Live Test Match Blogging / Ed Hawkins / 31 July 2010 /

England are now firmly in control, and it now looks like a question of just how long Pakistan can hold out before the inevitable England victory. Stay in touch with all the action here with Tom Williams

19.02 15-3
So that's it for the day. An interesting day for the impartial. Will it last until lunch tomorrow? Probably not.

18.53 Pak 11-3
Well that all happened very quickly. Broad and Anderson strike and with those wickets any hope Pakistan may have had disappears. Here's what that's done to the odds:
Eng win [1.01]
Pak win [120.00]
Draw [130.00]

18.27 Pak 1-0
Just over half an hour left. Anderson opens the bowling. Can he repeat his impressive performance from the first innings?

18.17 Eng 262-9 Dec
So there they are: Prior's ton and Strauss's declaration. Pakistan will need a world record 435 to win and given the pitch conditions and tomorrow's weather forecast (probably humid, overcast with the chance of some rain) it looks highly unlikely.

Eng win [1.07]
Pak win [16.00]
Draw [70.00]

18.04 Eng 251-9
Back at 13.44 before it all went a bit pear-shaped, as a result of England's inability to bat properly, the top tip of the day was "back England for 275 or more at around 2.00. Decent bet that". There was a time mid-afternoon when that looked impossible but if anyone did hang on you must be on the edge of your seat. Only 25 to go, nothing more that a few decent hits from Prior. More-than-likely Strauss will break first unfortunately.

17.52 Eng 247-9
2 consecutive sixes from Prior. Surely Strauss will declare when he gets his ton - 8 to go ... Warm up Jimmy!

17.44 Eng 230-9
A nice pull from Prior, that nearly decapitates the poor umpire, goes for 4 and stretches the lead to 402. Still not declaration. Strauss looks more interested in the Wagon-wheel he is eating. Good decision. What England really need now is more runs. No point ruining the evening by trying to take a few wickets before the close.

17.35 Eng 222-9
England now lead by 394 and consequently the prices are:
Eng win [1.09]
Pak win [13.50]
Draw [60.00]

17.29 Eng 213-9
Anderson mis-times his sweep and Malik claims another victim. Akmal takes his fourth catch. With just Finn to come the prospect of England bowling this evening is near inevitable. If England can break the opening partnership tonight and the weather conditions prevail a win on day 4 is a cert.

17.18 England 203-8
Malik gives the ball some flight. That combined with some turn prove too much for Broad and he edges to the slip. Jimmy Anderson is up next.

17.04 Eng 197-7
Prior and Broad batting well and have increased the lead to 369. Prior sneaks to 50. Will England declare and have a crack at Pakistan tonight? I suspect not.

The fifth and final fing about Pakistan cricket is that they invented reverse swing. Nice work. "What did you do today Sarfaz?" "Oh, had lunch, got a bike puncture, saw gran, invented a revolutionary bowling tenchnique which will baffle sports scientisits and aero-dynamics experts for years to the extent that they thin Pakistan will be cheating for 20 years ... until England work out how to do it. Put the kettle on."

16.26 Eng 147-7
First referral of the afternoon has resulted in Swann being given out LBW. More to do with the turning ball than the smack he just got on the head one suspects. So in sum, the ball is moving and turning. England lead by 319, have 3 wickets in hand but most importantly the best swing bowler (Anderson) and best spinner (Swann) on the pitch. Given the record total Pakistan will need to score to win and the expectation that, for once, the England bowlers will find it easy going, the odds look like this:

Eng win [1.11]
Pak win [11.00]
Draw [50.00]

16.15 Eng 141-6
It's important to bear in mind here that although Pakistan currently look like champs and England chumps, it has everything to do with the wicket. In fact, it is bitter sweet for Pakistan for they must know that England's lead is already too great. Still, some punters out there might not recognise that so Pakistan will continue to shorten. The value was with England late on day one, though.

