Pakistan signalled their re-emergence as serious contenders in the npower Test series with a four-wicket victory at The Oval despite cause for concern late in the chase.

For a touch short of an hour and a half after the lunch break the thought running through the minds of cricket fans everywhere was: surely Pakistan can't throw this away again?

Chasing 148 to win, and just 33 runs short with seven wickets in hand at the conclusion of the morning session, it seemed Pakistan's positive approach to their pursuit of victory was bearing dividends, with England well and truly staring down the barrel. But oh how things changed.

England adopted negative tactics after the break, with Anderson bowling wide outside off stump to prevent the batsmen from scoring while Swann applied the pressure at the other end. It appeared to work at first with some hesitant running costing Azhar Ali his wicket after a good pick up and throw from Anderson at mid wicket.

However, it was a change of tactics that saw Anderson pick up the vital wicket of Yousuf. A brilliant full delivery that swung away after pitching was too much even for the great Yousuf. Kamran Akmal departed soon afterwards, out lbw to Swann not playing a shot. It was panic stations for Pakistan, and England could smell the fear.

For a period of 28 balls Pakistan went without a run as Umar Akmal and Mohammad Amir struggled to come to terms with the situation. The shackles were broken after the drinks break by an Akmal single, a heave to the midwicket fence by Amir off Swann eased the tension and when Akmal clipped Anderson for four in the following over, it was all but done and dusted. The following over Akmal completed the job and Pakistan had a memorable victory.

Earlier, England's final pair lasted a mere four balls with Stuart Broad holing out to mid on to hand Amir his first five-wicket haul. The youngest bowler to achieve the feat in England, it was only fitting that Amir finished things off for Pakistan, with the 18-year-old in tandem with Saeed Ajmal responsible for most of the damage to England's order on day three.

With their backs up against the wall, England looked like they may just inflict another embarrassment on their visitors when James Anderson found the edge of Yasir Hameed's bat in the first over the innings. Graeme Swann at second slip juggled the catch initially before holding on to send Hameed packing for a golden duck.

With the woefully out of form Salman Butt entering the fray so early there were danger signs, with the captain having failed to pass 20 thus far in the series the pressure that was already great must have felt almost unbearable has he strode to the crease.

Butt was spared the spotlight initially though as opener Imran Farhat's aggressive play took centre stage. Belligerent from the outset; twice upper cutting the pacemen over the slips, Farhat dominated the England attack for much of the early exchanges.

After a flashy knock he began to lose control, first coming down the track to Steven Finn and getting a lucky escape as he edged the ball wide of his leg stump before attempting an ambitious sweep off Graeme Swann that saw him trapped lbw. Pakistan appealed the decision but it was more in light of the state of the game than in genuine belief that the decision was incorrect - it wasn't.

But Farhat's 33 off just 39 balls gave Pakistan the early impetus they needed, laying a solid foundation for the rest of the order to build on. Butt and Mohammad Yousuf continued to do so; for the most part cautious against the spin of Swann, the pair made the most of some strange field placements, picking up singles with ease and cracking some exquisite boundaries.

Butt departed for 48, pushing forward at a Swann delivery that spun away from him and into the hands of Paul Collingwood via the outside edge. The disappointment was of course palpable on the face of the skipper but he had pushed is side within touching distance of victory.

With the win secured Pakistan now head to Lord's next Thursday with a chance of leveling the series. More importantly though the team at last appeared to click as a unit; the batsmen did the business in the first innings (and belatedly in the second), the bowlers continued to impress and all the while the atrocious fielding of the past showed real signs of improvement.

England have questions to ask of their batsmen - and for once not Alastair Cook - but changes are unlikely. Strauss' unit is a balanced one and both he and coach Andy Flower will back their charges to bounce back.

Delivery of the day
James Anderson's superb yorker to dismiss Mohammad Yousuf undoubtedly takes the cake. Full, fast and swinging away late, the paceman disturbed Yousuf's off stump and gave Pakistan real reason to be concerned.

Shot of the day
Umar Akmal's single into the covers off the first ball after the afternoon rinks break was hardly a shot of class, but it certainly was one of great importance. Pakistan hadn't scored a run in 28 balls and were looking increasingly likely to falter under immense pressure. Akmal's nudge to get the runs flowing again was followed by an Amir boundary and, not too long after, the winning runs.

Defining moment of the day
Imran Farhat's innings of 33 off 39. Pakistan's history of recent batting woe is well documented, and as a result the manner in which they approached their victory chase would be key. Farhat's aggressive knock gave Pakistan not only the runs but the positive momentum they needed to ensure that not even a late wobble could derail their charge.

Julia Harris