A captain's innings from Andrew Strauss and Chris Read's maiden Test fifty gave England a decent chance of winning the Headingley match against Pakistan.

England were bowled out for 345 on the fourth day - and Pakistan will need 323 to win and level the series.

Strauss hit 116 and Marcus Trescothick weighed in with 58. But Read's 55 while England were losing wickets either side of tea was a vital contribution.

Pakistan had bowled impressively after England reached a strong 158-0.

By Paresh Soni

STUMPS

1833: Butt is beaten outside off-stump with Hoggard's fifth delivery but survives the last and thoughts can now turn to Tuesday. If the weather holds, we could be in for a classic finish.

1825: Strauss and his men look cheerful as they come out for the formality of the final over.

INNINGS BREAK

1817: WICKET England 345 all out (Read b Sami 55)
Read's heroic knock comes to an end in unfortunate circumstances when he plays on to Sami. Pakistan will have one over to face tonight and plenty more tomorrow to get what looks on paper a gettable target of 323. But strange things have happened at this famous old ground and there have been signs of variable bounce.

1815: The word is that Inzamam is set to bat at seven after his rib problem. Another factor in what promises to be a nail-biting finale.

1809: One of the shots of the day earns Monty a standing ovation, a delightful cover drive off Sami for four.

1803: Hearty cheers greet Panesar's first run, a single off the fifth ball and Read pulls the last from Gul through mid-wicket for a boundary which secures his maiden Test 50 off 78 balls - how crucial will that prove on the final day?

1800: Read fails to keep the strike and Monty, who survived two loud lbw shouts the previous over from Gul, has to prepare himself for another ordeal.

1758: Although Panesar's batting has improved, Read does not look like he'll be taking any singles early in the over and will be eyeing boundaries.

"We've had some pretty interesting matches here over the years and this could prove to be another one. Pakistan will have a positive outlook because they know they have to win the game."
TMS summariser Graham Gooch

1752: WICKET England 332-9 (Harmison c sub b Gul 4)
Harmison's drive isn't as straight this time and goes straight to extra-cover. Game on again!

1749: After a quiet start Harmison is under way with a meaty drive off Nazir down the ground for four. When he hits it stays hit.

1741: Gul produces an absolute snorter of a delivery to beat Read with one pitched just short of a good length. It's a no-ball, as is the one which Read is caught mis-timing a pull off.

1736: WICKET England 323-8 (Hoggard c Younis b Nazir 8)
It pays off immediately as Hoggard guides the ball into the hands of the acting skipper. Harmison walks to the crease and he likes to get on with things!

1734: Read takes a single off Nazir to take his side's lead up to 300 and Younis responds by asking for the second new ball.

1727: Four more bonus runs for Hoggard and England, whose edge beats the slips and races away. The number nine then picks up two through mid-wicket to help the tension slowly lift.

1723: After an attritional passage of play, Read gets some width from Kaneria to latch on to and cuts for four to reach 39 - his highest Test score. He produces a superb sweep to make that 43 and this is turning into a crucial innings in the context of the game.

1720: Read does well to keep out a full delivery from Nazir, who like Sami has managed to reverse-swing the ball.

1714: Hoggard, more by accident than design, is up and running with an inside edge off Nazir.

1709: Strauss looks relaxed on the England balcony - or was that smile a grimace?

1707: Nazir thinks he has new man Hoggard lbw first ball but Hair correctly rules in the batsman's favour, with the ball clearly going down leg-side.

1704: WICKET England 301-7 (Mahmood c Akmal b Nazir 2)A horror of a shot from Mahmood gives his wicket away, chasing an equally bad delivery outside off-stump and suddenly Akmal is all smiles after pouching the ball.

1703: Mahmood's first delivery flies off the inside edge for two runs after Akmal fails to stop it and the 300 is up for England.

1658: WICKET England 299-6 (Collingwood b Nazir 25)
The next delivery is not much better and Collingwood is unlucky to get an inside edge on to the stumps. It kept a tad lower, which will encourage the hosts if Read and the tail can squeeze out 50 more runs.

1655: Nazir comes on for the first time since lunch to give Sami a rest with 20 overs left in the day. His first ball is a rank long-hop which Collingwood gleefully cuts to bring up the fifty partnership.

1649: England will take any gifts being offered and substitute Rao Iftikhar Anjum gives them four after hurling the ball in wildly at the stumps.

1644: Sami comes within a whisker of bowling Read and holds his head in his hands when the ball virtually kisses the off-stump.

