday with the score on 15 for two, appeared to have all but ended Pakistani hopes in the morning.

But then Thorpe, after scoring 138 to equal his highest test innings, was run out by a yard following a fine turn and throw from Wasim Akram off his own bowling.

That made it 282 for three and one run later the procession had begun in earnest as Vaughan, on 120, shaped to avoid a Waqar Younis bouncer with the new ball and was caught behind down the leg side off his glove.

When Ian Ward risked a second run only for Azhar Mahmood to run him out with a direct hit from third man, three wickets had tumbled for 27.

Alec Stewart, who ended the innings stranded on 39 not out, and Nick Knight appeared to have brought some stability by adding 40 before there was another flurry of wickets.

All-rounder Abdur Razzaq was the chief architect as he had Knight, in the team for injured England captain Nasser Hussain, caught behind off a hesitant forward stroke for 15.

CLASSICAL STROKEPLAY

Razzaq captured three wickets for eight runs in 15 balls, while off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq chipped in by having Andrew Caddick caught behind and bowling Matthew Hoggard.

The morning had been dominated by Thorpe and Vaughan, who mixed classical strokeplay with aggressive, disruptive running when the resumed at 204 for two.

The left-handed Thorpe, 98 overnight, had needed only four balls before he hit Waqar for a back-foot boundary past point to reach three figures.

Vaughan, after driving fluently off back and front foot throughout his innings, arrived at his maiden Test hundred in more bizarre fashion.

A cover-driven four off Saqlain Mushtaq and a back-foot boundary past point off Wasim took him to 94. The Yorkshireman then risked a second run after a top-edged cut to third man where Wasim slung in a wild return which went for four overthrows.

The England pair broke a series of partnership records before Vaughan made sure their stand would go to the top of the England all-time list against Pakistan.

A cover drive and a pull off all-rounder Abdur Razzaq brought up the 250 stand and surpassed England's previous record for any wicket against Pakistan, 248 by Colin Cowdrey and Ted Dexter at The Oval in 1962.

Thorpe, meanwhile, prolonged a prolific run of form which has seen him hit three hundreds in his last eight Tests.

In all, he batted for five-and-a-half hours and hit 17 fours -- the majority of them savage square cuts -- and one six from 261 balls. Vaughan hit 16 fours off 223 deliveries, batting a quarter-of-an-hour longer.

Mail Cricket Editor