England has been wrong footed as the Pakistan team has changed its outlook completely in the last 18 months, its spinners and good, solid, defensive and boring batting now, instead of pacemen and stroke players. Its in short, the 60’s again. I could see it today, the English were trying to provoke shots and failed, except for Hafeez’s little howler. The file needs updating. It was amply illustrated in the first innings, clearly they had not thought of Akmal as a threat, even though he has been Pakistan’s leading bowler for the last year, the focus was on Umer Gul.
A 146 run lead and Strauss out. Looking up for Pakistan.
25/3. Pietersen out for a duck, hooking to square leg. Well, he tried playing himself in slowly in the first innings…
Never mind targetting 400 in the second innings, we may struggle to get to 200 now. Pakistan have this one in the bag, unless someone manages a career-defining performance.
Crucial innings from the keeper Akmal, who only averages low 20s in first class cricket.
74/5. 72 to get. They should go for an innings victory. But never underestimate Pakistan’s ability to lose from positions of strength. See Sydney 2010.
We’re getting the shit kicked out of us and no mistake. The Pakistan bowlers have done very well. That said, our batsmen have also utterly abdicated responsibility on a pitch that, it has been proven, you can score decent runs on provided you bat with application. The bowlers are pretty blameless as far as I am concerned.
Well Prior and Trott are at the crease and both have shown promise this match. Its not over yet
So you think the fix is in again? This will be even more spectacularly unbelievable.
I don’t think that match was fixed, despite later events.
On the plus side, at least we have our two best batsmen at the crease now…
Too soon Alka Seltzer.
Trott goes caught behind having attempted a cut and got it wrong.
And now Prior gone to one that kept low off the pitch and trapped lbw. Innings defeat is looking odds on.
Apologies, I didn’t think it was possible to jinx a side when being ironic.
Great performance by Pakistan. The bowling has been very good, the batting solid, and they have fielded well too. Very professional.
This doesn’t bode well for England’s year, as we also tour Sri Lanka and India. Our batsmen really need to adapt to these kinds of pitches. At least our bowlers have done well. I think we’re missing Bresan a bit, he’d probably have been effective than Tremlett here. I’d like to see us pick the in-form Panesar for the next one.
135/9. This wouldn’t be a good time for Jimmy Anderson to score his maiden hundred, it wouldn’t make any difference.
All over bar the shouting.
Quite a surprise to me.
And imagine being on a hat trick with Jimmy Anderson the batsman. You’d think you were home.
'fraid not. IIRC, Anderson has the record for most consecutive test innings without being dismissed for a duck. Statistically, he’s the last player you’d want to see when on a hat-trick. 
Edit - I was misremembering. Anderson’s has an English record for 54 innings without a duck from his debut, some way short of the absolute record.
Pakistan have to bat again.
Darn. There goes that theory.
Oh- Cricinfo says that is an England record (54 test innings before a duck). Sothere would be others who went longer- and indeed there may be longer number of innings before a duck.
Which doesn’t help my cause of course.
15 to get. England will have to do what S Africa did against Oz. And better it.