 Misbah, Akmal keep Pakistan afloat at Eden Gardens
2nd Dec 2007 19:00 IST
Agencies
Younis and Misbah then put on 49 for the fourth wicket before the stand-in skipper virtually threw his wicket away.
Kumble then plotted Iqbal's dismissal with a googly that rapped the youngster plumb in front.
But Akmal and Misbah took Pakistan out of the rut after coming together eight minutes before Lunch.
The duo played contrasting knocks in the second session, with Misbah cutting down on his aggressive style to tailor the game to the needs of the team.
But Akmal was a study in contrast. He wielded his willow in style punishing the loose balls, and dominated the partnership as the visitors reached 256/5 at Tea.
Both batsmen benefited from dropped chances.
While Sachin Tendulkar failed to latch on to a diving catch at mid-on when Misbah was 22, Akmal was lucky to survive on 88 as he went for a short arm pull off Zaheer Khan and Munaf failed to judge the steepler at deep fine leg.
The 300 of the innings came in 355 minutes, before Akmal reached his fifth Test hundred - four of them having come against India - 35 minutes into the last session with a delicate cut that raced to the backward point fence. The three-figure mark was reached in 197 minutes off 173 balls.
Misbah reached his maiden Test ton a little later with a boundary off Kumble.
But Harbhajan the most successful of Indian bowlers with figures of 3/86, brought back cheers into the Indian camp by seeing the back of the gutsy wicketkeeper with a delivery that spun back sharply to uproot the off-stump.
Akmal's 259-minute stint was embellished with 20 hits to the ropes.
Pakistan still need 59 runs to force India to bat again, and the morning session tomorrow could prove crucial in deciding the fate of the match. |
