Bishoo heroics leave Test in balance
Over the first three days of the ongoing day-night Test at the Dubai International Cricket Ground, all of nine wickets fell. Remarkably, on the fourth day, 16 fell in a bunch. Devendra Bishoo was the prime wrecker as the pitch finally aided turn, the leg-spinner returning a career-best 8 for 49 as West Indies bundled Pakistan out for just 123 in the second innings.
Despite that, West Indies still faced an improbable 346-run target, although it went about hunting that down with purpose in the final session on Sunday (October 16), ending at 95 for 2, still needing 251 to win with eight wickets in hand.
Pakistan dismissed Kraigg Brathwaite, who inside-edged Mohammad Amir onto the stumps for a 30-ball 6, fairly early. But Leon Johnson and Darren Bravo, who top-scored with 87 in the first innings, married caution with power as they went about rebuilding the innings. Johnson targeted the pacemen, and Amir in particular was sent to the fence a few times, while Bravo enjoyed tackling Yasir Shah, even heaving the leg-spinner over long-on for six early in his knock.
The two displayed grit and resilience, and crucially added 60 for the second wicket to help boost the total. However, Amir then pinged Johnson in front with one a slower delivery that cut back in, and though the batsman reviewed the decision, it was without success. He walked back for an 81-ball 47.
Marlon Samuels (4) then joined Bravo (26), and the duo saw the team through to stumps, knowing that what was an improbable target had been made manageable.
A lot of that was down to Bishoo, whose brilliance shadowed Shah, who had quite a day to remember himself. Yasir returned 5 for 121, which made him the joint second-fastest to reach 100 Test wickets. He dismissed Shane Dowrich (32) and Jason Holder (20), the overnight batsmen, before scalping Miguel Cummins as well to help nip out West Indies for 357 in its first innings.
West Indies fell 23 runs short of the follow-on target of 380 after beginning the day at 315 for 6, but Pakistan, which scored 579 for 3 declared in its first innings, did not enforce the follow on, opting to add as many runs as quickly as possible and to give its bowlers a rest after 123.5 overs of toil in the West Indies first innings.
That played right into Bishoo’s hands. With the rough marks on the pitch helping spinners, Bishoo triggered a middle-order collapse in the second session. Pakistan resumed after the tea break at 20 for 2, having lost two wickets late in the first session – Azhar Ali (2), the first-innings triple centurion, fell to Shannon Gabriel before Asad Shafiq (5) was trapped in front by Bishoo.
Sami Aslam and Babar Azam looked to steady things and added 57 runs for the third wicket, neither player too afraid to go after anything loose. However, Bishoo broke the stand when he prompted an inside-edge from Babar onto the stumps, and came into his own thereafter. He followed that up with the wicket of Sami, who had scored a fine 61-ball 44, and at that stage, Pakistan was 93 for 4.
Misbah-ul-Haq (15), the captain, didn’t last long, attempting a sweep too early to be bowled. Mohammad Nawaz (0) and Wahab Riaz (5) lasted just three and nine balls respectively, and when Holder had Yasir caught and bowled for 2, the home side was 121 for 8. Resuming after the dinner break, any hopes Pakistan would have had of extending its advantage were quashed when Bishoo wrapped up the innings within five balls, dismissing Sarfraz Ahmed (15) and Amir (2). The implosion cost Pakistan eight wickets for just 46 runs.
Despite that, West Indies had a tall chase on its hands. Perhaps buoyed by the reversal in fortunes, it went about chipping away at it, and by the time stumps were drawn, it had a pretty solid base to launch a real go at the target on the final day.
