Collingwood the unlikely Test hero for England

PAUL COLLINGWOOD made partial amends for a costly error by becoming England’s unlikely candidate to halt Pakistan’s record-breaking march towards a major lead in the third Test yesterday.

The Durham all-rounder missed a regulation catch at third slip on the previous day at Headingley which allowed Mohammad Yousuf to escape on five and enabled him to score 192 in a record-breaking stand with Younis Khan.

But Collingwood repaid his debt by contributing to two of the three wickets to fall in a 10-ball spell shortly before tea yesterday, resulting in Pakistan being dismissed for 538 to claim a slender 23-run lead and by the close of the third day England had reached three without loss.

Steve Harmison had already ended the tourists’ stunning 363-run third wicket stand by inducing Yousuf into gloving a short ball behind down the leg side just eight runs short of his double century.

It was the unlikely figure of Collingwood, however, who began Pakistan’s middle order collapse to end another spirited stand of 48 between Younis and captain Inzamam-ul-Haq.

Given a lifeline by the loss of the record-breaking pair, Collingwood sensed the moment and claimed his first victim with the next delivery by trapping Faisal Iqbal lbw in his 64th Test over.

To compound that, captain Inzamam chose the final over before tea from left-arm spinner Monty Panesar to experience the most humiliating of dismissals for a top-order batsman — treading on his own wicket.

Mahmood claimed his first two wickets of the match and Panesar ended Mohammad Sami’s resistance when he holed out into the deep to leave England facing the prospect of an unlikely lead when Pakistan’s final pair came together still trailing by 19 runs.

Instead of capitulating, however, Shahid Nazir and Danish Kaneria forged a 42-run stand off only 66 balls which frustrated England for a further 11 overs.

Both sides now aim to claim the advantage during the final two days.