 Misbah, Akmal keep Pakistan afloat at Eden Gardens
2nd Dec 2007 19:00 IST
Agencies
India let Pakistan off the hook after seizing the early initiative as Kamran Akmal and Misbah-ul-Haq posted hundreds to boost the visitors' hopes of avoiding the follow-on on the third day of the second Test at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata today.
After gobbling up half of the touring side for 150 in the morning session, the Indians could not press home the advantage as Akmal (119) and Misbah (108 batting) steadied the rocking boat with a 207-run stand for the sixth wicket to enable their side reach a respectable 358/6 when bad light stopped play with two overs yet to be bowled.
India had piled up 616/5 declared in their first innings.
Akmal, who relishes playing against India, and the in-form Misbah played patiently on the dry wicket to defy the Indian bowlers for 259 minutes, and in the process setting up a new record on the ground for the sixth wicket.
The earlier mark stood in the name of West Indies' Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Marlon Samuels who authored a 195-run partnership in 2002-03.
The morning session belonged to the Indians as they picked up four Pakistan batsmen to put India in the box seat.
Harbhajan Singh snared Salman Butt (42) and Mohammad Yousuf (6) while skipper Anil Kumble foxed Faisal Iqbal (0).
In between, Munaf Patel got the prized wicket of stand-in skipper Younis Khan (43), who chased an away going delivery to gift a simple catch to wicket keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Starting the day at 50/1, the visitors failed to negotiate the guiles of the Indian spin duo and lost wickets one after the other.
Zaheer began the proceedings and was greeted with a first ball boundary by left-hander Butt who drove past extra cover.
The other overnight batsman Younis seemed confident and spanked Harbhajan to the mid-wicket boundary before pulling the shortish stuff from Zaheer past square leg to pick up another four.
However, Harbhajan broke the blossoming 39-run partnership by inducing an outside edge from Butt (85 b, 6x4) that finished in the hands of Rahul Dravid at slip.
Harbhajan tasted more success in his next over as he dislodged Yousuf's leg-stump with one that went through bat and pad.
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