England captain Andrew Strauss scored a majestic century on the fourth day of the third Test against Pakistan on Monday to set up the prospect of an enthralling finale.
The home side were bowled out for 345 just before the close to give the tourists a victory target of 323. Pakistan's openers survived a single over at the end of the day without scoring.
On a day of fluctuating fortunes, Strauss made 116 and put on 158 for the first wicket with Marcus Trescothick (58) in England's second innings before the touring side scythed through the top order to reduce their hosts to 248 for five.
Wicketkeeper Chris Read, however, back in the England side after a two-year exile because of his perceived poor batting, took the victory target beyond 300 with a Test-best 55 before he was last man out.
England lead the four-match series 1-0. Only two sides have ever scored more than 300 in the final innings to win a Test at Headingley.
Pakistan, who made 538 in their first innings, will have to overcome another sizeable problem on the final day, with skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq set to bat no higher than number seven after spending most of Monday off the field with a chest injury.
Strauss's innings formed the bedrock of England's effort. The left-hander, driving and cutting sublimely on a pitch of increasingly variable bounce, took 153 balls to get to his 10th Test century in only his 30th match.
He batted for four hours and 10 minutes in all and hit 16 fours, three of them coming off a single over from leg spinner Danish Kaneria.
TOTAL CONTROL
At lunch, England looked in total control on 121 without loss. Shortly after tea Pakistan were right back in the game after reducing their hosts to 248 for five, as the top order collapsed in the space of 90 runs.
By the close England just about held the upper hand again, although the touring side will still fancy their chances of chasing the victory target.
If their wicketkeeper Akram Kamal had managed to take one of two gilt-edged chances from Trescothick early in the day, their prospects would have been better still.
Trescothick led a charmed life during his three-and-three-quarter-hour innings. Rarely can a Test batsman have played worse and prospered more.
Having made six, he swished at a lifting leg-side delivery from strike bowler Mohammad Sami but Akmal dropped the leg-side chance after only getting one hand to the ball.
Five balls and one run later Trescothick edged again while facing Umar Gul but the hapless Akmal grassed the most routine of chances.
England's left-handed opener, woefully out of form and without a half-century in the series before Monday, had several other escapes, including an edge through the slips, but the runs kept coming.
He seemed to be playing himself into some form at last, hoisting Kaneria over long-off for six, when he fell soon after lunch as he chased a wide, short delivery from Gul and was well caught at second slip.
From that point, Pakistan crept back into the game.
Cook struck three textbook boundaries before he was caught off bat-pad off Kaneria for 21 and the leg-spinner kept his nerve after Kevin Pietersen had swatted him for two leg-side boundaries, fooling the right-hander with a beauty which bowled him through the gate for 16.
Strauss's departure, caught behind off Sami, made it 237 for four and Ian Bell soon followed to make it 248 for five.
Read, however, put on 51 with Paul Collingwood (25) for the sixth wicket and then shepherded the tail during the final overs of the day before he played on while facing Sami.
He had his luck, scoring a four off an inside edge off his third ball and later being caught off a no-ball, but he also opted refreshingly for attack rather than defence, depositing Kaneria over long on.
The highest fourth-innings total to win a game at Headingley came in 1948, when Don Bradman's 'Invincibles' scored 404 for three. England made 315 for four to beat Australia in 2001.
