West Indies fights back with late strikes

Devendra Bishoo, the leg-spinner, struck two late blows as West Indies hit back on day two of the second Test against Pakistan at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown on Monday (May 1).

After Azhar Ali and Ahmed Shehzad had put on 155 for the first wicket, Bishoo and Shannon Gabriel struck to reduce the visitor to 172 for 3 at stumps in reply to the home side’s 312 all out.

Azhar was unbeaten on 81 at the draw of stumps after five hours at the crease, and keeping him company was Misbah-ul-Haq, the captain who had reached seven.

Shehzad had earlier in the day made the most of his good fortune to reach 70 when he was dismissed by Bishoo, caught at slip, after which Younis Khan was caught at mid-wicket by Gabriel, pulling a long hop.

In between, Gabriel accounted for Babar Azam, who too was dismissed without scoring like Younis, caught and bowled, to finally get his name on the wickets column.

After West Indies failed to kick on substantially from its overnight 286 for 6, Pakistan had generous early slices of luck. Shehzad was dropped at mid-on by Vishaul Singh, and then adjudged leg before off Gabriel on 21, but the decision was overturned after television replays showed that the bowler had overstepped.

A few overs later, Shehzad ran down the track to the off-spin of Roston Chase when 32 and was comfortably stumped. The batsman had almost reached the pavilion when he was called back by the umpires, Chase having overstepped this time around.

In the morning, Mohammad Abbas returned the best bowling figures by a Pakistan paceman in an innings at the venue, finishing with 4 for 56 to ensure that the last four West Indian wickets were wrapped up for the addition of just 26 more runs. Abbas bettered Wasim Akram’s 4 for 73 at Kensington Oval back in 1988.

West Indies had started the morning looking to post a total in the region of 400, but its hopes were crushed inside the first nine balls of the day. Chase and Jason Holder, the captain, had added 132 for the seventh wicket the previous evening, but both fell without any addition to the overnight score.

Holder was the first to depart, a late decision to evade an Abbas delivery resulting in an inside-edge to Sarfraz Ahmed behind the stumps. Mohammad Amir then removed Chase for 131, his indecisive poke bringing Younis his third catch of the innings.

Bishoo’s stodgy innings ended when he drove Abbas to Yasir Shah at mid-on, and Shah then wrapped up the innings when Alzarri Joseph was bowled in the leg-spinner’s first over of the morning.