LEEDS: History with a twist was made at Headingley on Sunday as Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan rewrote the record books, tore out the pages and consigned some of the greatest batting performances of the last 129 years to the dustbin. It was a wondrous performance as their third wicket stand grew to 363 and made nonsense of the innings and 20 runs defeat only a week ago at Old Trafford when England snatched 20 wickets for 341.

Their dominance for 84 overs was rammed home by a lone voice in the Rugby Stand which kept up an imploring "Come on, England" long after it had become clear that England had given everything and found nothing but a barricade of stone and sprung steel in their way.

I will list some of the records which now bear the brand Y-Y to commemorate the feats of these two batsmen; to note them all would be impossible. By lunch they had beaten the ground record for the third wicket of 229 set by one Don Bradman and his junior partner Alan Kippax in 1930; soon afterwards they had claimed the biggest stand by Pakistan in England as they passed the 322 put on by Javed Miandad and Salim Malik at Edgbaston in 1992. When Yousuf was out an hour after lunch the pair had put on the seventh highest stand in Tests and the third highest against England.

Yousuf led the way as he had last night. He had been dropped by Paul Collingwood at third slip — a difficult chance but Collingwood usually collars those — off Steve Harmison, and Matthew Hoggard ought to have had an lbw verdict from umpire Billy Doctrove. But in the midst of all those lovely, clipped cover drives and the punched shots everywhere it is almost ungracious to mention such lapses.

Defensive field

Andrew Strauss's fields were also a touch defensive, which meant that when England took the new ball as soon as it became available an edged shot by Younis Khan to a leaping ball from Harmison fell into the spot where Collingwood might have been to make amends for his miss. Monty Panesar gave them most trouble but they also struck 70 runs in 26 overs of his flighted spin and the bowling analysis mocked their aggregate of 19 wickets at Old Trafford.

You cannot expect all-out attack against two batsmen so dominant. We have grown used to Yousuf — in that densely coloured helmet that with his beard makes him look like a character from a horror movie — waving his bat to the crowd. But now he had the full support of Younis who reached 150 with his 21st four and who had in 240 balls given not so much as a hint of a chance.

Finally, it was Harmison with no wicket for 98 who forced Yousuf to glove a short ball near shoulder height to Chris Read. Inzamam-ul-Haq — hardly the batsman a bowler wants to see at 399 for three — hit two fours off his first two balls, 19 from the next 25 runs and then, perhaps hoping Pakistan could build a big lead after tea.

Younis too went into his shell but at 447 Inzamam was again at fault in a run-out so that Younis was out to Sajid Mahmood's throw when tea was being poured.

Faisal Iqbal was lbw to Collingwood first ball. Inzamam fell on to his stumps — I almost wrote sword — and was out on the stroke of tea at 451 for six. So much drama — three wickets in ten balls — so soon after that huge stand that seemed to have handed Pakistan an impregnable lead.

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