EVER since he took over the reins of the England team, Mike Atherton has been a realist. If the team won occasionally, spectacularly even sometimes, then they lost all too frequently as well. There was no middle ground.

Consistency, he felt, was the key: first learn not to lose and the door to victory would be opened more readily.

So if there has been one success above any other in the alliance between Atherton and Raymond Illingworth this past couple of years, it has been the successful transplant of a backbone into the England team and steel into their souls.

They will need all that and more today however, if they are not to succumb to a relentless tidal surge from Pakistan and lose the first Test. To survive, they have to bat through the entire day against what is probably the most passionate and varied bowling attack on earth.

Unless the weather has some say in the matter it remains a tall order, although they made a spirited fist of it in the final session on Saturday - enough for Ladbrokes to slash the odds on a win from 50/1 to 33 - after Wasim Akram had set them a target of 408 by declaring. His second innings closed with a dramatic flourish, four balls before tea.

By that time, Pakistan had taken their overnight score of 162 for three to 352 for five, initially with the aid of some ebullient strokeplay from Ijaz Ahmed and Inzamam-ul-Haq, who added 118 for the fourth wicket. When they "had both succumbed to Dominic Cork's persistence, and unbroken alliance for the sixth wicket between Salim Malik (27 not out) and Wasim himself, who, custom-built for the last hour before a declaration, bludgeoned an unbeaten 34.

It left England 34 overs to face in what wads certain to be a crucial passion-charged session, and although they lost Nick Knight in the sixth over, back on his stumps and judged leg before wicket to Waqar Younis for 1, Atherton dug in while Alec Stewart counter-attacked, hooking and pulling the pace bowlers with bravado so that by stumps the pair had added 60, taking the score to 74 for one.

The key to hanging on today (England have never made more than 332 in the fourth innings to win a Test) must rest with Atherton who at least will realise that the eight or so hours he is being asked to bat here is small beer compared with his Johannesburg marathon last winter.

Some of Inzamam's driving in this match has been like a heavy artillery barrage and one attempted Abwer ball from Cork was clubbed over wide mid on with the sort of blow that would have felled a redwood. Both batsmen seemed certainties for centuries and Inzamam, had he reached three figures would have been only the third player to do so at Lord's, and the second from abroad.

Neither was to get there. Ijaz had hit 76 before being leg before the ball striking his back leg. His partner simply got too ambitious and his skimming off-drive, taken from outside legstump, was well held above his head by Ealham at deepish mid off.

Cork has not enjoyed much luck recently but he earned those.