Live Test Match Blogging / Ed Hawkins / 19 August 2010 /

Wahab Riaz and co. did their bit yesterday as Pakistan finally came alive and tore through the England order. Can their batsman build a sizeable lead on day two? Ed Hawkins provides the up to date reports so that you can make the best bets. Email him here

CLOSE 18.33 Eng 6-1, trail by 69
The wicket of Strauss has England teetering on the edge of collapse, mainly because the leaden-footed Cook is standing near the edge. Pakistan's day but the match odds market does not have a great deal of faith. Pakistan are marginal jollies at [2.00] with England [2.34].

18.22 Eng 5-1
Strauss has spoken up in defence of Cook during his horror run. Not surprised. Whatever takes the focus of the skipper. Strauss has not scored a Test century for a year and four times has been out Mohammad Aamer in this series. James Anderson is nightwatchman.

WICKET 18.19 Eng 4-1
A Strauss c Hameed b Aamer 4

18.17 Eng 4-0
Alastair Cook, who couldn't even spell technique, has to bat for an unpleasant 10 minutes before the close. It is the ultimate example of everything to lose, nothing to gain. If he survives, he has to start all over again tomorrow. If he fails, his Test career could come to a juddering halt. He is an unappetising [6.00] for top bat in this innings.

18.14 Pk 308
The highest fourth-innings chase at The Oval is the 263 for nine England made to beat Australia in 1902. A stat like that highlights how important the lead of 75 is. The average third innings all out total at the venue since 2000 is 257.

18.07 Pk 308
Like a dyslexic trying to finish a bowl of alphabetty spaghetti by eating only the vowels first, England have made hard work of that. Pakistan lead by 75, which is a far more useful lead than the Sky Sports commentators would have you believe. I'll tell you why in a minute. England [1.98], Pakistan [2.56] and the draw [9.20]. Mohammad Asif was the last to go, losing his wicket to Swann leaving Ali stranded on 92.

17.52 Pk 294-9
At times England can look a very ordinary side indeed. Like now. This partnership between Ali and Asif is now worth a hugely valuable 24 runs. And England don't have a clue. They are unable to get Asif on strike (chief culprit being Broad who has bowled very poorly) while they are allowing Ali, who is on 81, the freedom to take runs wherever he wants. They have stopped trying to get him out. An acceptable tactic only if they can rely on bowling with discipline to get at Asif. As if (do you see what I did there?)

17.36 Pk 282-9
Pakistan hanging in there. They lead by 49. I'll be crunching some numbers during the turnaround (when it comes) to see where we stand in terms of what England and Pakistan would respectively hope achieve in the third innings.

17.21 Pk 270-9
England's price collapses to [1.85], highlighting the potential for profit of wagering on the new ball producing wickets (see 16.22). Azhar Ali may well start throwing the bat here because Mohammad Asif is about as good company as having Hannibal Lecter round for tea.

WICKET 17.17 Pk 270-9
A Ajmal b Anderson 0

WICKET 17.12 Pk 269-8
M Aamer c Prior b Broad 6

17.10 Pk 268-7
Azhar Ali has gone past MoYo to 59 thanks to an infuriating four overthrows. As if I needed another reason to express rage. You voted for 'C Whatever is nearest to hand' in our poll 'What shall I throw at the television if Azhar Ali scuppers my MoYo top-bat bet?'. And that 'nearest to hand' item was, unfortunately, my chocolate brownie. It has left an unfortunate brown smudge on the screen, as if I have initiated some sort of dirt protest.

16.42 Pk 255-7
England into [2.18] as a clearly confused Kamran Akmal, who thought he was playing Twenty20 cricket, carves to gully. Our wager is paying off. Meanwhile, don't forget to vote in today's poll.
What shall I throw at the television if Azhar Ali (49) scuppers my MoYo top-bat bet?
A Laptop
B Something of the equivalent value of your stake
C Whatever is nearest to hand
D Nothing. Instead hold a irrational grudge against Ali for the rest of your days, trashtalking him to whoever will listen.
VOTE NOW!
Currently Answer A 'Laptop' is ahead, which is slightly disturbing as goodness knows what some of you think this blog is produced on.

WICKET 16.39 251-7
Kamran Akmal c Morgan b Broad 10

16.22 Pk Pk 240-6
A calamity for Pakistan. And not exactly great news for us, either. Four balls before the new ball was due and our well-planned punt, Umar Akmal has run himself out. He hit the ball straight to Eoin Morgan at cover, turned slower than the Titanic and was caught short. The most unpleasant piece of running since Paula Radcliffe won the London Marathon in 2005 when she stopped for a pee. The new ball has been taken. England are [2.68]. What a difference a wicket makes. Let's stick to our scheme and hope for a collapse.