16.11 Eng 132-6
In recognition of England leading by over 300 (304 to be precise), it's time for another top five favourite fing about Pakistan cricket. No 4 on our list is Shahid Afridi. The guy has made a good living as a cricketer but he could also have been a hugely successful clown. How many times has he retired from Test cricket only to change his mind about two days later? Oh, I don't know, about a million. Brilliant. Even his nickname is a punchline. 'Boom Boom'. Come back soon.

You might not be surprised to hear that I am saving the best one for last.

16.06 Eng 128-6
Feeling suitably revived after a cup of tea and something to eat (I lost the battle of wills: the chunky caramel kitkat got scoffed and the healthy banana and oat muffin remains in the tin), it's almost time for another top 5 fing. As I am now quite bored by this game I thought about the following during the break:

Baked Beans are to be sold in a jar. What a great idea, why didn't I think of that? Jack Russell will be very upset: on every tour of the sub-continent he took a whole suitcase full of bean tins.

Jessica Ennis. She's British but actually very talented and hopefully about to win Gold again. Pretty easy on the old peepers too so that's nice.

The adverts on Sky Sports. The one with Cantona and the freakish things that happen in sport is ace, as is the one with Andy Gray commentating on kids playing in the park. But Jeff Stelling as James Bond is just madness, and a little scary to be honest. Just imagine if British security were in his hands.

15.40 Eng 120-6
Kaneria bowls the last over before tea and two weary looking teams head for some sandwiches. England leading by 292.

15.35 Eng 119-6
At is currently stands England lead by 291. The highest winning score in the fourth innings in a Trent Bridge Test is 284 by England against New Zealand in 2004. So despite the boring spectacle it looks as though a win for England is by far the most likely outcome. What might be of interest though is the pitch which, according to Nasser, is starting to look like it will probably take some spin. Will we see Kaneria bowl before tea or Swann before close of play?

15.30 Eng 116-6
Swann is not a man to be phased by the situation and by hook or by crook the ball is reaching the boundary. Already he is on 13 (off 12 balls). The odds:

Eng win [1.13]
Pak win [9.00]
Draw [65.00]

15.21 Eng 107-6
England really are doing their level best to throw away their advantage. The batsman having finally settled and looking like they were about to frustrate the Pakistani bowlers for the afternoon, get excited and poor calling results in another run out involving Prior. This time Morgan falls short and is on his way back to the pavillion for 17. They now lead by 278 but with only 4 wickets left one wonders if they will break 300. Swann clearly thinks so as he nonchalantly flashes at a wide one that flies over backward point for 4.

15.06 Eng 91-5
No wickets for at least half an hour so as I contemplateTMS style a cup of tea and some cake it is time for our third favourite fing about Pakistani cricket.

Pakistan have a reputation for lying about their players' age. Don't know why. They just do. Mohammad Aamer is 18. Apparently. What no-one seems to have told Pakistan is that nothing is to be gained by knocking a couple of years off a players' age. You don't get extra points. Mohammad Yousuf is 35 officialy. Wouldn't surprise me if he was 40, though.

Amin is now turning his arms over, having replaced Gul. The two batsmen, Morgan and Prior, are, quite frankly, batting rather boringly which is probably just what you want if you are supporting the home side. The lead is 263.

14.43 Eng 74-2
Here is how the odds look now:

Eng win [1.14]
Pak win [8.40]
Draw [65.00]

Top Eng runscorer:
Trott [3.00]
Any other [1.22]

14.32 Eng 72-5
Collingwood is out. LBW to Gul. It looked high but there was no referral. However, it would have been academic, the ball was hitting the top of off stump (just), nor was it a no-ball (Gul has been doing the hokey-cokey with the line). So England find themselves 5 down, having lost the last three in 30 mins. The lead is now 244. The smart money is still on an England win, the crazy money on a draw.

