Pakistan seized control yesterday on an absorbing day of Test cricket that went one way and then the other. A disastrous last session saw Pakistan rip through six West Indies batters with the hosts leading by a precarious 60 runs. It means they face an uphill battle on a wearing pitch to set a target anywhere near the one that won them the first Test.
ESPN reported that the final session had the potential to be make-or-break for either side. For large parts, it appeared as if both sides were just about holding their ground, but Pakistan tore through the Windies batting line-up in the last hour. An errant new-ball spell from Mohammad Ali had seen West Indies wipe out Pakistan’s 43 run lead with their opening partnership, but the game changed when Sajid Khan and Ali Usman were introduced, and the pitch sprang to life.
Sajid caught Tagenarine Chanderpaul LBW. With Brandon King picking up a back spasm in the field, and Kavem Hodge pushed up to open, Amir Jangoo was next man in – but he was bowled by an unplayable offspinner that landed on length and ripped away to clip the top of off.
West Indies battled through the final hour, but it did not stop them continuing to haemorrhage wickets. Hodge was the most enterprising of the batters early on, putting away length through the off side, but an arm ball from Usman deceived him when he tried to flick it away and couldn’t get bat on it.
Late in the day Shai Hope and Roston Chase had grafted hard, but a Sajid delivery plugged into the ground, hitting Hope halfway up the shin and sending him on his way. A doomed attempt from the hosts to send Jayden Seales as a nightwatcher went nowhere, with Sajid taking just two balls to cut through his defences, leaving Chase and Justin Greaves to try scrap through to the finish.
And there was one final flesh wound to inflict. Off the day’s final ball, Chase lost his concentration briefly, chipping Usman right back to him.
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