Cairns, rain pain well-set England

When bad light stopped play at 4.35 p.m. (2105 IST) Cairns had five wickets for 75 and Nash, who took 11-169 on his previous Test appearance at Lord’s (1994), had three for 49 as England collasped in familiar fashion. Only Stewart and captain Nasser Hussain, who was 59 not out at the close, provided some succour for the home side on a ground where they have traditionally struggled.

Graham Thorpe, Mark Ramprakash, Aftab Habib and Chris Read all bid farewell for the addition of 23 as England suffered a bad bout of post-lunch indigestion.

Hussain at last got the support he needed from Andy Caddick, whose ability withthe bat in the lower served England so well at Edgbaston.

Caddick was into double figures in 25 balls but 15 minutes before tea he was run out going for a third by a boundary throw from Matthew Horne — and England dipped to 156 for seven at tea.

On resumption Cairns trapped Dean Headley leg before and then claimed his fifth wicket by having Alan Mullally caught by Astle.

With Phil Tufnell last man in, Hussain decided there was no time to lose and cracked a couple of boundaries before the umpries took the players off for bad light.

Scoreboard

England (1st innings): Mark Butcher c Parore b Cairns 8, Alec Stewart c Fleming b Nash 50, Nasser Hussain batting 59, Graham Thorpe c Astle b Cairns 7, Mark Ramprakash lbw Nash 4, Aftab Habib b Nash 6, Chris Read b Cairns 0, Andy Caddick run out (Horne/ Astle) 18, Dean Headley lbw Cairns 4, Alan Mullally c Astle b Cairns 0, Phil Tufnell batting 0; Extras:(b5, lb8, nb14) 27. Total (for nine wickets, 59.2 overs) 183

Fall of wickets:1-35, 2-79, 3-102, 4-112, 5-123, 6-125, 7-150, 8-165 9-170

Bowling: Allott 10-1-37-0; Cairns 20.2-1-75-5; Nash 22-11-49-3; Astle 7-3-9-0.