108th over: Pakistan 277-3 (Azhar Ali 109 Misbah 9) Gray Naylor sums up what I feel about Azhar's innings far better than my sleep-deprived brain can mangae this morning: "Perfect innings for the situation by Azhar. Batting isn't all about flashing drives and getting on top of the bowling. England's middle order should take note. And just as I pasted that Azhar does unleash a sumptuous cover drive off Panesar, making the silly point bounce up to spare his ankles. 107th over: Pakistan 271-3 (Azhar Ali 103 Misbah 9) Our Lord Selvey and master writes in: "Im not too optimistic about England's chances here. There is a whole heap of rough outside the lefthanders' off stump and England have six of them. When Swann's bowling round the wicket to Azhar, he has occasionally found it and it would make any left-hander jumpy, I would think. Two off the over, Misbah pushing the ball to leg off a full face, with a flick of the writs. Makes him a candidate for short-leg catch, says Nasser Hussain. 106th over: Pakistan 269-3 (Azhar Ali 102 Misbah 8) Azhar comes down the track and takes it on the pad, off the inside edge. He looks desperate to get to three figures and is prepared to btake a risk now. It was a dress rehearsal for the next ball when he rocks and larrups a short ball through point to get to 102. It took him 320 balls to get there, a monument to his dedication and patience. 105th over: Pakistan 265-3 (Azhar Ali 98 Misbah 8) It has been a mix of enthralling defensive play and sheer tedium at times since Younus's dismissal. Misbah's determination to play himself in and Azhar's desire to make his second Test ton have led to some understandable conservatism. "I'm all for measured doses of optimism to lift English snow-bound spirits up, but to be contemplating plans for running through Pakistan's tail when they're only three down and batting the DRS into oblivion might be a tad premature, don't you think?" writes Jamil Masud. I think I'd momentarily succumbed to Bothamania. 104th over: Pakistan 263-3 (Azhar Ali 98 Misbah 6) Azhar comes down the wicket and is rapped on the pad by Panesar who utters a strangulated appeal. Azhar is very cautious until he sweeps a straight ball down to fine leg for four. They're grinding this out. 103rd over: Pakistan 259-3 (Azhar Ali 94 Misbah 6) Matthew Prior keeps chirping awaty with praise for "Chef" and "Belly." Seems abit nonsensical to me. Swann is keeping Misbah on his toes, having to back his ability to kill the ball with his bat because he can't get sufficiently forward to play it with his pad. 102nd over: Pakistan 259-3 (Azhar Ali 94 Misbah 6) Monty is copying Swann, in that he isn't looking for flight and drift. Both are spearing them in a bit. When he overpitches, Misbah turns it off his toes to square leg and runs three. 101st over: Pakistan 256-3 (Azhar Ali 94 Misbah 3) "There's an interesting stat: Swann and Panesar have never played together in a winning Test side," writes John Starbuck. Swann is bowling quickly to Azhar, trying to give him the hurry up by pushing the ball through. More flight for Misbah, who covers any potential spin with a quick bat. 100th over: Pakistan 254-3 (Azhar Ali 93 Misbah 2) Pakistan are 212 ahead. Already enough I would think but I suppose if England could get through to the tail and keep the target below 300 they will feel they've recovered well. Maiden from Monty, his one short ball finding the fielder when cut by Misbah. 99th over: Pakistan 254-3 (Azhar Ali 93 Misbah 2) And it's spin from both ends. Swann has a slip, wholly redundant short leg and a shortish midwicket. He's coming around the wicket to Azhar, you would think to look for the rough but a couple of balls drift on to middle stump and Azhar gets off strike with a push to cover and back on again when Misbah plays tip and run. The last ball of the over is again on middle but full-pitched and Azhar, a nervous 90s-man, palys a weird French cricket block that gets the field ooohing. 98th over: Pakistan 252-3 (Azhar Ali 92 Misbah 1) Monty Panesar comes into the attack. Sky has just done a stats package on Younus, noting his lack of runs (and Tests) in 2008. Aamer Sohail said ruefully, "he was unfortunate to have a dispute with the board chairman ... not the only one." What a waste. Monty gets some slowish turn from a couple of balls but seems to be dragging it down more than he was in Abu Dhabi. A shortish one outside off stump is bludgeoned into the ground for a single. 97th over: Pakistan 251-3 (Azhar Ali 91 Misbah 1) Anderson continues but may be suffering lower back pain as he stops after the second ball to lie on the ground and do some stretches. Misbah gets off the mark off the 12th ball he's faced. Here's Gary Naylor: "Not long ago, Stuart Broad was being monstered for six sixes in an over by Yuvraj Singh. Since then, Broad has cemented his place in all formats and Yuvi has had health problems and I understand that he is undergoing chemo in Boston. OBOers wish him well. We do, indeed. 