Agencies, LONDON
Pakistan moved on to 348 for three, giving them a first-innings lead of 175, before rain interrupted the third morning of the fourth and final Test against England yesterday.
Mohammad Yousuf added two runs to his overnight score to reach 117 not out at The Oval, with his captain Inzamam-ul-Haq on 11 at the other end, before rain began to fall after just five overs.
PHOTO: AFP
The touring side added 12 runs in the 20 minutes available, with Inzamam contributing two sumptuous back-foot boundaries, the first off Matthew Hoggard and the second off the struggling Steve Harmison.
They were bowled out for 173 on the first day.
On Friday, Mohammad Yousuf's third century of the series left Pakistan in command.
Pakistan, when bad light forced an early close on the second day, were 336 for three, a first innings lead of 163, with Yousuf 115 not out.
Yousuf's century followed his 202 in the drawn first Test at Lord's and 192 in England's series-clinching 167-run third Test triumph at Headingley. It was his fourth hundred in five Tests against England.
The right-hander also became the leading run scorer in Test cricket this year with 1,110 runs.
Together with Mohammad Hafeez, who made 95, he put on 177 for the third wicket after Yousuf, dropped twice early on, had shared a stand of 78 with Imran Farhat (91).
England's attack, as it had been on Thursday, was lackluster with fast bowler Steve Harmison way below his best with figures of none for 78 in 15 overs.
"It was as bad it looked," England seamer Matthew Hoggard admitted. "We were below par bowling, below par fielding and we were below par batting yesterday [Thursday]. But we've got three days to put that right."
The one consolation for England was that at 2-0 up they'd already won the series.
But Hoggard insisted: "We spoke at length before the game saying we didn't want to lose in a dead rubber. We want to go 3-0 up."
The opening match of the three-game limited-overs series between India and Sri Lanka was abandoned yesterday due to a wet outfield, underscoring the problem of scheduling games during the monsoon season.
One morning shower, lasting 30 minutes, dashed the chances of resuming Friday's interrupted game at the Sinhalese Sports Club that saw just 22 balls being bowled -- despite the provision of a reserve day.
The sun was shining and there was no sign of rain when umpires Billy Bowden and Asoka de Silva had to call off the game as the time available would not permit for the match to be completed.
Cricket fans saw just 3.4 overs bowled on Friday, allowing India to score 11 for no loss after winning the toss.
A scheduled tri-series was reduced to a Sri Lanka-India contest after South Africa pulled out last week citing security concerns.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and