14.27 Eng 72-4
Back to our Top Five Favourite Fings About Pakistan. This is No 2. They are totally disorganised. Their national board bans players at a whim, forgets to tell players they have been dropped or selected and changes captains like the rest of us do underpants. This series is a great example. Imagine the scene. The selectors are unpacking at their hotel and going through a checklist of things they brought. 'Toothbrush? Check! Socks? Check! Passport? Check! Our two best international batsmen? Oh!'

14.23 Eng 71-4
By my reckoning the highest total scored in the last innings in a Trent Bridge test was 440 by New Zealand back in 1973. Unfortunately NZ still lost by 35 runs. A completely useless stat because you have already seen that the average for the fourth innings in the last 10 tests is 255. Therefore an England win looks no less likely, especially as the 2 heroes from the first inninngs are in, although another quick wicket will panic the troops. The ball is still moving a bit but you would put the last 2 wickets down to a combination of a lack of concentration, some wicket keeping brilliance and the first hint of uneven bounce.

The odds now sit at:
Eng win [1.11]
Pak win [12.50]
Draw [32.00]

14.09 Eng 66-4
The homeside are in freefall now. Trott misses a straight but low one and is bowled by Gul. The lead is currently 238.

14.08 Eng 66-3
Here's what the post lunch excitement has done to the odds for top Eng runscorer:

Trott [1.64]
Collingwood [3.50]
Any other [2.76]

14.03 Eng 66-3
I was just writing that Pietersen was looking more comfortable after lunch when he gets an inside edge and Kamran Akmal takes a blinder, diving full stretch to his left.

Warney and Bumble seem pretty cheerful so presumably had a good lunch. I can't help but think that they've nicked my stuff 'cos they have been talking about Naan bread. Warney's fav is garlic naan with Tomato ketchup which just goes to prove that you can take the boy out of Australia but ... you know the rest.

Mr Dependable (Collingwood) next in and immediately edges to Akmal, an easy catch. This time the 'keeper drops it. Time to pause and gather your thoughts.

13.44 Eng 53-2
Hope you had a good lunch. Let's digest a bet, also. How many runs will England score in this innings? More importantly, how many will they want to score? They already lead by 225. Another 100 runs is probably enough given the state of the wicket and the Pakistan batting. But crickety captains do not think like punters. They are safety first, second and third. Particularly Andrew Strauss. Remember his ridiculous cotton wool-wrapped decs in the Caribbean? Given his form it is likely that England will set Pakistan 400-plus. That is some way off. So England will be looking to score about 300. Of course that's more than enough, but this is the way these people think. So we can back England for 275 or more at around [2.00]. Decent bet that. The fly in the ointment is the average all out score of 255 in the last 10 third-innings at Trent Bridge. On the other hand the last four third-innings scores read: 232, 355, 322, 387. Eat that!

13.25
New odds have disturbed my lunch:

Eng win [1.14]
Pak win [14.00]
Draw [16.00]

Top Eng runscorer:
Trott [3.00]
Pietersen [3.05]

Lunch Eng 49-2
Eng lead by 221

13.01 Eng 49-2
Sorry getting carried away with politics, here are the odds:

Eng win [1.10]
Pak win [22.00]
Draw [22.00]

Top Eng run scorer:
Trott [2.26]
Pietersen [2.60]
Collingwood [5.00]
Any other [4.20]

12.53 Eng 43-2
Top Five Favourite Fings About Pakistan # 1: The players all hate each other. This probably isn't true but 'dressing room unrest' - a wonderfully woolly phrase that doesn't tell us a great deal - never seems to be far away. There were rumours of it, for example, in the past three Twenty20 tournaments. But did it stop them? Did it hell. Runners-up, -winners, semi-finalists.

If one got wind of unhappiness in any other national squad it would really put you off. Not Pakistan, though. It would be unsettling if there wasn't argy-bargy. Shoaib Akhtar probably took it too far, though, when hitting Mohammad Asif with a bat in 2007.