96th over: Pakistan 249-3 (Azhar Ali 90 Misbah 0) Big grunt from Broad when he gets one to cut awat from Azhar. He's deserved more this morning. Is Madiha Sheikh thinking of Stuart when she writes: " I am a Pakistani cricket fan but never have the patience for the Test matches. Have to say England have made Test cricket worth watching. It helps that they are also quiet the lookers! And the OBO team, Madiha. Not quite the lookers. That'll be drinks, then. "I wouldn't mind a Variability of Bounce Factor for the pitch and a Ball Heaviness Index for each bowler," writes Joe Healey. Sounds like one for the analyst. Or his near homonym. 95th over: Pakistan 247-3 (Azhar Ali 88 Misbah 0) They're sticking to the plan for Misbah, cramping his ability to move forward and trying to pin him in front. Anderson has certainly got his dander up bowling at the captain. Here's Gary Naylor, on that dropped catch. Have your recovered, Gary? Swanny has not been as good since he started 'writing' that book. They should only write them once they're done with their central contracts. The Video Diaries can stay though. I enjoyed the book, Gary. Didn't think his candour was particularly wise, though. It wouldn't have sold without it but I think, too, that they're better kept for international retirement. Another maiden, Anderson alternating his length to put doubts in Misbah's mind and keep his feet static. 94th over: Pakistan 247-3 (Azhar Ali 88 Misbah 0) "Surely of all gigs doing the Guardian's OBO is tailor-made for working from home? By which I mean, from under the duvet on the bed near the heater within sight of the telly?," writes Jonathan Wallis. What happens if you just don't, er, arrive? Here in Melbourne I was off to register at a conference, but it started to rain lightly so I turned around and went home. Jammy bleeder. It would be good to do it from home, with the one problem being the five-year-old wanting to play Junior Scrabble and the two-year-old interrupting to tell me Percy has pushed Thomas off the track. Broad is bowling wonderfully, moving it through the air and off the deck. 93rd over: Pakistan 247-3 (Azhar Ali 88 Misbah 0) Azhar goes down on one knee to smack the ball through the covers and move on to 88. He needs a bat with more meat in it because his timing was perfect but still it didn't make the rope. Nasser Hussain reckons Anderson is floating the ball in where Broad is bowling it. He's right, until the fifth and sixth balls where he really bends his back and tries to catch Misbah on the crease, looking for the lbw. 92nd over: Pakistan 244-3 (Azhar Ali 85 Misbah 0) "Yes we're going to lose 3-0. But contrary to expectation both sides are going to finish the series on good terms for the first time in living memory," writes Ian Forth. England can lick their wounds and pretend it never happened - like Australia have just done after being 21-9 against South Africa and beaten by New Zealand at home. Pakistan have regained much pride and restored their integrity. Everyone's a winner, apart from Eoin Morgan. Wicket!! Younus lbw Broad 127 Broad keeps pegging away, looking for the swing and getting it but unthreateningly because it's moving most the further it is pitched outside off-stump. Then he traps him with one that doesn't move away. It looks a little bit high to me but the umpire correctly judged it was in line and going to clip the off-bail. Umpire's call has worked in England's favour. Pakistan REVIEW!! Younus lbw Broad 91st over: Pakistan 244-2 (Azhar Ali 85 Younus 127) Azhar has a reprieve on the first ball of Anderson's over, nicking low to second slip where Swann dives forward and gets two fingers of his left hand underneath the ball but cannot hang on. Sir Ian Botham says he went up too soon and then had to quickly get back down again, his trigger movement making it more difficult and his handling not being able to compensate for being off-balance and too high in his crouch. Dear, oh dear. 90th over: Pakistan 242-2 (Azhar Ali 84 Younus 126) Broad raps Younus on the pad but it was too high to get a leg-before decision. Later he gets more bounce still, catching Azhar unawares with a leaper but the batsman compensates, possibly by loosening his grip, and fends it away safely. It's been an excellent opening spell from Broad. 89th over: Pakistan 239-2 (Azhar Ali 82 Younus 125) Younus creams Anderson's first ball through the covers for four. He's scored a triple century, two doubles and two 190s in the past so has the virtue of patience and stickability. Anderson tries to counter by going a little bit wider on the crease. Younus watches it and pats the ball towards point. "We're not that big on snow shoes here, actually, but prefer to plough the snow off streets etc.'" writes Sara Torvalds. Of course, there are days when things go badly in Finland, too. Only the other day we had lots of accidents because of the unusual combination of very cold weather and heavy snowfall (usually it will be one or the other, but the Gulf of Finland hasn't frozen over yet this year). Snow-ploughing the streets? It'll never catch on. Here's Sara's clip of the Finland blizzards. 