Yousuf and Younis complete unbeaten centuries

LEEDS, England, Aug 6 (Reuters) Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan completed unbeaten centuries to take Pakistan to 331 for two on the third morning of the third test against England today.

Yousuf, a specialist in double centuries against England, was on 160 with Younis on 122. In tandem the pair had put on 295 for the third wicket, a record for Pakistan against their hosts.

Neither gave a clear chance on an increasingly flat Headingley track after resuming on 202 for two in reply to England's first innings of 515, although Yousuf had a couple of scares just before the break.

Their peerless batting appeared to completely deflate England within the first hour. By then Matthew Hoggard was bowling without a slip while Andrew Strausss fielders were ambling about as if in deep slumber.

All the morning highlights came from the batsmen. Yousuf, whose last two centuries against England were 223 in Lahore and 202 at Lords earlier in this series, provided the first, guiding a delivery from Steve Harmison to the point boundary to get to 96 and then hooking him for six.

It was his 18th test century and his fifth against his favourite opponents. He took just under three hours to get there, having hit 11 fours and two maximums in his 145 deliveries. His only clear chance had come on Saturday when he was dropped on five.

Younis took a little longer, 4-1/2 hours, to match his team mate and record his 12th test century.

At times the two right-handers were hard to tell apart, playing the ball late and with such elegance that the Yorkshire crowd was soon reduced to mute admiration.

Only Monty Panesar appeared to trouble them although a handful of enthusiastic appeals from the left-arm spinner failed to impress umpire Darrell Hair.

England were clearly resigned to waiting for the new ball in an attempt to engineer a breakthrough and Yousuf was given the benefit of the doubt just before reaching 150 when he was rapped on the pad by Hoggard. Moments later, he gloved a Harmison delivery just wide of second slip but he responded immediately with a brace of sublime cover drives.

Pakistan's previous record third-wicket partnership against England was 180, made by Mudassar Nazar and Haroon Rashid in Lahore in 1977-8.

REUTERS PM BD1759