Third Test, Lahore, day four (stumps): England 288 & 121-2; Pakistan 636-8 declaredIan Bell and Paul Collingwood put on an unbeaten 91 as England reached stumps on day four in Lahore on 121-2.
However, with a day remaining and the tourists 227 runs behind, Pakistan have plenty of time left to force a victory.
Inzamam-ul-Haq (97) declared Pakistan's innings on 636-8, just missing a third Test ton on the bounce, after Mohammad Yousuf had completed a stylish 223.
Pakistan had a lead of 348 and hammered home their advantage with two early wickets from Shoaib Akhtar.
But Bell (60) and Collingwood (37) made up for the loss of the openers with a measured partnership which gave England's fans something to cheer after two-and-a-half days of misery.
Yousuf recorded the fourth best score by a Pakistani in Tests against England.
He and Kamran Akmal (154) put on a record 269 for Pakistan's sixth wicket and left England with much to do to draw.
Shaun Udal took his only wicket of the innings in his first over of a truncated spell in mid-morning.
Having already hit 10 runs off it, Yousuf attempted a second six but skied the ball to Kevin Pietersen at long-on.
He had faced 373 balls, hitting 26 fours and two sixes in a career-best knock.
A further 30 runs were added before Akmal also exited the scene, Michael Vaughan clinging on at midwicket as Andrew Flintoff finally registered in the wickets column.
 Shoaib Akhtar made good use of the new ball on Friday |
But the pain continued as Inzamam - who resumed his innings on 35 after retiring hurt with an injured hand on Wednesday and sitting out Thursday - continued his remarkable form.
With Rana Naved-ul-Hasan hitting a merry 42 not out off 38 balls, the only spoiler for the hosts was when Inzamam was run out on 97 by Vaughan's direct throw after looking for a single that was never on.
Pakistan's total was their second-highest ever against England, short of the 708 made at The Oval in 1987.
Though unable to record his third successive century, Inzamam still had time for two significant accomplishments, becoming only the 14th player to pass 8,000 Test runs, with 1,000 of them achieved in this calendar year alone.
He is the second man from his country to achieve the feat after Javed Miandad.
England only had one over to face before lunch but Marcus Trescothick was unable to see it out - trapped on the crease by a Shoaib inswinger.
Soon after lunch, the skipper followed him back to the pavilion and suddenly the hosts were strong favourites to gain a victory which would seal a 2-0 series triumph.
Bell and Collingwood had other ideas, however. They played their natural games - accumulating briskly early on as Inzamam, rightly, set attacking fields.
There was a sour note just before tea when Shoaib, in his second spell, got an attempted slower ball horribly wrong.
He ended up bowling a head-high beamer at Bell which struck the Warwickshire youngster on the wrist.
The peculiar scheduling of the day, with a two-and-a-half hour first session and a one-hour break for lunch on holy day, left just 30 minutes available after tea before the sun went down.
With the ball no longer seaming or swinging, Inzamam oddly declined using spin at both ends to give Mohammad Sami a second spell.
Bell cashed in to stroke two off-side boundaries off Sami and Matthew Hoggard's nightwatchman duties were not required.
MMIX
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The match has become a chess game, with both teams waiting for the first mistake
