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| Andrew Strauss guided England's run chase on the fourth day at Edgbaston with an unbeaten fifty |
Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott batted calmly in testing conditions to guide England to 71 for 1 at lunch as they chased a target of 118 at Edgbaston. Alastair Cook was removed in the third over of the pursuit to set some nerves jangling in the home camp, but the third-wicket pair combated a disintegrating surface with a composed 67-run stand.
It took England just 11 balls to wrap up Pakistan's innings as Stuart Broad, lighter in the wallet after his fine for throwing the ball at Zulqarnain Haider yesterday, had Mohammad Asif taken in the gully. However, Pakistan managed the early breakthrough they desperately wanted when Cook's poor run continued as his stumps were demolished by Mohammad Amir. Cook's footwork was nowhere and he is becoming a serious concern.
Amir's eight-over opening spell was another eye-catching display from the 18-year-old and he could easily have collected a second scalp as he beat the outside edges of Strauss and Trott. Ajmal was introduced for the eighth over and nearly followed Graeme Swann's lead by striking straight away, but Haider couldn't gather Strauss's thick outside edge. It was a tough chance, but the type of opportunity that needed to stick if Pakistan were to stay in the contest.
The pitch was also offering uneven bounce for both the spinner and the quicks. Trott was beaten by consecutive shooters outside off stump, while Strauss received a grubber from Ajmal that just missed the timber. However, the two batsmen displayed impressive watchfulness and rotated the strike well with regular quick singles.
Boundaries were hard to come by, but both Strauss and Trott timed the ball nicely when the opportunity came. Trott produced the shot of the morning when he flicked Asif through midwicket, and he continues to develop into an increasingly reassuring figure at No. 3, while Strauss produced a sweet cover drive off Ajmal shortly before the break.
Much had been expected of Ajmal but he wasn't able to provide the same threat as Swann. He couldn't quite find the right pace for the surface to extract the optimal turn and, tellingly, couldn't send down a maiden in his eight-over spell.
