Friday, August 18 2006 11:19 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

London: Mohammad Asif marks his return to Test cricket with four wickets as Pakistan salvages some pride on the first day of the fourth and final Test against England at The Oval here Thursday (17 Aug, 2006). His four for 56 in 19 overs is instrumental in England being bowled out for a meagre 173 - their lowest first innings total since they slumped to 155 all out in the opening match of last year's Ashes series at Lord's.

At stumps Pakistan are 96 for one, a deficit of 77.

Imran Farhat is 56 not out and Mohammad Yousuf, the second batsman after India's Rahul Dravid to have scored 1,000 Test runs this year, unbeaten on 12.

But England drops three catches in five Matthew Hoggard deliveries.

Up until this match Pakistan had been without all three of their leading quicks in Shoaib Akhtar (ankle), Rana Naved (groin) and Asif (elbow) during a series they can now no longer win at 2-0 down.

Asif shows what Pakistan had been missing, his haul including a spell of three top-order wickets for four runs in 11 balls.

New-ball partner Umar Gul, who is left on a hat-trick, mops up the tail on his way to four for 47 in 15.2 overs.

"I was nervous but I just tried to bowl line and length," Asif, who in five previous Tests had taken 25 wickets at 20 apiece, tells sources.

"I was really disappointed to miss the first three Tests as we have a very good attack when we are all fit."

England coach Duncan Fletcher admits his side had been 'complacent,' adding, "We've got a lot of work to do. If they get a good score ahead of us we are going to have bat very well in the second innings." "There's no doubt about it, we gave away a lot of soft wickets." "And there has been a little bit of complacency. The bowling was pretty loose up front. All in all we had an off-day."

Only three England batsmen make double figures with Alastair Cook's 40 the top score after Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq wins the toss and elects to field in what are then overcast conditions.

Mohammad Hafeez, playing his first Test since September 2003, and Farhat, fit again after a finger injury, replace the dropped Salman Butt and Taufeeq Umar.

Both Hoggard and Stephen Harmison waste the new ball as the skies brighten while first-change Sajid Mahmood is also wayward.

Hafeez, who has strapping applied around his right knee, then retires hurt on eight having put on 35 in eight overs with Farhat. England, in their final Test before their Ashes defence starts in Brisbane in November, gave the impression their minds were elsewhere.

But as shadows lengthened across the pitch, Younis Khan (nine) is caught down the legside by wicket keeper Chris Read off the fortunate Mahmood.

Then Farhat, on 49, powerfully cover-drove Hoggard and a leaping Paul Collingwood cannot hold the sharp chance.

The resulting single sees Farhat complete a 63-ball fifty with seven fours.

Next ball Yousuf, on five, edges the Yorkshire swing bowler and first slip Marcus Trescothick dropped the chance.

Yousuf, on nine, is given another life when Cook fails to hold a low chance in the gully after the batsman has opened the face against Hoggard. England has slumped to 134 for six at tea after Asif had taken two wickets in as many balls.

He has England captain and opener Andrew Strauss (38) well caught by diving wicket keeper Kamran Akmal off an outside edge.

And next ball Kevin Pietersen, whose 158 at The Oval sealed England's Ashes series wining draw against Australia last year, advances down the pitch only to nick Asif, in for the dropped Mohammad Sami, to Akmal for nought.

The 23-year-old all-rounder then has Collingwood lbw for five to a delivery that nips back and England were 64 for four. Collingwood's exit brings in Ian Bell, who is looking to become only the second England batsman since Ken Barrington to score hundreds in four successive Tests.

However, he falls for nine, caught at silly point off bat and pad by Faisal Iqbal off leg-spinner Danish Kaneria's fourth ball.

And Cook is then lbw to a full-length yorker from medium-pacer Shahid Nazir having faced 69 balls with six fours.

The innings lasts barely 11 overs after tea with Gul dismissing Read (33) and Monty Panesar in sucessive deliveries, the hosts all out inside 54 overs. But England at least has the comfort of having already won their first Test series since the Ashes and their first at home against Pakistan since 1982.