A RACE problem manifested itself on the Western Terrace at Headingley yesterday evening. Happily, it was nothing malevolent merely an inability to peer through the rain and see the dates of forthcoming fixtures at Thirsk and Pontefract which were being projected on the electronic scoreboard as puddles formed on the sodden outfield.
Saeed Anwar and Shadab Khabir had time only to walk to the middle to open the Pakistan second innings shortly after five o'clock before the umpires offered them the light and they readily accepted and the deluge followed.
All of which was a pity for, although the match is heading for the predictable draw, the weather had deprived the crowd of what might have been a compelling last session of play. Given the nature of the start to his match, it had been a pleasant surprise and a tribute to their tenacity, to find that after four days, it was England and not Pakistan who had the upper hand.
On Saturday they had cruised past the follow on mark, and thanks to Alec Stewart's wonderfully cathartic century and half centuries from John Crawley and Nick Knight, reached 373 for five by stumps, just 75 short of Pakistan's total.
Yesterday, after a start delayed almost until lunchtime, that too was wiped out and by the time Dominic Cork was athletically caught at long leg by young Shadab to end the innings, they had reached 501, a lead of 53, 45 runs short of their highest on this ground and only the fifth time they had passed 500.
Central to the total yesterday was Knight who shrugged off the loss to Stewart of his opening slot, and instead made his maiden Test century - the first by a Warwickshire player since Dennis Amiss in Delhi 20 years ago - at number six with skill and confidence.
Knight, 51 not out overnight, eventually drove Waqar Younis head high to mid-off, but not before he had batted for four and a half hours to make 113 from 176 balls. If he had suffered any nerves beforehand they did not show as he cut and drove his way into the 90s, before throttling back to his 100. He was not going to let that go, and when he rocked back and pulled Wasim Akram thunderously to the old pavilion for his 15th and penultimate boundary to reach three figures, he swatted the air vigorously in delight with his bat.
The applause was generous, not least from Raymond Illingworth, who having had the hump over suggestions that he had ignored Stewart's century the previous morning, did an impression of a kid at an Oasis concert by standing on a chair and clapping until his hands almost fell off.
It is possible that by accident England have stumbled on a working combination. For this, finally, has been a team batting performance with Knight's innings setting the seal.
Just as Hussain's centuries this summer have revamped the position at first wicket down, so Knight has restored some prestige at number six. Including Knight, England have tried 19 players there - three wicketkeepers, three all-rounders and 13 specialist batsmen - since Ian Botham's last Test at Lord's in 1992 and with just four 1005 and nine half centuries from 78 innings it has brought scant success.
None of Pakistan's bowlers will look back on the match with any great fondness, suffering just as England's had on the first two days. Wasim, Wagar and Mushtag Ahmed all took three wickets, but at a high cost, with the leg spinner sending down more overs, 55, than ever he had before in a Test innings.
Bowlers on both sides will be pleased to get to the bounce and pace of the Oval in nine days time. Batsmen may not be so sure: some footslogger is going to reap a terrible revenge.
