Pakistan spinners put brakes on Windies
Pakistan’s spin bowlers, led by four-wicket Saeed Ajmal, gave them
early control of the first Test against West Indies on Thursday.
Off-spinner Ajmal ended the opening day with four for 63 from 29
overs, as West Indies, electing to bat, reached 209 for nine in their
first innings.
Mohammad Hafeez, bowling off-spin, supported with two for 22 from 13
overs, and Abdur Rehman captured two for 46 from 26 overs.
Gaining appreciable turn and bounce from an unpredictable Guyana
National Stadium pitch, the spinners created headaches for the West
Indies’ batsman, several of whom got starts, but failed to carry on.
Hafeez gave an early indication of what to expect, when he shared the
new ball with Umar Gul, and bowled Devon Smith in the sixth over of the
match. It was the fourth straight time that Hafeez had dismissed the
West Indies left-handed opener, stretching back to the preceding one-day
series.
Lendl Simmons, whose 49 was the top score for West Indies, and
compatriot Darren Bravo held firm for the remainder of the morning
period, taking West Indies to 66 for one lunch.
Pakistan continued to tighten their grip, when Wahab Riaz trapped
Bravo lbw for 25 in the third over after the interval.
Riaz also interrupted the West Indies’ flow when he struck Simmons on
his left knee, and forced him to retire hurt on 41, leaving the home
team on 81 for two.
Pakistan ran into defiance when Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh
Sarwan, West Indies’ two most experienced batsmen, came together, and
spent just over 90 minutes in astute consolidation.
Rehman made a decisive breakthrough however, when he had Sarwan
caught behind for 23, top-edging a cut, and requiring New Zealand umpire
Tony Hill to review his not-out verdict, to leave West Indies 131 for
three at tea.
After tea, Ajmal and Rehman continued to apply the pressure, and
things fell apart for West Indies in dramatic fashion.
Ajmal gained lbw verdicts to dismiss Brendan Nash for five, and
Carlton Baugh for four before Rehman had West Indies captain Darren
Sammy caught at deep mid-on for 12.
But Ajmal swung fortunes firmly Pakistan’s way when he bowled the
obdurate Chanderpaul for 27 with a doosra that spun sharply out of the
rough outside the left-hander’s off-stump.
Ajmal also trapped Simmons lbw after the batsman returned to the
middle following the dismissal of Sammy, and Hafeez too, gained an lbw
decision to remove Ravi Rampaul for 14. Both sides included a Test
newcomer in their teams with the Windies playing leg-spinner Devendra
Bishoo while Pakistan handed a first Test to Mohammad Salman.
The Pakistanis are seeking their maiden Test series victory in the
Caribbean.
GEORGETOWN, AFP
WEST INDIES
D. Smith b Mohammad Hafeez 13
L. Simmons lbw b Saeed Ajmal 49
Darren Bravo lbw b Wahab Riaz 25
R. Sarwan c Mohammad Salman b Abdur Rehman 23
S. Chanderpaul b Saeed Ajmal 27
B. Nash lbw b Saeed Ajmal 5
C. Baugh lbw b Saeed Ajmal 4
D. Sammy c Umar Akmal b Abdur Rehman 12
K. Roach not out 16
R. Rampaul lbw b Mohammad Hafeez 14
D. Bishoo not out 10
Extras: (b1, lb7, w1, nb2) 11
TOTAL (9 wkts) 209
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-15 , 2-71 , 3-127, 4-136, 5-142 , 6-159, 7-162, 8-175 (Simmons), 9-198 (Rampaul).
Bowling: Umar Gul 13-0-40-0; Mohammad Hafeez 13-5-22-2; Abdur Rehman 26-9-46-2; Saeed Ajmal 29-12-63-4;
Wahab Riaz 9-1-30-1 (nb2, w1) Overs: 90 |