Swann success but Pakistan on top

Graeme Swann enjoyed a double success on day two of the third npower Test against Pakistan, celebrating his belated nomination for ICC Cricketer of the Year with his 100th Test wicket.

Swann was left off the long list for the prestigious award on on Wednesday but subsequently added after the selection panel confessed a "genuine oversight" had been made.

He proved himself worthy of the nod by picking up four wickets as a disciplined England kept the tourists to 308 in reply to their modest 233 at the Brit Insurance Oval. Skipper Andrew Strauss was out for four before the close, with his side six for one, 69 behind.

Swann removed the dangerous Mohammad Yousuf (56) to bring up the milestone in his 23rd Test, the same number of matches as fellow spinners Shane Warne, Saqlain Mushtaq and Danish Kaneria. Derek Underwood and Steve Harmison also took 23 matches, but Ian Botham is England's quickest post-war bowler to the mark, taking just 19 games.

Steven Finn drew first blood for England with the second ball of the day, finding Yasir Hameed's outside edge and presenting Matt Prior with a simple catch.

With nine overs gone Strauss turned to spin and Swann duly removed Pakistan skipper Salman Butt (17) with a short second ball that caught the edge and was collected by Prior at the third attempt.

Nightwatchman Wahab Riaz frustrated England for 75 balls before going for 27, Swann picking up a leg-before verdict that was unwisely referred by the batsman. Azhar Ali offered solid support to Yousuf, who took Finn for successive fours, through cover and third man, to move to 49 and dashed a single to reach his half-century.

The signs were ominous that the 35-year-old was setting himself for a 25th Test hundred when Swann tossed one up and safely pouched a return catch for his 100th Test victim.

Umar Akmal was run out for 38 and the elder Akmal, wicketkeeper Kamran, made just 10 before spraying Stuart Broad straight to Eoin Morgan at backward point. Azhar crept to a second Test fifty but Mohammad Aamer (six) and Saeed Ajmal (nought) were quickly removed by Broad and Anderson respectively before Mohammad Asif was dismissed by Swann to leave Azhar stranded on 92.

England were left with a nervy spell before stumps and though all eyes were on the out-of-sorts Alastair Cook, it was Strauss who was undone as he fended Aamer to Hameed in the slips.