LAHORE, 14 November 2006 — Pakistan were strongly placed to win the first Test against West Indies after having amassed a sizable first innings lead of 279 runs and then reduced the visitors to 74 for three when play ended on the third day here yesterday.
Once again fading light forced the play to be curtailed, by 20 overs on the third day after the visitors had lost three wickets for 74 runs, chasing Pakistan’s massive first innings total of 485 all out. West Indies lost Daren Ganga (5) and Chris Gayle (11) before tea and Ramnaresh Sarwan (23) in the last session. The bad light problem has so far caused the loss of around 50 overs during the first three days of the five-day game.
Skipper Brian Lara, who was the highest scorer with a masterly 61 in the first innings, once again stood firm with an undefeated 28 and nightwatchman Fidel Edwards was on five at draw of stumps.
Young fast bowler Umar Gul, shouldering the responsibility of the main strike bowler with Shahid Nazir, in the absence of Shaoib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, took off in the second innings from where he had left in the first innings, having claimed 5 for 65 as West Indies had slumped to 206 in the first innings.
Sarwan was Gul’s second victim after he had Gayle caught behind. Ganga was run out by a direct throw from Imran Farhat. The dismissal was an exercise in futility, reflected the pressure on the West Indian openers and was the result of lack of understanding.
But in case of Sarwan there was some controversy, as television replays suggested that Sarwan got a rough decision from Sri Lankan umpire, Asoka de Silva, who gave him out leg before although the ball hit high at the point of impact.
Earlier, Pakistan resumed their first innings at the overnight score of 265 for four but lost Shoaib Malik early on when he had added only eight runs to his Sunday’s score of 61. Hard-hitting all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, who was sent in ahead of the more technically sound Kamran Akmal, had a brief stay. Pakistan lost its sixth wicket at 285 when Taylor had Razzaq caught behind to claim his fourth wicket of the innings.
Mohammad Yousuf, who batted magnificently, despite his team had lost two quick wickets, was unlucky to have missed what would have been a masterly double century by eight runs but by the time he had guided Pakistan to a winning position.
Yousuf’s 192 helped Pakistan score 485 in their first innings, as tailenders Gul and Danish Kaneria chipped in 39 useful runs for the last wicket off just 36 balls. Yousuf hit 24 boundaries and a six in his 20th Test hundred and added 139 runs for the fifth wicket with Shoaib Malik (69) and another 148 for the seventh wicket with Akmal (78).
His eight-hour and 21-minute-long innings finally ended when he missed a flighted delivery from off-spinner Gayle and was stumped by wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin.
The Caribbeans, who need another 205 runs to avoid an innings defeat with seven wickets in hand, now look to master batsman Lara to take them out of the trouble waters.
