London: Andrew Strauss scored a century in his first Test as England captain during a tense battle with the Pakistan leg spinners on the fourth day of the first Test at Lord's on Sunday.
Strauss kept one end safe as Danish Kaneria and Shahid Afridi toiled patiently under a broiling sun in their contrasting styles to keep alive Pakistan's hopes of forcing victory on a pitch which yielded nearly 1,000 runs in the combined first innings.
At the close, a draw looked the likeliest option after Strauss was finally dismissed for 128 in his team's 258 for seven.
England lead by 341 with three sessions left to play, more runs than Pakistan have ever successfully chased in a fourth innings.
The highest winning total at Lord's is West Indies' astounding 344 for one in 1984 after being set 341 for victory.
Strauss, who also scored a century on his Test debut two years ago at Lord's against New Zealand, is deputising for Andy Flintoff who should return to lead the side for the second test if he proves his fitness in a county match for Lancashire.
He is only the third England player to make a hundred in his first match as captain following Archie MacLaren and Allan Lamb.
England needed to wrap up the Pakistan innings early on Sunday if they were to win the first Test in the four-match series after losing 2-0 in Pakistan late last year.
Their opening bowlers Steve Harmison and Matthew Hoggard duly delivered, taking the final three wickets for 36 runs after the visitors had resumed at 409 for seven in reply to England's 523 for eight declared.
England, however, were unable to prevent Mohammad Yousuf from reaching his fourth test double hundred and his second against England after he had already batted for seven hours on Friday and Saturday to reach 185.
Pakistan Records
Yousuf's 202 was the highest score by a Pakistan batsman at Lord's and his team's total was also a national record at the headquarters of world cricket.
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Harmison was rewarded for consistently hostile fast bowling with four for 94 while wicketkeeper Geraint Jones snaffled five victims for the fourth time in Tests.
Strauss and Marcus Trescothick added 38 runs for the first wicket before the latter was bowled by Umar Gul for 18.
Gul then dismissed Alastair Cook for four when the first innings centurion chipped a catch to Yousuf at mid-on.
Kevin Pietersen took 14 balls to get off the mark but then appeared to be getting into his stride with six fours before he was stumped by Akmal off Afridi for 41.
Paul Collingwood, who scored 186 in the first innings, made only three, caught by Salman Butt at mid-off from Kaneria, and England were in some trouble at 146 for four.
Ian Bell, the third first innings century-maker, was again assured, fending off some spiteful deliveries from the spinners, while Strauss accumulated runs at the other end through the leg side and square of the wicket.
Bell was run out for 28 when Strauss, on 99, scampered the single which would have taken him to his hundred.
Unfortunately the ball went straight to Inzamam-ul-Haq at mid-wicket and the Pakistan captain hit the stumps with a direct hit with Bell short of his ground.
Strauss reached his century with 11 fours from 168 deliveries in 234 minutes before he was caught behind from a tired push to Kaneria.
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