"Younis has to balance aggression with defence and rein in Kaneria a bit. They need to calm it down a little."
TMS analyst Rameez Raja

1639: Collingwood takes a quick single off Kaneria and the duo run into each other before exchanging pleasantries. Like the weather, things have heated up on the pitch as the day has gone on.

1632: Inzamam has been diagnosed with inflammation of the rib joints. An X-ray has shown no serious damage and he will be re-assessed later today.

1628: Sami is bowling quickly but the ball is disappearing even faster when the batsmen connect, as Collingwood does with a similar shot to Read's. England's lead is 258.

1627: Read plays another shot of the highest quality, a back-foot drive off Sami, to move to 22 in next to no time. He is a feisty character and appears to be relishing every minute of this.

1623: Read shows he will not be a sitting duck and wallops Kaneria a few rows back into the crowd at long-on. The Western Stand is in full voice and we have a game on our hands.

1622: Sami is on fire and jagging the ball into both right-handers at pace, while Kaneria is posing a host of problems at the other end. This is Test cricket at its compelling best.

"Kaneria is a match-winner if he gets it right because he's got the best variation of any leg-spinner in the world."
TMS summariser, and Kaneria's coach at Essex, Graham Gooch

1615: Read is bamboozled by Kaneria's wrong'un and the way things are going, Pakistan's run chase could begin sooner than anyone anticipated.

1611: Phew! Another inside edge from Read almost sees the ball crash into the stumps and the next ball is edged through the slips for consecutive fours. From drifting groggily towards a draw, this match has well and truly woken up!

1607: WICKET England 248-5 (Bell c Akmal b Sami 4)
A rare failure for Bell as Akmal takes a fine catch when Sami finds his inside edge. He could have gone moments earlier when a forcing shot flew wide of the slips but it's game on now and what a situation for Read to walk into in his comeback Test!

1604: Kaneria will be the danger man for the home side but Collingwood shows confidence to carve him away for four through backward point. He survives a strong shout for lbw next ball when it looked like he wasn't playing a shot.

1600: Ian Bell - England's Mr Dependable in this series - is the new man and sees out the remainder of Sami's over.

TEA: ENGLAND 237-4 (Collingwood 4)

"The way Kaneria has bowled, wickets could fall quite quickly after tea and Strauss' departure enhances the possibility of England being bowled out!"
TMS analyst Vic Marks

1539: WICKET England 237-4 (Strauss 116 c Akmal b Sami)
Number 16 is a bit more fortunate and races away off the edge down to third man but Strauss' luck runs out next ball when his attempt to leave a Sami delivery ends with a faint edge which Akmal, for a change, holds on to. The perfect way for Pakistan to end the session.

1537: This time Strauss spots the Kaneria googly and sends it to the cover-point fence for boundary number 15.

1535: Yousuf is the new Monty - after some hapless attempts at fielding earlier in the day, the crowd are cheering ironically every time he gathers the ball.

1531: The hosts have put away the leg-spinner's bad balls, however, and another over-pitched delivery is dispatched with aplomb by Strauss through the covers.

1529: Kaneria hurries into position to bowl his next over. He's loving every minute of this and with the England batsmen struggling to read him, it's understandable. The 25-year-old has not had the best of series but this could be his day.

"If Pakistan can bowl England out in the remaining 38 overs for 330 that would set up a perfect scenario of leaving Pakistan just over 300 to win on the final day."
TMS analyst Vic Marks is perked up by the flurry of wickets before tea

1523: Collingwood is off the mark with a single off Kaneria. His skipper then fails to pick the googly, which is one of the best disguised in the game, and almost feathers the ball behind.

1520: Strauss completes his 10th Test century off 153 balls with yet another cut four off Sami. He could have been out much earlier to Kaneria but this is an important innings for his country.

1514: WICKET England 214-3 (Pietersen b Kaneria 16)
Triumph for Kaneria, who taunts Pietersen with a chicken dance after outsmarting him with a googly one ball after being crashed through the covers.

1505: Pietersen tries another heave and misses completely. He does like a bit of the cricketing equivalent of Russian Roulette and succeeds with a third attempt which rockets high over deep mid-wicket for his second boundary.

1504: Pietersen plays agains the spin to crack the ball through mid-wicket and take England up to 200. He has issued a challenge to Kaneria - this will be fun.

1501: Strauss moves to 94 with another fierce cut off Gul. The bowler looks quite tired and fed up with the way the day has gone.