WICKET 16.19 Pk 236-5
Umar Akmal run out 38

16.16 Pk 230-5
Time for our poll. What shall I throw at the television if Azhar Ali (44) scuppers my MoYo top-bat bet?
A Laptop
B Something of the equivalent value of your stake
C Whatever is nearest to hand
D Nothing. Instead hold a irrational grudge against Ali for the rest of your days, trashtalking him to whoever will listen.
VOTE NOW!

16.00 Pk 215-5
Let's prepare for a bet. England have a new ball in six overs and the clouds above The Oval are thick and threatening. Perfect for the fast men. The plan is to back the hosts in the expectancy that they manage quick wickets. What will upset our scheming is if either Umar Akmal or Azhar Ali get out before the new cherry arrives. England are currently [3.20]. Be poised for action, folks.

TEA 15.38 Pk 215-5
Azhar Ali is only 16 runs from overtaking MoYo. We will have a poll after tea which will help me cope with my angst if the unthinkable happens and top-bat goes down. Also, we're planning a wager on the match odds market. England drifted quickly when Umar Akmal got stuck into Swann with a six and four off the penultimate over before the break. It leaves England on [3.15], Pakistan [2.10] and the draw [4.60.

15.12 Pk 189-5
An important innings this for Umar Akmal. There is no reason why he should not get himself bedded in for a decent score. The ball is old, the wicket is flat and the bowlers are not exactly fresh. He is [3.00] to score a fifty.

15.02 Pk 179-5
I take full responsibility for MoYo's departure. I got far too cocky far too early. Our top-bat wager is now in peril after MoYo mistimed a drive to give Swann his 100th Test victim. Azhar Ali is 28 not out, which is little too close to MoYo's 56 for comfort. By the way, Swann is the third quickest (in terms of minutes, hours, day, months and years) to the landmark in history. Shame he couldn't have waited about another hour or so.

WICKET 14.56 Pk 179-5
M Yousuf c&b Swann 56

14.50 Pk 174-4
This just in from the ICC. "The ICC today announced that England's off-spinner Graeme Swann has been included in the ICC Cricketer of the Year category. Clive Lloyd headed the selection panel, which included former international players Angus Fraser of England, Matthew Hayden of Australia, Ravi Shastri of India and Zimbabwe's Duncan Fletcher. During the voting period, which was from 24 August 2009 to 10 August 2010, Swann took 49 wickets, including six five-wicket hauls in an innings and one 10-wicket haul in a match. The 31-year-old, who was also a member of England's ICC World Twenty20 2010 winning squad, also took 28 ODI wickets at an average of 23.28 with an economy rate of 4.46 during the qualification period."

14.48 Pk 173-4
Fifty for Mohammad Yousuf. Bitter-sweet for Pakistan, though surely. If he had been picked from the start of this series they might only be 1-0 down. Still, it's a joy to watch MoYo again. Six years ago he toyed with the England attack, scoring 631 runs, and it's as if we've gone back in time. The previous over from Steven Finn was an example, hitting the youngster for consecutive boundaries. The first was a sumptuous drive, the second a late check-drive which deflected to the boundary. The bloke's got the lot.

14.23 Pk 158-4
Before this Test there had been 21 centuries in 10 matches at The Oval this decade. Mohammad Yousuf (39), who has just biffed Steven Finn for four, is looking good enough to become No 22. He is [2.24] to make a century.

14.12 Pk 147-4
It pays to shop around folks when it comes to betting. Here's an example. You can lay Pakistan at [2.00] for 225 runs or more. But you can back England at [5.90] for a first-innings lead. Essentially that is the same wager. Another price which catches the eye is the [1.75] to lay about Pakistan making 300 or more in this innings. Granted this time they have the admirable MoYo, who is beginning to look like his old self, but in eight Test innings this summer, Pakistan have passed that figure only once.

13.51 Pk 133-4
It looks as though we're okay on the rain front until at least 17.30. Have look at the radar to see for yourself. There is a big band of rain coming over from the south west but whether that gets here before 18.00 is debatable. I'll seek out my best Ian McCaskill specs and keep an eye on it for you.

13.43 Pk 116-4
We're underway again. Yousuf, 16 not out, is 20 behind current top bat Yasir. There is cloud cover at The Oval. That should help the England bowlers. There is also the threat of rain this afternoon. I'll check the weather radar because the draw price might be a punting prospect.

