ROSEAU, Dominica,CMC – West Indies defied opener Azhar Ali’s 14th Test century and Pakistan’s attritional batting with sheer perseverance, to leave the decisive third Test at Windsor Park well poised on the second day here Thursday.
The Caribbean side were forced to toil on a lifeless pitch but did so manfully to dismiss Pakistan in their first innings for 376, an hour before the close.
Azhar, starting the day unbeaten on 85, carved out 127 – his second successive hundred following his 105 in the first innings of the Barbados Test last week.
Captain Misbah-ul-Haq struck 59 playing in his final Test while wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed produced a breezy 51 down the order.
Part-time off-spinner Roston Chase was the best bowler with four for 103 while captain and seamer Jason Holder claimed three for 71 and leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo, two for 61.
Left to navigate 11 tricky overs at the end, West Indies openers Kieran Powell (9 not out) and Kraigg Brathwaite (5 not out) endured little horrors to reach the close unscathed on 14 without loss.
The Caribbean side trail Pakistan by 362 runs heading into the pivotal day three of the match.
Resuming the day on 169 for two, the visitors inched their way painfully through an extended opening session, adding a mere 58 runs from 30 overs sent down. The lone casualty of the morning was veteran outstanding right-hander Younis Khan, like Misbah in his final Test of a glittering career, fell lbw to Holder 45 minutes into the day after adding just eight to his overnight 10.
He was adjudged to be struck in front by one that came back and he failed to get a reprieve after resorting to DRS.
Azhar, however, reached his century an hour before lunch when he turned Holder to fine leg for a couple and was unbeaten on 122 at the interval with Pakistan crawling to 227 for three.
He had put on 64 for the fourth wicket with Misbah when he finally perished half-hour after lunch, bowled missing a wild swing at Chase with the runs having dried up.
All told, the 32-year-old faced 334 balls and struck eight fours and two sixes, and is now just 35 runs short of 5 000 runs in Tests.
Misbah then took control of the session, adding 33 for the fifth wicket with Asad Shafiq (17) and 37 for the sixth with Sarfraz, as he strolled to his 39th half-century.
Shafiq tried to push the scoring along, showing urgency with two boundaries off 38 balls before he fell to a catch in the deep by Vishaul Singh off Chase, 33 minutes before tea.
Dropped by wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich off Holder before he had scored to the sixth ball he faced before lunch, Misbah emerged from ultra-cautious start to hit six fours and a six in a 148-ball knock.
He was unbeaten on eight at lunch from 60 deliveries but upped the tempo as tea approached and reached his landmark by crashing the ineffective Bishoo over mid-off for four, in the penultimate over before tea.
Misbah then cleared the ropes with Chase off the first ball of the final over before the break but his ambition got the better of him and he top-edged a reverse sweep off the next ball and was taken by Dowrich.
On 311 for six at the interval, Pakistan were further rocked in the third over after the resumption when Holder produced a double wicket maiden, bowling Mohammad Amir for seven and then having Yasir Shah caught by Powell at first slip off the next delivery.
But Sarfraz, unbeaten on eight at tea, provided the late flourish for Pakistan in a busy innings that needed only 73 balls and contained four fours.
Significantly, he posted an invaluable 45 with Mohammad Abbas who made only four, as the tail wagged for Pakistan.
Bishoo, though, then struck a decisive blow when he removed Sarfraz to a catch at slip by Shai Hope, with the fifth delivery after the drinks break and Dowrich, who had earlier mis-stumped Abbas, then made amends by claiming the batsman in similar fashion in Bishoo’s next over.
