- Reuters
England's Marcus Trescothick (left) and wicketkeeper Chris Read (right) make an appeal against Pakistan's Danish Kaneria during the third day of the fourth Test at the Oval cricket ground in London yesterday.

LONDON (AP):

England were 253 runs short of avoiding an innings defeat against Pakistan yesterday at the close of play on the third day of the fourth and final test at the Oval.

After Pakistan posted an impressive 504 all out in their first innings, England had reached 78 for one by the close, Andrew Strauss' 37 and Alastair Cook's 33 putting on 70 after Marcus Trescothick was dismissed cheaply for the second time in the match.

Pakistan led on first innings by 331 runs after bowling out England for a feeble 173 runs the first time around.

Trescothick's dismal form continued when Pakistan paceman Mohammed Asif, bowling from wide on the crease, tempted him to edge the ball and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal took a tumbling catch in front of first slip with the score on eight. It was Asif's fifth wicket of the match on his return from injury.

Trescothick lasted just 10 balls and the defeat places a question mark over his place in the England team for the Ashes tour of Australia starting in November.

Strauss and Cook made light work of the Pakistan bowling, both left-handers looking stylish as they began the mammoth task of trying to wipe off the 331-run deficit.

Earlier, England's bowlers fought back well, taking Pakistan from 379 for 3 to all out 125 runs later as both teams dodged frequent rain showers.

Pakistan's batsmen had done the damage on Friday, with Mohammed Yousuf scoring a century and openers Mohammed Hafeez and Imran Farhat both reaching the 90s.

Hafeez and Yousuf had put on 177 for the third wicket but England's bowlers and fielders performed better. Steve Harmison took 4-125, and Matthew Hoggard 3-124.

Left high and dry

Faisal Iqbal was not out 58 when he ran out of partners, Harmison taking the last two wickets in the space of three balls.

The tourists are still firm favourites to take a consolation victory in the last of a four-Test series already won 2-0 by England.

England's bowlers struck four times in the afternoon session after most of the morning was lost to rain.

In the afternoon session, Steve Harmison returned to his hostile best with a nine-over spell in which he took 2-22, dismissing captain Inzamam ul-Haq and wicketkeeper Akmal.

Matthew Hoggard made the first breakthrough, having Yousuf caught behind by Chris Read for 128 after an innings of 236 balls and 18 fours from the highest-scoring Test batsman in the world this year with 1,116 runs. Yousuf has hit double centuries against England twice since December, as well as a score of 191.

The rain interruptions appeared to disturb Yousuf. He resumed on 121 and only added seven runs in 45 balls before being dismissed.

Harmison, finding violent bounce from the Oval wicket, then had Inzamam caught by captain Strauss at second slip for 31 and Akmal by Paul Collingwood at third slip for 15.

Bowler Shahid Nazir swung his bat and was dismissed moments before tea, attempting to pull a Sajid Mahmood delivery. He was caught by Hoggard who, moments earlier, had dropped Faisal Iqbal off the bowling of Monty Panesar.

After tea, the English seam attack cleaned up the tail, which went down with some heavy-hitting from Umar Gul and Danish Kaneria.