Let's hope that the Pakistan cricket team is not like the nation at large. Unfortunately Pakistan shares borders with a warzone (Afghanistan) and a country they hate and have been to war against twice in recent memory (India). In addition they are also a nuclear power. If you have trouble sleeping it pays to imagine being stuck in a lift with David Lloyd rather than ponder the intracacies of Central/South Asia politics.

Back to reality Pietersen is starting to play a few shots now. England lead by 215 and Asif continues to bowl.

12.41 Eng 33-2
First change. Gul, who was wayward and sloppy in the first innings, comes into the attack replacing Aamer. Trott and Pietersen look immediately infinitely more happy. First favourite fing is imminent ....

12.32 Eng 28-2
Team South Africa are still at the crease, although more through luck than judgement. Asif and Aamer continue to bowl well, getting movement and looking lively. What one wonders though is what next? These two are the most potent of the Pakistan attack but clearly they can't keep this up all day. Gul and Kaneria bowled the third and fourth highest number of overs in the first innings but were largely ineffective. So if Trott and Pietersen can survive beyond lunch the weather conditions will become far less significant. By the way Kamran Akmal has been standing up to Asif, without a helmet. Quite punchy stuff but also far less chance of being caught behind (unless he is one of the X-Men).

12.06 Eng 19-2
So there you go. Nasser is the font of all knowledge and Asif does exactly as predicted. A wee bit of movement tempt Cook to tickle at a ball quite a long way down leg and he is caught behind. Pietersen is now in and starts confidently. Question: is that a good thing? How many times does he find himself in this position, start well and then get himself out leaving Collingwood to sort out the mess?

11.55 Eng 11-1
Right it has settled down a bit now. Cook and Trott are still there, although not looking too happy: Asif and Aamer are getting some movement. Nasser Hussain said at the break between innings that Asif is the man to look out for this morning. Like Anderson he does not bang the ball in but pitches it up with the ball "kissing" the surface which helps the swing. Then again he also urged batsmen to watch the ball when batting so make your own mind up as to whether he is worth listening to today.

11.29 Eng 2-1.
A poor start for England. Strauss edges to second slip and after some nifty volleyball action the ball is caught by Kamran Akmal. So Trott now wanders to the crease. Interestingly I have it on good authority that Strauss was not even the best cricketer at his school. Some other geezer, who is now a doctor, was a better batsman apparently. Shame he is not playing. To come at some point throughout the day, when I get around to it, are my top 5 favourite fings about Pakistani cricket. I have to specify Pakistani cricket otherwise the list would feature Peshwari Naan and Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistan President, allegedly shouting at journalists and telling them to "shut up" at press conferences. Take note Cameron.

11.17 Pk 182 all out
Thanks to Eoin Morgan it's all over: Gul's push to the covers, a wee bit of confusion and a direct hit result in a Mohammed Asif run out, which is just as well as Gul was taking poor Finn to pieces. Pakistan trail by 172.

So now what? Here are some stats to help you decide which way this England innings might go. These numbers are the averages of the England batsmen in the second team dig of a Test.

Strauss 39.7
Cook 43.3
Pietersen 47.6
Collingwood 37.8 (-10 runs from first-innings)

11.07 Pk 170-9
Well, amazingly, given the light and the drizzle, we're off and, despite Jimmy Anderson getting some early swing, Pakistan have survived and avoid the follow on. So England will bat again and, given the weather - the forecast is for drizzle to give way to cloud - Pakistan will have the advantage of perfect swing bowling conditions. More wickets on the way one suspects (although Gul seems impervious: some lovely shots this morning have given him his maiden test half-ton).

11.00 Pk 147-9
Good morning all. Welcome to the blog for the third day of the Trent Bridge. Pakistan are in a dreadful mess. They need eight more to avoid the follow on. If they don't manage it, then there is a strong possibility that the Test could be over today. That option is [5.30] on Betfair's Test Match End Market. Otherwise it could be a lean betting day. A check of the match prices reveals that much. England are [1.08] with Pakistan [26.00] and the draw [21.00]. It appears to be a case of waiting for the inevitable England victory.

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