England lost wickets they could ill-afford as they left themselves with much to do to stay in with a chance of winning the second Test and therefore the series, replying to a Pakistan total of 462 all out in Faisalabad.
The tourists, already 1-0 down in this three-match series, stuttered to 113 for three by the time bad light brought an early close to day two of the second Test on a very placid pitch after Inzamam-ul-Haq's 23rd Test century had kept his team in control.
The loss of opener Andrew Strauss and then captain Michael Vaughan for the addition of only six runs in successive overs from Rana Naved-ul-Hasan was followed by Marcus Trescothick's dismissal two runs short of a half-century to leave England's middle order exposed before a reassuring response to the Pakistan first innings was under way.
Trescothick and Ian Bell settled some nerves in a third-wicket stand of 63 - and they had to keep their cool too when a loud explosion from just outside the boundary boards square with the wicket startled the whole ground and left the players surrounded by a cordon of police officers on the square during a 10-minute interruption.
It was quickly ascertained the cause was merely a suspected gas build-up in a soft-drinks dispenser - but in the context of a tour which has been beset by security concerns the concerns of players and spectators alike were obvious.
