Misbah, Akmal keep Pak afloat

KOLKATA: India let Pakistan off the hook after seizing the early initiative as Kamran Akmal and Misbah-ul Haq posted hundreds to boost the visitors' hopes of avoiding the follow-on on the third day of the second cricket Test here on Sunday.
    
After gobbling up half of the touring side for 150 in the morning session, the Indians could not press home the advantage as Akmal (119) and Misbah (108 batting) steadied the rocking boat with a 207-run stand for the sixth wicket to enable their side reach a respectable 358 for six when bad light stopped play with two overs yet to be bowled. India had piled up 616 for five declared in their first innings.
    
However, Pakistan still need 59 runs to force India to bat again, and the morning session tomorrow could prove crucial in deciding the fate of the Eden Gardens match.
    
Akmal, who relishes playing against India, and the in-form Misbah-ul Haq played patiently on the dry wicket to defy the Indian bowlers for 259 minutes, and in the process setting up a new record on the ground for the sixth wicket.
    
The earlier mark stood in the name of West Indies' Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Marlon Samuels who authored a 195-run partnership in 2002-03.
    
The morning session belonged to the Indians as they picked up four Pakistan batsmen to put India in the box seat.
    
Offie Habhajan Singh snared Salman Butt (42) and Mohammad Yousuf (6) while skipper Anil Kumble foxed Faisal Iqbal (0).
    
In between, Munaf Patel got the prized wicket of stand-in skipper Younis Khan (43), who chased an away going delivery to gift a simple catch to wicket keeper M S Dhoni.

But Akmal and Misbah took Pakistan out of the rut after coming together eight minutes befoe lunch.
    
The duo played contrasting knocks in the second session, with Misbah cutting down on his aggressive style to tailor the game to the needs of the team.
    
But Akmal was a study in contrast. He wielded his willow in style punishing the loose balls, and dominated the partnership as the visitors reached 256 for five at tea.
    
Both batsmen benefited from dropped chances.
    
While Sachin Tendulkar failed to latch on to a diving catch at mid-on when Misbah was 22, Akmal was lucky to survive on 88.
    
He went for a short arm pull off Zaheer Khan and Munaf failed to judge the steepler at deep fine leg.
    
The 300 of the innings came in 355 minutes, before Akmal reached his fifth Test hundred  four of them having come against India - 35 minutes into the last session with a delicate cut that raced to the backward point fence. The three-figure mark was reached in 197 minutes off 173 balls.
    
Misbah reached his maiden Test ton a litle later with a boundary off Kumble.
    
But Harbhajan  the most successful of Indian bowlers with figures of three for 86, brought back cheers into the Indian camp by seeing the back of the gutsy wicketkeeper with a delivery that spun back sharply to uproot the off-stump.
    
Akmal's 259-minute stint was embellished with 20 hits to the ropes.

Starting the day at 50 for one, the visitors failed to negotiate the guiles of the Indian spin duo and lost wickets one after the other.
    
Zaheer began the proceedings and was greeted with a first ball boundary by left-hander Butt who drove past extra cover.
    
The other overnight batsman Younis seemed confident and spanked Harbhajan to the mid-wicket boundary before pulling the shortish stuff from Zaheer past square leg to pick up another four.
    
However, Harbhajan broke the blossoming 39-run partnership by inducing an outside edge from Butt (85 b, 6x4) that finished in the hands of Rahul Dravid at slip.
    
Harbhajan tasted more success in his next over as he dislodged Yousuf's leg-stump with one that went through bat and pad.
    
Younis and Misbah then put on 49 for the fourth wicket before the stand-in skipper virtually threw his wicket away.
    
Kumble then plotted Iqbal's dismissal with a googly that rapped the youngster plumb in front.