West Indies in 40 run win

Skipper Darren Sammy took five wickets and Ravi Rampaul claimed four as the West Indies defeated Pakistan by 40 runs on Sunday in the first Test.

Chasing 219 for victory, the Pakistanis were dismissed for 178 in their second innings about 50 minutes after lunch on the fourth day at the Guyana National Stadium.

Sammy finished with the impressive figures of five for 29 from 17 overs that helped him to earn the man-of-the-match award, and Rampaul supported with four for 48 from 21 overs.

Fittingly, the embattled Sammy brought the match to a climax when he bowled Pakistan bowling hero Saeed Ajmal for three.

The victory gave West Indies a 1-0 lead in the two-match series, which concludes with the second Test, starting on Friday at Warner Park in St. Kitts.

It was also the West Indies’ first Test victory since February 2009, when they humbled England by an innings and 23 runs at Sabina Park in Jamaica.

“This is all about West Indies cricket,” said Sammy. “We as a team needed this performance, this victory, and I can’t stop commending the effort of the guys - every single person that batted on such a difficult pitch.

“It was a total team effort, and it was good to come out on the right side of the result for a change.”

Sammy had been under fire from a demanding West Indies public, following a string of weak personal performances in the lead-up to the Test, but felt he had answered the critics as he celebrated his first Test victory since being put in charge last November.

“Once I step on to the field wearing that West Indies cap, I give my heart and soul,” he said. The result also meant that Pakistan will have to wait for another trip to earn their first Test series victory in the Caribbean.

AFP