England openers Andrew Strauss and Alistair Cook resumed England second innings on fourth day of the third and final Test match here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Monday.

England, set to chase 324 runs on an eased out pitch, were 36-0 but face an uphill task against Pakistan's threatening spin duo of Saeed Ajmal and Abdul Rehman, who orchestrated their team's wins in the first two Tests.

If England succeed they will have chased their second best target following the 332 they overhauled against Australia way back in 1929. That will also help them avoid the humiliation of the first-ever clean sweep against Pakistan.

Pakistan set the target on the back of a career-best 157 by Ali and a brilliant 127 by Younis Khan, both sharing an invaluable 216-run stand for the third wicket.

It will need an extraordinary effort from the England batsmen who lost the first Test here by ten wickets and the second by 72 runs in Abu Dhabi after their batting flopped against Pakistani spinners Saeed Ajmal and Abdul Rehman.

Both Pakistan spinners will test the England batting once again after Monty Panesar claimed 5-124 to finally bowl out rivals for 365 in their second innings on a pitch that saw 16 wickets fall on the first day.

Pakistan were bowled out for 99 in their first innings and can become the first team to win a Test after being bowled out for under 100 since England, dismissed for 76 in the first innings, beat South Africa by 53 runs at Leeds in 1907.