1459: Pietersen is immediately off the mark and is the one man who could hasten England towards an attacking declaration.

1456: WICKET England 190-2 (Cook c Iqbal b Kaneria 21)
Cook's torrid examination by Kaneria comes to an end. After thumping the previous ball through the covers he again pushes forward uncertainly and the ball loops to short-leg.

"Why opt for a token declaration? England should look for a win if they are to become a great team."
TMS analyst and former Pakistan batsman Rameez Raja

1452: Cook is more comfortable dealing with the pacemen and flicks a leg-side delivery from Gul down to the fine-leg fence.

1447: Kaneria gets excited when Cook pushes forward to two leg-breaks and a googly but all three appeals - lbw, a catch at slip and by the wicket-keeper - are rejected by Doctrove. The third looked out but the sight of the bowler jumping up and down and screaming might have annoyed the official.

1436: Cook punishes a long-hop from Kaneria with a high-class cut for his first boundary. Younis is setting attacking fields, which creates a fine margin for error.

1435: Strauss pulls Gul powerfully for four to move to 88 and show runs are still easy to come by on this pitch.

"I don't see much intent at all from England to set Pakistan a total, I'm afraid."
TMS summariser Graham Gooch warns of a possible bore draw ahead

1422: Cook gets off the mark with a single off Kaneria and collects two more when acting skipper Younis hurls the ball from silly-point and overthrows are conceded.

1416: WICKET England 158-1 (Trescothick c Butt b Gul 58)
Finally Pakistan get a breakthrough as Trescothick flashes hard and Butt takes a very good catch low down at second slip. He becomes the first England batsman to make a fifty and not go on and complete a century in this series, and Gul belatedly has some reward.

1415: Gul smiles ruefully when Strauss almost edges with a lazy waft outside off-stump. It's been one of those days for the tourists.

1414: TV pictures show Inzamam being driven away in a huge industrial van - what else for a man of his stature...

1408: Gul gives Strauss some width which the Middlesex left-hander seizes on to cut powerfully for his 10th boundary as England move up to 154-0 for a lead of 131

1357: Strauss produces a series of delicious drives to pick up three boundaries off Kaneria, but is helped by atrocious fielding from Sami for the third.

"Presumably cricketers don't turn up to A&E departments at hospitals and sit there waiting for four hours like everyone else?"
TMS commentator Jon Agnew

1351: Inzamam has gone for an X-ray on his sore ribs. Gul meanwhile, endures a nightmare over, bowling four no-balls.

1346: A mis-field from Sami allows Strauss to take a single off Kaneria and push the lead up to exactly 100.

1343: Gul beats Trescothick yet again and has probably given up hope of getting his man.

1338: The players make their way back out for the middle session but Inzamam is missing again because of sore ribs. England will hope to keep scoring at the brisk rate they did in the morning.

LUNCH: ENGLAND 121-0 (Trescothick 54, Strauss 54)

1300: Kaneria bowls the final over before lunch and there is nothing to alarm the batsmen. England's openers go off satisfied, but Trescothick was dropped twice by Akmal, while Strauss should have been lbw to the leg-spinner in his first over.

1254: Trescothick's morning is ending as it began, with a slice of fortune, as he dabs the ball down from Nazir and is relieved to see it bounce over the stumps.

1244: Trescothick sweeps Kaneria high over deep mid-wicket to reach his half century off 88 balls and make it 5,808 Test runs. He overtakes the legendary Denis Compton to go 11th on the list of all-time run-scorers for England.

1240: Nazir beats Strauss all ends up with a peach of a delivery but then over-pitches to allow the skipper to get two to bring up his fifty off 68 balls.

1233: Strauss drives Nazir through mid-on, not normally a region he prefers, for three and both batsmen are closing in on half centuries - every England batsman who has achieved that in this series has gone on to make a hundred.

1230: Trescothick brings up the 100 stand - their first of this season - in majestic style by coming down the track and lofting Kaneria for a straight six.

1220: Strauss emulates his partner, getting on the front foot and launching Kaneria over mid-wicket before sweeping him from outside off-stump for four more in the same region. The opening partnership is now England's highest of the summer. 93-0

1215: Trescothick decides to attack Kaneria and heaves him over square-leg for four. The spinner has extracted sharp turn but the lack of pace in the wicket makes the task of facing him easier.

