LONDON, 9 September 2006 — England’s lesser lights turned the tables on Pakistan’s ‘Big Three’ at Trent Bridge yesterday to keep alive their hopes of levelling their one-day international series.

Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan, the bedrock of the Pakistan batting order, all failed to produce commanding performances as the touring side, 2-0 up in the five-match series, were restricted to 235 for eight after opting to bat first in the day-nighter.

England’s top performers were the unlikely duo of seamer Jon Lewis, who has never established himself in the side, and part-time spinner Michael Yardy. Lewis took two for 49 while Yardy, bowling rapid, flat left-arm spin on his debut, found turn and bounce to take three for 24 off 10 overs.

Pakistan would have fared far worse but for all rounder Abdul Razzaq, who flailed an extraordinary 75 runs off 72 balls, including five sixes off the final two overs, to get his side past 200. England’s last four overs went for 69.

Lewis, shaping the ball away from the right-handers, had Mohammad Hafeez and Younis Khan caught in the slip cordon in his first two overs to reduce Pakistan to 17 for two. Younis, having made a match-winning century in the previous game, went for a six-ball duck.

Pakistan’s gamble of promoting big-hitting Shahid Afridi to opener also ended in disappointment. Afridi opened his account with a straight six off Stuart Broad, but, having made 23 at almost a run a ball, he fell lbw to Sajid Mahmood.

Yousuf’s struggles, however, were at the heart of Pakistan’s failure.

One of the world’s leading batsmen and averaging 109 in the series before Friday, he failed to find any form or timing, to his evident frustration. Worse still, his dismissal, after a tortured 29 runs off 80 balls, sparked a mid-order collapse as three wickets went for two runs in 11 balls.

Yousuf was bowled by a delivery from Yardy speared into his pads to make it 115 for four and the debutant completed a double-wicket maiden when Shoaib Malik chipped back a return catch for a two-ball duck.

Next over, the 31st, Inzamam’s innings of 47 ended when he also chipped back a catch to the bowler which off spinner Jamie Dalrymple, gratefully swallowed. Inzamam had provided his side’s only highlights with three glorious boundaries from one Mahmood over, but he was let down by those around him.

Pakistan’s worst transgressor was Kamran Akmal, the wicketkeeper feebly late-cutting straight to slip to give Yardy his final wicket.

Razzaq, though, opened out with a string of pulls and cleanly-hit cross-bat smashes to mid-wicket.

Mahmood’s last over, the 49th, went for 26 and Lewis’s final six balls went for 21, with the final two deliveries of the innings both deposited into the stands. England have lost their last two one-day series 5-1 in India and 5-0 at home against Sri Lanka.