Sarwan delights

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados-

If first impressions are anything to go by, the West Indies have found another batsman of class.

On the second day of the second Test of the Cable & Wireless series between the West Indies and Pakistan at Kensington Oval, 23-year-old left-hander Wavell Hinds, playing in only his fourth Test match and ticking off his maiden century, signalled his arrival during a thunderous innings of 165.

Yesterday, on the third day of the Test match, 19-year-old right-hander Ramnaresh Sarwan, in his debut performance, paraded a range of stokes which twinkled and flashed in the sun like sparkling diamonds as he batted with a maturity which belied his tender years, and scored an impressive 84 not out to become the highest scoring teenager in the history of West Indies cricket.

At stumps, the scoreboard read: Pakistan 253 and 152 without loss in 172 minutes, the West Indies 398. With two days to go, with the visitors wiping off the arrears with all their second innings wickets in hand, with 18-year-old Imran Nazir on 94 off 126 deliveries and on the verge of notching his first century in only his second Test, with 23-year-old Mohammad Wasim on 53 and both batting beautifully, the match is wide open.

Left with 40 overs to the end of the day's play and batting as if saying to the West Indies bowlers "whatever your batsmen can do we can do", Wasim and Nazir, particularly Nazir, played some wonderful strokes as they drove, pulled, cut and hooked the Windies fast bowler with impunity and feasted on the gentle offerings of slow bowlers James Adams and Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

So far they have blasted and stroked 19 boundaries - five to Wasim and 14 to Nazir whose drives, off the back-foot and the front-foot, reminded of his illustrious countryman, Zaheer Abbas.

Just as the second day belonged to Hinds whose 24 powerful, audacious boundary strokes were still being talked about yesterday, yesterday, despite Nazir's splendid stroke play, belonged to Sarwan whose brilliant foot-work, delicate and sweetly timed strokes will be remembered for a long time to come.

Sarwan, who was dropped at seven on the previous day when he edged pacer Abdur Razzaq to Inzamam-Ul-Haq at first slip, survived two chances yesterday - one at 67 when he clipped offspinner Saqlain Mushtaq in and out of Mohammad Wasim's hands at forward short-leg, and one at 75 when, in a rush to get to what would have been a well deserved century, he drove a return catch to Saqlain.

The only disappointing aspect of a performance which lasted for 260 minutes during which he faced 231 deliveries and stroked eight exquisite boundaries was that after all the dreaming while he was being groomed, he was left stranded at the end and did not fulfil his ambition by joining the five West Indians, including Conrad Hunte, Lawrence Rowe, and Alvin Kallicharran, who celebrated their first appearance with a century in their first innings.

Resuming on 28 with the West Indies on 283 for five, Sarwan started the day with a stroke of brilliance.

After stroking his first few deliveries quietly but confidently, Sarwan slipped his left-foot forward and across to pacer Wasim Akram whistled past the left to extra-cover.

Though the youngest and newest West Indian was the hero of the day, the fans were also entertained with the bat by Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh - the two oldest and longest serving members of the team.

Sent in as night watchman on the previous day and starting on zero, the 36-year-old Ambrose struck three lovely boundaries while scoring 22 and sharing a sixth-wicket partnership of 39 with Sarwan before, after 65 minutes, he played forward to Akram, edged a catch to Younis Khan at second slip, and walked away shaking his head in disgust at 321 for six.

The 37-year-old Walsh joined the action at 362 for nine with Sarwan on 70, struck two mighty sixes off Saqlain, reeled off a lovely drive to the long-on boundary off Akram, and shared a last-wicket partnership of 36 with Sarwan before he stretched forward to Saqlain and nicked a catch to wicketkeeper Moin Khan.

On a day when batsmen once again dominated the action, on a day when two teenagers batted like big men and stole the show, Saqlain was the pick of the bowlers with five for 121 off 51 overs.

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