Manchester, England, June 2:  Pakistan had built up a useful lead of 133 when bad light ended play on the third day of the Second Test against England here at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The tourists were 87 for three in their second innings when they accepted the umpire's offer to go in at 1726 GMT.

Key batsman Inzamam-Ul-Haq, a first innings centurion, was 25 not out and Yousuf Youhana three not out.

Now Pakistan will look to Inzamam to give them a total that allows them to bowl out England in the six sessions that remain and so claim victory in a match they must win to square the two-Test series at one apiece.

Pakistan's top-order had started as if it were a one-day match, 42 runs coming off the first seven overs.

However, they did lose wickets on the way. Saeed Anwar was first to go after being well-caught at third slip by Graham Thorpe off Darren Gough for 12.

Then Abdur Razzaq, who had hooked Andrew Caddick for six, miscued a pull at Matthew Hoggard's sixth ball and holed out to Dominic Cork at mid-on for 22, leaving Pakistan 42 for two.

Inzamam, who made 114 on Thursday, played at a calmer Test-like tempo and England's next success owed everything to a brilliant effort from stand-in-captain Alec Stewart, deputising for the injured Nasser Hussain.

Diving down the legside the wicket-keeper took a left-handed catch to get rid of Faisal Iqbal (14) after he glanced Caddick to leave Pakistan 63 for three in the 23rd over.

Earlier the tourists ripped through England, the last eight wickets disappearing for 75 runs to leave Stewart's side 357 all out at tea.

The England collapse handed the visitors a 46-run lead.

Medium-pacer Razzaq took three for eight in 15 balls as England's bottom order gave way without much fight.

Centuries from Thorpe and Michael Vaughan had helped take England to 298 for four at lunch but by then Pakistan had dismissed both men within the space of six balls.

Nick Knight, normally an opener, had been drafted in as the seventh batsman after Hussain's thumb was fractured by Shoaib Akhtar at Lord's during England's innings and nine runs victory.

He never looked at ease and was caught behind by wicket-keeeper Rashid Latif off Razzaq for an unconvincing 15 from 45 balls.

Razzaq struck in his next over when all-rounder Cork on two chipped him straight to Saeed Anwar at mid-off, England 353 for seven.

One run later Caddick gloved a delivery from off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq to Latif.

Then an inslanting Razzaq delivery dismissed Caddick's new-ball partner Gough for nought with England 356 for nine to send the 21-year-old all-rounder on his way to final figures of 19-2-61-3.

Saqlain wrapped up the innings when last man Hoggard was bowled for nought after missing an off-break.

Stewart was 39 not out and England's final five wickets had fallen for nine runs in 34 balls.

In the opening session Vaughan went to his first Test century while Thorpe's 138 was his ninth at this level and equalled his highest Test score made against Australia at Edgbaston in 1997.

Their partnership of 267 rescued their team from the parlous position of 15 for two and was England's best against Pakistan, surpassing the 248 second-wicket stand of Colin Cowdrey and Ted Dexter at The Oval in 1962.

"Anything over 200 is a great partnership," Thorpe said afterwards, before joking that he was an "avid reader of Wisden" when informed about the record.

"I was as happy for Vaughan as he was for himself. Both of us would like to have stuck around but sometimes when you live by the sword you die by it."

A delighted Vaughan said: "It's been a great two weeks for me with three hundreds but this one means the most."

But on 138 Thorpe went for a quick single once too often and bowler Wasim Akram, following through, turned and threw down the stumps at the other end.

Thorpe was well short of his ground and England were 282 for three in 67 overs.

He had faced 261 balls including 17 fours and one six in a commanding innings a minute short of five-and-a-half hours that gave him his third Test century in eight matches.

At the other end Vaughan had looked equally assured until, on 120, he played defensively at a bouncer from Pakistan captain Waqar Younis and gloved a catch to Rashid.

His 223 ball innings included 16 fours, Vaughan going to his hundred with a 'six' partly made up of four overthrows from Wasim.