It's anybody's game

BRIDGETOWN:

THE second Test between the West Indies and Pakistan enters its fifth and final day at Kensington Oval today with the stage set for a thrilling finish.

At stumps on a day of quality cricket - a day during which the teams played cat and mouse with each other in a bid to take control, the scoreboard read, Pakistan 253 and 345 for seven, the West Indies 398, and although it could well end in a draw, the odds are on one or the other coming away with victory.

With Pakistan leading by 200 with three wickets in hand, with allrounder Abdur Razzaq on 32 and the competent Saqlain Mushtaq still there on two, Pakistan are capable of adding enough runs to stay out of trouble. The West Indies, however, are more than capable of picking up the last three wickets early, for a few more runs, and thus leave themselves with a chance.

Whatever target the West Indies are left to chase, however, will not be easy, for although their batsmen, led by Wavell Hinds, Sherwin Campbell and Ramnaresh Sarwan, dominated Pakistan's attack in the first innings, there are rough spots at both ends of the pitch, and judging by the success of left-arm spinner James Adams who picked up two valuable wickets while conceding only four runs in nine overs before bad light ended play yesterday, spin bowlers Mushtaq Ahmed and Saqlain Mushtaq could be deadly in such conditions.

Pakistan's promising position at the close of the day's play was due to the superb batting of openers Imran Nazir and Mohammad Wasim who carried their overnight partnership of 152 in 172 minutes off 40 overs to 219 in 250 minutes off 57 overs before Wasim, starting on 53, was leg before wicket for 82 to pacer Reon King who, with figures of three for 62 off 23 overs, including a pre-lunch spell of three for 16 off six, was the pick of the Windies bowlers.

With Wasim and Nazir stroking the ball confidently and threatening to surpass Aamir Sohail and Ijaz Ahmed's record 298 against the West Indies at Karachi in 1997-98, King stepped in, and in 20 deliveries picked up three wickets while conceding one run as Pakistan lost three wickets for 29 runs and slipped to 248 for three.

After getting rid of Wasim, King made it 232 for two when Nazir drove a catch to James Adams and went away for 131, and 248 for three when Younis Khan went back to cut and edged a catch to wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs.

In ticking off his first century in only his second Test match, the 18-year-old Nazir who batted for 262 minutes, faced 180 deliveries and stroked 20 boundaries, became the third youngest batsman to score a century in a Test match - behind countryman Mushtaq Mohammad who, at 17 years and 82 days, scored 101 versus India at Delhi in 1960-61, and India's Sachin Tendulkar who, at 17 years and 112 days, scored 119 not out against England at Old Trafford in 1990.

In contrast to King's brilliance, Nixon McLean was a shadow of himself.

In seven overs before lunch, the fast bowler who finished with one for 107 off 23 overs was smashed for 52 runs - including nine boundaries, and in his one over with the second new ball, taken at 307 for five, Abdur Razzaq blasted him for 12 runs.

With McLean proving easy pickings for the Pakistani batsmen who scored 101 runs off 25 overs in the pre-lunch session, the West Indies went on the defensive after the interval, and with Courtney Walsh bowling defensively, outside the off stump, with Inzamam Ul-Haq and Yousuf Youhana, taking no chances, the tourists added 45 runs for the loss of two wickets off 26 overs in the session to tea.

The two wickets to go were those of Inzamam who tapped a return catch to Walsh to make it 294 for four and Youhana who, in the following over, drove McLean low to Adams at extra-cover to make it 294 for five.

Pakistan, with Razzaq and captain Moin Khan driving and hooking confidently, stepped up the pace and once again threatened to take control.

Adams, however, pulled the reins on them. Moin, backing away

to cut, knocked the spinning ball onto his stumps at 341 for six, and left-hander Wasim Akram, playing forward to a delivery which pitched in the rough, was caught by Hinds at short-leg at 341 for seven.

By Tony Becca

Senior Sport Editor

Pakistan's 1st innings 253

WI 1st innings 398

Pakistan's 2nd innings

(overnight 152-0)

M. Wasim lbw b King 82

Imran Nazir c Adams b King 131

Y. Khan c wkp Jacobs b King 23

Inzamam-ul-Haq c & b Walsh 29

Y. Youhana c Adams b McLean 19

Abdur Razzaq not out 32

Moin Khan b Adams 14

W. Akram c Hinds b Adams 0

Saqlain Mushtaq not out 2

Extras (lb4, w1, nb8) 13

Total (for 7 wickets, 123 overs) 345

Fall of wickets: 1-219, 2-232, 3-248, 4-294, 5-294, 6-341, 7-341,

Bowling: Ambrose 30-13-49-0, Walsh 28-4-76-1, King 23-7-62-3, McLean 23-4-107-1 (nb7), Adams 17-6-34-2 (nb1), Chanderpaul 2-0-13-0 (w1).

Pakistani opener Imran Nazir on his way to a brilliant 131 at Kensington Oval yesterday.

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