139 runs while the West Indies needs seven more wickets
By Marlon Munroe
The see-saw battle of the first Digicel Test match over the past three days is winding down to an enthralling climax after Pakistan recovered yesterday from early trouble to put the West Indies in a spot of bother with an enterprising fourth wicket partnership.
Set 219 to win after the West Indies were bowled out for a paltry 152 in their second innings, Assad Shafiq and captain Misbah ul-Haq, consolidated after their team had lost three wickets for two runs.
At the close Pakistan were 80-3 from 36 overs, needing a further 139 to complete victory.
Shafiq is unbeaten on 40 while ul-Haq is on 34.
WI opening pacers Ravi Rampaul and Kemar Roach had done enough to set the Pakistanis on the backfoot and ended with figures of 2-24 (11) and 1-16 (8) respectively. A dropped catch by Darren Bravo at second slip had denied Rampaul a third wicket.
When Pakistan started their chase, opener Mohammad Hafeez was greeted with a quick Roach delivery that crashed into his pad that was turned down by the umpire. However, the next over Rampaul had Tajeeq Umar lbw for zero off the third ball and then struck again off the fifth – Azhar Ali caught behind by Carlton Baugh for nought.
Sammy supported with four slips and a gully and Pakistan were 2-2 after two when Roach had Mohammad Hafeez lbw for two after referral to the third umpire. The spectators finally had something to cheer about after a Windies batting meltdown earlier in the day.
Shafiq and ul-Haq had to navigate a difficult period where runs trickled or hardly came and were content to stick to the cause of rebuilding. Shafiq worked through 102 deliveries, hitting six fours in the process, while his captain faced 101 balls and stroked five boundaries.
Earlier in the day, it took the last wicket pair of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Devendra Bishoo to remind spectators that the Caribbean side had backbone especially since Pakistani spinner Saeed Ajmal had ripped through the batting again, taking his match haul to 11-111 with second innings figures of 6-42. Prior to this resuscitation, the highest partnership yielded 20 runs between Lendl Simmons (21) and Bravo’s (8) for the second wicket.
The Windies team lost wickets at crucial periods of the game either to clever bowling or poor shot selection and only three batsmen reached 20.
Bishoo, who has had a dream debut with the ball, strode to the crease at a time when the Windies were in dire need of a recovery after they were precariously poised on 99-8 in the 37th over, after resuming on their overnight score of 34-2.
The 48-run partnership included two fours from 21.5 overs.
The first four that Bishoo hit, a pull to square leg, came in the 52nd over to break a 20-over drought off the bowling of left arm spinner Abdur Rehman; the second one came two overs later with a steer to third man off Ajmal.
He complemented the embattled Chanderpaul, who gained confidence in Bishoo as the partnership progressed. Chanderpaul was his usual composed self, facing 127 balls for his unbeaten 36 that had no boundaries.
Bishoo, who also benefitted from some luck when he was dropped on 10, was eventually out when he was caught at the solitary slip for 24 by Umar Akmal, after a fumble, off the bowling of Ajmal.
Scoreboard
West Indies 1st Innings 226
Pakistan 1st Innings 160
West Indies 2nd Innings
(overnight 34 for two)
D Smith lbw b Mohammad Hafeez 1
L Simmons c Azhar Ali b Wahab Riaz 21
D Bravo lbw b Saeed Ajmal 8
K Roach lbw b Saeed Ajmal 3
R Sarwan c Asad Shafiq b Saeed Ajmal 11
S Chanderpaul not out 36
B Nash run out 3
+C Baugh c Umar Akmal b Saeed Ajmal 7
*D Sammy lbw b Abdur Rehman 9
R Rampaul c Azhar Ali b Saeed Ajmal 2
D Bishoo c Umar Akmal b Saeed Ajmal 24
Extras (b7, lb17, w2, nb1) 27
Total (all out, 61.5 overs) 152
Fall of wickets: 1-3 (Smith), 2-23 (Bravo), 3-35 (Roach), 4-47 (Simmons), 5-59 (Sarwan), 6-74 (Nash), 7-86 (Baugh), 8-99 (Sammy), 9-104 (Rampaul), 10-152 (Bishoo).
Bowling: Umar Gul 8-2-21-0, Mohammad Hafeez 9-1-15-1, Abdur Rehman 11-1-25-1, Saeed Ajmal 23.5-6-42-6, Wahab Riaz 10-1-25-1.
Pakistan 2nd Innings
Mohammad Hafeez lbw b Roach 2
Taufeeq Umar lbw b Rampaul 0
Azhar Ali c wkpr Baugh b Rampaul 0
Asad Shafiq not out 40
*Misbah-ul-Haq not out 34
(lb4) 4
Total (3 wkts, 36 overs) 80
To bat: Umar Akmal, +Mohammad Salman, Abdur Rehman, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal.
Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Taufeeq Umar), 2-2 (Azhar Ali), 3-2 (Mohammad Hafeez)
Bowling: Roach 8-1-16-1, Rampaul 11-3-24-2, Bishoo 10-4-19-0, Sammy 6-2-15-0, Nash 1-0-2-0.
Position: Pakistan need another 139 runs for victory.
Toss: West Indies.
