By Tony Lawrence

LEEDS, England, Aug 7 (Reuters) Andrew Strauss scored a fine century in England's second innings at Headingley today but Pakistan hit back to dismiss him with the final ball of the afternoon session to keep the third test on a knife edge.

The England captain was on 116 when he snicked a delivery from fast bowler Mohammad Sami behind to leave the home side on 237 for four at tea on the fourth day, giving them an overall lead of 214.

Paul Collingwood was on four not out with Ian Bell yet to reach the crease. England lead the four-match series 1-0.

England's openers put on 158 before leg spinner Danish Kaneria took two quick wickets, including Kevin Pietersen's with a perfect googly, to keep the touring side in the game.

Strauss's wicket, however, was the perfect bonus.

Strauss had taken 53 balls to get to his 10th test century in only his 30th match. He batted for four hours and 10 minutes, faced 171 balls and hit 16 fours, three of them coming off a single over from Kaneria.

The touring side, without captain Inzamam-ul-Haq for most of Monday's play after he developed chest pains, were dismissed for 538 in their first innings yesterday.

Strauss and Marcus Trescothick's partnership was an extraordinary affair, the former playing at the top of his form on a pitch beginning to display signs of variable bounce while the latter looked as if he had never played the game before.

Trescothick, indeed, led a charmed life during a three-and-three-quarter-hour innings most memorable for its bloody-minded awfulness. Rarely can a test batsman have played worse and prospered more.

His first life came in the third over when, on six, he swished airily at a lifting leg-side delivery from Mohammad Sami. The nick flew to Kamran Akmal's right but the wicketkeeper dropped the chance one-handed.

Five balls and one run later Trescothick, having been repeatedly beaten outside off stump by Umar Gul, finally got an edge only for the hapless Akmal to grass the most routine of chances.

Undeterred, the left-handed batsman kept going for his shots, in the process edging Sami between second and third slip after making 21 and driving just short of extra cover on 29. His lack of fluency, though, did not stop 65 runs coming off the first 10 overs.

Strauss's only escape came on 29, when he was given the benefit of the doubt after a big lbw appeal while facing Kaneria.

Trescothick, who reached his 50 off 88 balls to Strauss's 68, seemed to be bullying himself back into form, smashing a straight four back past Gul and then hoisting Kaneria over long-off for six.

But, having hit eight fours and one six, he fell soon after lunch as he chased a wide, short delivery from Gul, the edge flying to second slip where Salman Butt took a fine catch low down.

Cook struck three textbook boundaries before he was caught off bat-pad off Kaneria and the leg spinner kept his nerve after Pietersen had swatted him for two leg-side boundaries to fool the right-hander with a beauty which bowled him through the gate.

Inzamam was taken to hospital for x-rays which came back clear.

Reuters AY RS2257