88th over: Pakistan 235-2 (Azhar Ali 82 Younus 121) Jaffa from Broad to Azhar almost catches him having a nibble outside off-stump but it juts eludes the edge. Dave Todd, from Sydney (not inconsequentially), says: "Given the hefty sentences handed down for bowling a few no balls and my ignorance of the law, I was just wondering what sort of sentence a person might get in England for impersonating a batsman? With transportation no longer possible (nor desirable on our part), and custodial rather harsh, do you think it will be simple deportation? The same fate as Philip Hughes, one suspects. It's a batsman's world, Broad making a marginal error by trying to push one back on to the stumps is clipped through midwicket for three then almost gets Azhar having a slashing square cut at the filthiest ball he's bowled all morning but the batsman misses it. 87th over: Pakistan 231-2 (Azhar Ali 81 Younus 118) Shot! from Younus Khan, to post the double century partnership, leaning into a cover drive that is just clawed back before it hits the rope. Anderson keeps to his fourth stump line until the last ball which Azhar tucks off his pads for a single. 86th over: Pakistan 227-2 (Azhar Ali 80 Younus 115) "Good morning, Rob. Yes, snow just about everywhere but the roads are clear round our way so no excuses," writes John Starbuck. Even so, it's a good job it's not a working day for most of us, as I understand it is over there. Will England turn up to put a proper shift in? They got a tremendous boll..., er rollicking from Andy Flower this morning according to Sky so one senses they will not chuck the towel in. They look more upbeat, their smiles not so rueful this morning, and Broad has been very tight with his line, bowling his second successive maiden. 85th over: Pakistan 227-2 (Azhar Ali 80 Younus 115) I, as Michael Jackson had it, am not alone. Good morning, Sara Torvalds: "Hundreds of emails coming in from people saying that they really believe a) that England will bowl Pakistan out in the first hour, and b) that the England batsmen are going to score runs like it's the Ashes again. No? A little short on the ground, Sara. Ah, well. Better stick to commenting on the weather, then. Here in Karis, Finland it's -22 - which naturally won't keep anyone from voting in today's presidential elections. That's tennis racket on shoe weather, Sara. Anderson is striving for the trick of tempting Azhar with balls moving away then trapping him with one that cuts back in but the batsman is not falling for it. He takes a solitary single by piercing the off-side ring. 84th over: Pakistan 226-2 (Azhar Ali 79 Younus 115) Broad's first ball is a mirror of Anderson's but his second starts closer to off stump and Younus leaves it well alone. There's definitely some movement in the air - his first four balls are genuine outswingers, modifying his length to test Younus who is being very watchful, putting bat to ball only for the fifth and six balls, dabbing them towards point. Maiden. 83rd over: Pakistan 226-2 (Azhar Ali 79 Younus 115) Jimmy Anderson begins with a loosener, arcing away outside off stump as Jerusalem is sung with a rocking drum accompaniment from the Pakistan fans. Pakistan are 180 ahead at the start of play. After two moving away his third and fourth jag back in and Azhar goes on to his toes and plays the shorter fourth ball to midwicket for two. He takes two more off the last ball, punching it through mid on. It's been a calm, confident start from Azhar. Good morning: I hope it's been a more comfortable experience for you than me. There are at least two inches of snow on the London pavements and an army of stranded night owls trudging around Kings Cross, some wrapped in silver foil blankets having gone out for the night in T-shirts and trying to flag down cars, not specifically taxis, to try and cadge a lift home. So, forgive me if I look at the temperatures on offer in Dubai with a touch of the gren eye. As for the match itself, I haven't got the time to give you much of a preamble, save to say how impressive Younus Khan and Azhar Ali were yesterday and particularly the way they got the spinners to shift their line of attack and then milked them in the last session. Barring a storming day from England, Pakistan's first ever 3-0 series victory looks on. Given the looks on their faces when deciding to go for a review yesterday, they seem bemused by their fate and almost resigned to it.