MULTAN, 24 November 2006 — Pakistan’s prolific middle order batsman, Mohammad Yousuf — with a skillfully weaved knock of 191 — guided his side to draw the second Test against West Indies here yesterday.
Pakistan lead 1-0 in the three Test series, having won the first Test in Lahore by nine wickets. The third and final match will be played in Karachi from Monday.
Yousuf came to bat on Tuesday (fourth day) when Pakistan — chasing an imposing 234-run first innings lead — had lost opener Mohammad Hafeez (18) and vice-captain Younis Khan (56) when the total was 124. But with the other opener, Imran Farhat, he laid the foundation of a remarkable recovery at a time when the West Indies had tightened the grip on the match. The veteran batsman navigated his team out of troubled waters in which he was well assisted by Farhat (76), the two adding 119 runs for the third wicket and then by the out of form Abdul Razzaq who contributed 80 valuable runs to add 155 runs for the sixth wicket.In the process Yousuf compiled his seventh century of the season and joined the ranks of Sir Vivian Richards and Aravinda de Silva who had achieved the distinction in 1976 and 1997 respectively. He was, however, unlucky to have missed his double century — for the second time — by just nine runs.
The crucial period of the day was the morning session when the Windies were expected to make inroads in view of the pattern set in this match of most wickets falling in the mornings. But Brian Lara had to wait for some 40 minutes before the new ball became due. They did make an early breakthrough when, due to a mix-up, Farhat was run out by Shivnaraine Chanderpaul when the total was 124. Incidentally, Chanderpaul had dropped Farhat on Tuesday at 56 and now must have felt relieved.
But the big wicket of skipper Inzamam ul-Huq was claimed by Jerome Taylor, who trapped him leg before for 10. Shoaib Malik followed his captain, playing in a faster one from Darren Powell into his stumps for 4.
Two quick wickets and with Taylor, Powell and Corey Collymore bowling at their best, Pakistan looked still far from safety.
Yousuf, though, refused to budge. Amid the uncertainty, he punished the wide deliveries and the manner in which he brought up his hundred conveyed the kind of form he was in. After lunch, with the ball was older and pitch easing out, he played more fluently as he eased to his 150 and was closing in on Richards’ record of highest runs (1,710) in a calendar year. Razzaq gave him good support for most of the day and, unlike in the first innings, expressed himself with more freedom.
It was a rather tame end to a game that had been uplifted by Brian Lara’s genius as well as skillful bowling by the West Indies pace trio.
Lapses on the field with as many as four dropped catches, and lack of penetration in the spin department, cost them the match. Taylor’s spirit and the fight shown by the batting line-up are two of the positives they will take with them to Karachi, as they would attempt to become only the second visiting side (England being the first) to win a Test. Of the 38 Tests played in Karachi, Pakistan have won 20, lost only one and 17 have been drawn.
