Matt Prior during the third day of the first Test, in Nottingham, on Saturday. (AP)

Nottingham: Pakistan faltered in their pursuit of a world record 435 for victory as they were reduced to 15 for three, in their second innings, when stumps were drawn on Saturday.

Pakistan captain Salman Butt (8), Azhar Ali (0) and Umar Amin (1) were the ones dismissed.

For England, Stuart Broad claimed two wickets while James Anderson snared the other.

Earlier, Matt Prior hit an unbeaten 102 as England declared on 262 for 9 on Day III of the first Test.

Prior’s innings lasted 136 balls, with two sixes and seven fours, as England’s last four wickets added 164 runs in the evening session at Trent Bridge.

Umar Gul was Pakistan’s leading bowler with three for 41 and he was also their best batsman, hitting 65 not out in the morning session as the tourists avoided the follow on before being bowled out for 182.

James Anderson took five for 54 and Steven Finn three for 20. Pakistan began the day on 147 for nine, requiring 8 runs to ensure England batted next.

Gul hit the first ball, from Anderson, for four through mid-on and then launched a blistering attack on Finn, taking 18 off his first over to reach a maiden Test 50. He then smashed three sixes from five balls, all off Finn. The innings ended when Gul tried to take a single off the final ball of the 54th over and Morgan, fielding at point, threw down the stumps to run out Mohammed Asif for 0.

That gave England a first-innings lead of 172, but its second innings was only four balls old when captain Andrew Strauss fell on 0 to a bizarre dismissal. Strauss edged Mohammad Aamer’s delivery to second slip, where Umar Akmal failed to hold on to the ball but flicked it up volleyball-style. His brother, wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal, dived full length to take the catch, leaving England on 2-1.

Asif claimed his 100th Test wicket with the first ball of the eighth over, drawing Alastair Cook on 12 into a flick down the leg side that was caught behind.

England reached 49 for two at lunch and batting in the afternoon session proved treacherous. Just as Kevin Pietersen seemed to have played himself in on 22, he was caught behind after Gul drew an inside edge. Gul should have had a wicket with his next ball, but Akmal dropped an easy chance from Paul Collingwood. In his next over, however, he produced a superb delivery to splay Jonathan Trott’s stumps, bowling him for 26.

Collingwood hung around for 33 minutes after his reprieve but scored a solitary single before he was leg before to Gul, a decision he opted not to review after consulting batting partner Eoin Morgan. Prior hit out in pursuit of his century and smashed two towering sixes off Kaneria over long off in the 69th over.

Prior crept to 99, before finally reaching his third Test hundred in the 76th over, with a three down to third man, after which England declared.