England, chasing a challenging 285-run target in a minimum of 64 overs to square the three-match series, were uncomfortably placed at 138-6 when Giles walked in to join Jones with 26 more overs to go.

Jones (30 not out) and Giles (13 not out) faced pace from one end and probing spin from the other to take England to 164-6 at stumps when bad light stopped play with 16 overs remaining.

Pakistan earlier rode on skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq's record 24th Test century to set the stiff target.

Inzamam cracked an unbeaten 100 to break Javed Miandad's Pakistani record of 23 Test hundreds. He hit one six and nine fours in his 134-ball knock.

England skipped a few heartbeats when pacemen Rana Naved-ul-Hasanand Shoaib Akhtar (3-61) wrecked their top order with four quick wickets to raise hopes of a Pakistani victory.

The tourists were tottering at 20-4 in the sixth over when Ashes hero Andrew Flintoff (56) steadied the innings with an 80-run stand for the fifth wicket with Kevin Pietersen, who was caught bat-pad off Naved after scoring 42.

Just when it seemed that Flintoff would steer his team to safety with his typically aggressive knock, he was caught off his gloves at gully off a wild stroke to become Akhtar's third victim.

He smashed one six and nine fours in his 98-ball knock.

But Jones and Giles applied themselves well to deny Pakistan further success, batting nearly 10 overs under pressure.

England virtually gave up the chase after Marcus Tresocthick, Andrew Strauss and first-innings century-maker Ian Bell fell for ducks, and captain Michael Vaughan for nine.

Akhtar began the slide by rattling Trescothick's stumps with the third ball of the innings before Naved bowled Strauss in his opening over.

Two overs later, Akhtar had Bell caught behind and then Naved trapped Vaughan leg-before.

England had a chance of squaring the series in the morning session of the topsy-turvy day, but were in danger of losing it in the afternoon. They needed one early wicket, that of Inzamam, who had only tail-enders to give him company.

Pakistan were only 199 ahead with four wickets in hand when play resumed, but in-form Inzamam saved the match with his brilliant knock.

Inzamam followed his first-innings 109 with an unbeaten hundred to become only the second Pakistani batsman after Hanif Mohammad (1961-62) to score a century in each innings of a Test against England.

The Pakistan captain, who also made 53 and 72 in the first Test at Multan, continued to thrive on the England attack.

He offered a chance on 79 while going for a big shot off spinner Shaun Udal, but Strauss failed to judge a skier at the mid-wicket boundary. Pakistan were already 256 ahead with two wickets in hand.

Inzamam farmed the strike only when last-man Danish Kaneria was at the other end. He was on 81 when Kaneria walked in but batted shrewdly to complete his hundred in the tail-ender's company.

The final Test starts next Tuesday.6

(Article: Copyright © 2005 AFP)