The speed of the bowling appeared to scramble the minds of the batsmen and there could have been three

The speed of the bowling appeared to scramble the minds of the batsmen and there could have been three run-outs before Solanki fell to a brilliant catch by Rashid Latif. The first of Pakistan’s near misses should have seen Trescothick make an early exit but Sami, collecting a throw from Imran Nazir at gully, missed the stumps from five yards with the Somerset opener some way short of his crease. With nobody backing up the ball ran away for four overthrows.This was not Trescothick’s only slice of luck. Against Akhtar, who deserved better than figures of 0 for 40, the left-hander was missed by Azhar Mahmood at slip but the easiest of Pakistan’s chances to get rid of Trescothick fell to Hafeez at mid-wicket.

However it was Latif dropping him behind the stumps on 93, with England still needing 31 to win, which finished the visitors off. That Pakistan posted a challenging total was down to two contrasting half-centuries from Younis Khan and Abdul Razzaq. Khan arrived at the crease with his side in trouble on 44 for 3 after Vaughan had won an important toss. Early morning rain, which delayed the start of play by 45 minutes, meant conditions were ideal for fast bowlers.Having failed to score a run in the previous two games, Younis could have been run out without facing a delivery had Darren Gough collected a throw from the boundary cleanly. But having survived this chance, the 26-year-old right-hander went on to provide the backbone to Pakistan’s innings with a patient 63. Younis’s innings allowed Razzaq to play with freedom and his 53-ball thrash changed the course Pakistan’s innings.

After a quiet start the dangerous right-hander changed his tactic completely from the 42nd over. Clarke was the first to feel the full power of his hitting when a slower ball disappeared into the top tier of the Compton Stand. Razzaq then set about each of England’s bowlers with an array of cuts and carves which saw the ball fly all around the ground.Not even Flintoff escaped. After eight of his allotted 10 overs the Lancashire all-rounder had the outstanding analysis of 3 for 13. These figures took a hit, however, when Razzaq, on his way to a 41-ball 50, smashed 19 off his last 12 balls.

In all 89 runs came off the last nine overs but Flintoff had the last laugh when he dismissed Razzaq for 64. 200: 182 min, 282 balls.Younis Khan 50: 90 min, 71 balls, 4 fours. 200: 208 min, 278 balls.Trescothick’s 50: 114 min, 76 balls, 6 fours. 100: 215 min, 142 balls, 9 fours.ENGLAND WON BY FOUR WICKETSMan of the match: M E Trescothick.Man of the series: Trescothick.Umpires: D B Hair (Aus) and P Willey (Eng).TV Replay Umpire: N A Mallender.Match Referee: G R Viswanath.. Torrential rain that transformed the outfield into a lake within an hour ended play midway through the third day of the first Test yesterday with the West Indies holding the marginal advantage.