| GEO Sports | Prior and Broad revive England against Pakistan | Updated at: 2029 PST, Wednesday, August 18, 2010
 LONDON: Matt Prior and Stuart Broad shared an unbroken stand of 81 as England recovered to 175 for seven against Pakistan at tea on the first day of the third Test at The Oval here on Wednesday.
England, who had won the toss, were in a dire position at 94 for seven early in the second session.
But wicketkeeper Prior, driving strongly against both the seamers and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, was 42 not out as blue skies eased batting conditions.
And Broad, who like his father Chris, the former England opener, bats left-handed but is best known as a right-arm fast bowler, was 40 not out off just 55 balls with six boundaries.
It was Broad's sweep for four off Ajmal that saw England past their record low score of 130 against Pakistan made at The Oval back in 1954.
Pakistan debutant Wahab Riaz, who'd taken three wickets before lunch, removed Eoin Morgan soon afterwards and at tea the left-arm quick, in for the injured Umar Gul, had figures of four wickets for 34 runs in 12 overs.
England, 2-0 up in the four-match series, saw captain Andrew Strauss win the toss but then lost several top-order batsmen on a placid pitch with grey skies offering some, but far from excessive, assistance for swing bowlers.
Mohammad Asif made the initial breakthrough.
Alastair Cook's run of low scores continued with the left-handed opener making just six, including an edged four down to third man.
Cook, off the last ball of the second over, nicked Asif through to recalled wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, back in place of the injured Zulqarnain Haider.
The Essex batsman, displaying minimal footwork, had been retained in a show of faith by the selectors in an unchanged England side.
But this failure meant he'd scored just 41 runs in five innings this series at an average of 11.75.
Riaz, on as first change, took a wicket with his ninth ball when he had Strauss (15) caught behind. It needed a referral to confirm the wicket after New Zealand umpire Tony Hill had ruled in the batsman's favour, despite replays showing Strauss had got a thick outside edge.
Riaz then had Jonathan Trott, fresh from a pair of fifties in England's nine-wicket second Test win at Edgbaston, well caught by a diving Yasir Hameed at second slip after the batsman had tried to drive a ball angled across him.
Poor fielding had seen Pakistan drop several catches this series, but Hameed -- one of four changes to the side -- made no mistake with the tough chance.
Trott, on the ground where a year ago he made a century on his Test debut against Australia, was out for 12 and England were 40 for three.
Riaz, picked for this match instead of Tanveer Ahmed, who took 85 wickets in Pakistan's domestic Quaid-e-Azam Trophy last season -- compared to the debutant's 14 -- had now taken two wickets for no runs in 11 balls.
England then declined further, to 47 for four, when Paul Collingwood, half leaving the ball, played on to left-arm quick Mohammad Aamer.
And before lunch Riaz removed Kevin Pietersen, caught behind, with a good length ball after the star batsman could only manage six in more than an hour at the crease.
Pakistan, bowled out for record low scores against England of 80 and 72 at Trent Bridge and Edgbaston, recalled former captain Mohammad Yousuf and Hameed in place of struggling batsmen Umar Amin and Shoaib Malik. |  | | | |
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