West Indies edges ahead after Brathwaite, Holder heroics
Kraigg Brathwaite became the fifth West Indian batsman to carry his bat before Jason Holder took 3 for 10 in a lively spell to leave Pakistan under the cosh in the third and final Test in Sharjah on Tuesday (November 1).
Brathwaite held West Indies's first innings of 337 together with an unbeaten 142 before Holder jolted Pakistan with three wickets in a 17-ball spree to take his team to a strong position at the end of the third day.
At stumps, taken early because of failing light, Pakistan was at 87 for 4 in its second innings with Azhar Ali on 45 and Sarfraz Ahmed on 19, leading by only 31 runs with two days left to play.
Pakistan had conceded a 56-run lead and needed to consolidate, but from 37 for no loss it lost four wickets in the space of 11 runs.
Holder forced Sami Aslam (17) to hook into the hands of Alzarri Joseph at deep fine-leg, then in his next over had Asad Shafiq caught in the slips fending a short ball for a pair and an over later, Holder had Younis Khan caught behind down the leg side for a duck. At the other end, Misbah-ul-Haq holed out to Devendra Bishoo at deep square-leg off Roston Chase for four.
Shannon Gabriel then had Sarfraz caught in the slips for nine with a bouncer only to see the umpire calling a no-ball. The Azhar-Sarfraz partnership had realised 39 runs by the close.
The highlight of the morning session was Brathwaite's innings. He scored 11 boundaries and for the first time in the series lifted West Indies into a lead. He added an invaluable 60 runs for the eighth wicket with Bishoo, who made a solid 27 to leave Pakistan frustrated.
In the end, it was left to Wahab Riaz to take the final three wickets for his second five-wicket haul in Tests, finishing with 5 for 88 in 26.4 overs of hard work. Riaz had Bishoo caught behind before dismissing Joseph and Gabriel to wrap up the innings. Mohammad Amir took 3 for 71 while Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar, the spinners, took a wicket apiece.
It was Brathwaite who defied the bowling, emulating Frank Worrell, Conrad Hunte, Desmond Haynes (thrice) and Chris Gayle in carrying his bat through an innings. He had a lucky escape when Sarfraz failed to hold a sharp, rising edge off Mohammad Nawaz when he was on 121.
Resuming at 244 for 6, West Indies was looking for a good lead. Brathwaite hit Amir for his 11th boundary off the day's first ball, and then on-drove him towards mid-wicket for two to reach his century off 211 balls. Pakistan took the second new ball with the total on 251 and Amir struck instantly, clean-bowling Holder with an incoming delivery for 16.
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