What was expected to be a batsmen’s pitch turned out to have more life in it than Pakistan expected. England, despite their missed chances, still ended the day with hopes of bowling out Pakistan for under 300, while the home side could harbor confidence of passing 300 as long as their captain, who has already spent nearly four hours out in the middle, continues his vigil. Misbah, dropped on 30 by James Anderson, hit five fours and four sixes while Shafiq, dropped on 53 by Alastair Cook, had seven hits to the boundaries and one over it, off recalled spinner Monty Panesar.

Had England clung on to their chances, Pakistan might have well been bowled out before stumps. Pakistan were struggling at 103 for 4 just after lunch, but Misbah and Shafiq resisted for more than two hours to regain momentum.

The six sense

Misbah lofted Panesar for two successive sixes over the long on boundary early in his knock, but waited patiently thereafter to hit his first boundary after tea as the wicket eased out for batting. He took 142 balls to raise his half century but finished the day with a flourish by hitting Panesar, again, for successive sixes in the last over.

Shafiq struggled for nearly half an hour but gained confidence with some crisp boundaries on both sides of the wicket. He brought up his half century with a sharp single off Panesar before he was caught on the back leg by Graeme Swann while attempting a sweep shot.

Earlier, Mohammad Hafeez (31) and Umar (16) provided a steady start of 51 runs. Settling down a little after the first hour, Swann uprooted Umar’s off stump when the left-hander offered no shot to a straight delivery and Panesar bowled Hafeez off a beautifully bowled arm ball, only a delivery after dropping the batsman off his own bowling.

Stuart Broad provided England a sniff of running through the opposition when he sent Younis Khan’s (24) and Azhar Ali’s (24) off stumps cartwheeling in the second session in space of five runs. Broad, who took 3/47, trapped Akmal for 9, then Swann, who ended with 3/52, brushed the off stump of Abdur Rehman for a duck late in the day.