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| Wahab Riaz made a great start to his Test career with five wickets on the opening day at The Oval |
Wahab Riaz took five wickets on debut as Pakistan ended the first day of the third Test against England in a sound position at The Oval here on Wednesday.Pakistan were 48 for one in reply to England's first innings 233, a deficit of 185 runs, with the recalled Yasir Hameed, playing his first Test in three years, 36 not out.Disappointingly for Pakistan, they lost opener Imran Farhat in the last over of the day, bowled off the inside edge by James Anderson.
Riaz, in as nightwatchman, survived three balls to be nought not out.Earlier, after England captain Andrew Strauss won the toss and batted, 25-year-old left-arm seamer Riaz, in for the injured Umar Gul took five wickets for 63 runs in 18 overs as Pakistan looked to battle back from 2-0 down in this four-match series.Riaz was the first Pakistan bowler to take five or more wickets in an innings on Test debut since Yasir Arafat took five for 161 against India in Bangalore in 2007/08.
England were in a parlous position at 94 for seven.But Matt Prior, as he'd done when making a century in England's 354 run first Test win at Trent Bridge, revived the innings with an unbeaten 84 featuring 13 fours.The wicketkeeper received fine support from Stuart Broad, who made 48 after coming in at No 9 in what was an England record eighth-wicket stand against Pakistan of 119, surpassing the 99 shared by Peter Parfitt and David Allen at Leeds in 1962.
Prior came in when England were 67 for five after the top order struggled against the movement generated by Pakistan's seamers on a placid pitch offering a little but far from excessive movement off the seam.Mohammad Asif (three for 68) made the initial breakthrough.
Alastair Cook's run of low scores continued with the left-handed opener making just six, including an edged four down to third man.Cook, off the last ball of the second over, nicked Asif through to recalled wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, back in place of the injured Zulqarnain Haider.The Essex batsman, displaying minimal footwork, had been retained in a show of faith by the selectors in an unchanged England side.But this failure meant he'd scored just 41 runs in five innings this series at an average of 11.75.Riaz, on as first change, took a wicket with his ninth ball when he had Strauss (15) caught behind. It needed a referral to confirm the wicket after New Zealand umpire Tony Hill had ruled in the batsman's favour, despite replays showing Strauss had got a thick outside edge.
Riaz then had Jonathan Trott (12), fresh from a pair of fifties in England's nine-wicket second Test win at Edgbaston, well caught by a diving Yasir Hameed at second slip after the batsman had tried to drive a ball angled across him on the ground where he made a debut century against Australia last year.And before lunch Riaz removed Kevin Pietersen, caught behind, with a good length ball after the star batsman could only manage six in more than an hour at the crease.
Riaz had his five-wicket haul when Broad was lbw to a full length ball.Pakistan had been bowled out for record low scores against England of 80 and 72 at Trent Bridge and Edgbaston respectively.Hameed -- opening in place of Pakistan captain Salman Butt, who dropped down the order -- played an extraordinary shot when, pulling out of a hook, he still guided Broad for six over third man off the back of the bat.