"The only way this match will end in a result (barring a Pakistan collapse or an incredible spell from Harmy or Monty) is for England to be bowled out today/early tomorrow. Strauss won't leave Pakistan anything gettable. He'll bat to lunch tomorrow, or just before, if he can."
Silk on the TMS Message Board

1209: Nazir is back on at the other end and the scoring has slowed down after a frenetic start.

1204: After one over from Nazir, leg-spinner Kaneria comes on. He spins the first ball back into Strauss and glares at the England skipper before both share a laugh. The next hits him in front but Doctrove rejects the lbw appeal even though it looks out.

"Inzy's coming out, looking like the Michelin Man. He's taking control - he's had enough."
TMS commentator Jon Agnew

1200: For the umpteenth time this morning Sami spears in a delivery which whistles past Trescothick's outside edge. The players take drinks at the end of the first hour, which has seen 72 runs scored in 13 overs.

"Gooch's 'Weetabixed' term refers to a TV ad some years ago. Although the theme was football, it featured a spectacularly inept goalkeeper diving in a high arc over the ball as it trickled into the net."
Dave Rudd replies to Craig Bertram's e-mail to TMS (see below)

1148: Strauss clips Sami off his legs for his fourth boundary and the runs are flowing at a stunning rate - 69 added already in 49 minutes.

1147: That's more like it for Trescothick, who drives Gul gloriously down the ground for his sixth boundary.

1139: More luck for Trescothick and despair for Sami as the ball flies just wide of second slip to take the hosts past 50. The England batsman needs to get down to the newsagent's and buy a lottery ticket.

1135: Skipper Strauss grins after Trescothick guides the ball, more deliberately than on the previous occasions, down to the third man boundary. The last ball of Gul's over is crashed convincingly through extra-cover. Amid all the close shaves, England have raced to 47-0 and a lead of 24.

1132: Sami is launching some pretty sharp deliveries, which makes you wonder why he has such a poor record - 70 wickets in 28 matches (including this one) at a staggering cost of 49.01 apiece.

1123: Trescothick must have a rabbit's foot and horse shoe in his pockets - he edges Gul for four more and Pakistan must be wondering how he is still out there.

"Gooch said Yousuf 'Weetabixed' while fielding, meaning he dived over the ball. Where does this come from? What does it mean? I'm used to strange cricket terminology but this had me stumped!"
Craig Bertram in the TMS inbox

1119: Brilliant batsman he may be, but Yousuf is not the most agile of fielders, and he too continues a poor match in the field by failing to stop a Strauss square-cut off Sami which takes England into the lead.

"That's easily the best over we've seen in the match."
TMS analyst and former England captain Graham Gooch

1115: Unbelievably, Akmal drops Trescothick again when the left-hander edges a beautiful delivery which shapes away. That's two lives on six and seven and Gul cannot believe his luck when the next ball comprehensively beats the Somerset man.

"In a club match you'd be pretty devastated. In a Test match you're trying to win that's an absolute shocker."
TMS commentator Jonathan Agnew

1112: Akmal, who has had a poor game with the gloves, makes another howler when Trescothick gloves a lifting delivery to him down the leg-side. Sami's mood deteriorates further when the next ball is cracked through the covers by Strauss.

1110: Trescothick launches a cover drive off Sami which has Yousuf scampering and they collect three.

1105: Trescothick is up and running with three off Gul and it's been a lively start all round.

1101: Strauss makes an unconvincing start, beaten by Sami's first ball and then late on an 88mph swinging no-ball which he edges down to third man for four lucky runs.

1056: Enthusiastic applause rings out as the players and officials take to the field to the sounds of Jerusalem. There is no Inzamam-ul-Haq out there, suffering from sore ribs.

1050: "It's been hard for us in this series but this is the first time we have an opportunity - if we can get early wickets. Sami is due some wickets - he hasn't performed the way we wanted but if he gets things right it could be different."
Pakistan bowling coach and former Test paceman Waqar Younis on TMS

1035: "The first 20 overs of the new ball will be important: once the hardness has gone, the wicket is flat but as we've seen there's a little bit of indifferent bounce and sideways movement. Pakistan will hope to cash in early on - if they don't I expect England to bat all day and give them something to chase tomorrow."
Former England captain Alec Stewart on BBC Five Live

1030: It's overcast and blustery at Headingley and should - in theory - help the seamers. But we've said that practically on every day and the bowlers have failed to land the ball in the right areas. Trescothick and Strauss will be hoping for more of the same and aim to get England off to a flying start as they look to set Pakistan a target.