LUNCH 13.02 Pk 111-4
England's session after they claimed three wickets. Pakistan desperately need to find someone who can hang around with Mohammad Yousuf. Azhar Ali has joined him after Wahab Riaz's dismissal. Pakistan still have the Akmal brothers to come. They may be best equipped to help get Pakistan up to and past England's total

12.55 Pk 110-4
Another wicket for Swann in the first over of a spell. That's 23 in his career I think. Riaz, as is the convention with Wahabism, refused to believe he was in the wrong, so referred it. A bit of a waste. Pakistan are [2.00] to lay for 275 or more. Not a bad wager.

WICKET 12.54 Pk 110-4
Riaz lbw b Swann 15

12.44 Pk 109-3
MoYo, as he is affectionately known in this house, is going nicely. Okay, he's only striking at 36.58, but that is his way. His progress is serene and unspectacular, which is more than can be said for my personality when watching him with a rather hefty wager on him for top bat.

12.23 Pk 98-3
Riaz continues to frustrate England. You could say the lad's got his own ideas about the game. Perhaps he will be come a cult figure and batsmen the world over will sign up Wahabism. This should not be confused with Wahhabism, though, a conservative and intolerant form of Islam that is practiced among others, by a certain Osama Bin Laden.

11.54 Pk 83-3
The Top 5 Things You Didn't Know About Wahab Riaz
1 His nickname is Vicky. Obviously.
2 Don't be fooled by the smiling persona. Riaz was taken out of the attack for bowling two beamers against India in an ODI in 2008.
3 Er, he might not be as good as we think he is. He took a meagre 14 wickets at 41.50 for National Bank in the recent Quaid-e-Azam Trophy
4 According to internet rumours, Wahab was only selected because his father is a major businessman in Lahore and has a lot of influence.
5 "I was watching TV at home when the announcement was made and I just couldn't believe my eyes when my name came up. My parents were with me and my father was probably happier than I was". Wahab on how he heard he was called up for the England tour. Good to see the Pakistan selectors reputation as organisers has not beed muddied then.

11.45 Pk 79-3
Mohammad Yousuf is the new man at the crease. You may recall yesterday that we recommended backing him at [5.00] for top Pakistan bat. Just to remind you: only Don Bradman, with a mark of 135, has a better runs average per match against England than Mohammad Yousuf (118).

11.40 Pk 79-3
For the 22nd time, Graeme Swann has claimed a wicket in his first over of a spell. Butt had hit him for four the previous ball and with the blood making its way quickly to his head, he tried a dashing cut shot, only to edge to Prior, who juggled the ball to claim a fine catch. Patience has run out with Butt now. A wasted opportunity for him.

WICKET 11.38 Pk 76-3
S Butt c Prior b Swann 17

11.34 Pk 72-2
Wahab Riaz is hanging in there rather convincingly. He has three first-class 50s to his name and, apparently, he is something of a nightwatchman specialist in Pakistan. Coming up, in quick succession in case he is out, the top five things you didn't know about Wahab Riaz.

11.21 Pk 60-2
Butt has had two lives. He has edged through the slips and been dropped by Eoin Morgan in the gully.

11.11 Pk 53-2
1, 8, 7, and 0. No, not Steve Wonder's all-time high darts scores but Salman Butt's scores in this series. He has been hopeless against the moving new ball. Coming in after only 18.2 overs in this dig, he should fare better. The ball is not as hard or as shiny as it would have been if he had opened and the wicket is good. In short, if he can't score runs here... Butt is [2.50] to reach 50 and [3.00] for top Pakistan bat.

11.03 Pk 48-2
A great start for England. Steven Finn, surprisingly given the new ball, has removed Yasir with only the second ball of the day. It brings Salman Butt to the crease, in at No 4 because nightwatchman Wahab Riaz was deployed before the close yesterday. England go odds on at [1.96].

WICKET 11.00 Pk 48-2
Y Hameed c Prior b Finn 36

10.50 Pk 48-1
Good morn. A beauty here in west London. It looks pretty good south of the river, too. That's bad news for England, though, who would have hoped for overcast conditions. Stuart Broad, interviewed this morning, kept making reference to the need for clouds to rumble in to help them. That's an insight to the mindset of the England attack. They know they struggle if they can't get lateral movement. That has been the status quo since, well, the year dot. England [2.28], Pakistan [2.36], the draw [6.80].

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