Facing defeat - West Indies need a miracle

BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC):

West Indies were left needing a miracle to save the second Test after Pakistan wiped out their top order, leaving them well adrift of a mammoth victory target of 427 yesterday.

The hosts ended the fourth day at Warner Park on 130 for five, still needing a further 297 runs on the final day, today, to win the match and complete a 2-0 sweep of the series.

Stylish left-hander Dwayne Bravo defied a turning pitch and ruthless, unerring Pakistani spinners to stroke an even fifty, but his demise late in the day further reduced the Windies' chances of at least avoiding defeat.

Vice-captain Brendan Nash was unbeaten on 30 at the close, while opener Lendl Simmons hit 24.

Left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman wreaked havoc with three for 26, though dangerous off-spinners Saeed Ajmal and Mohammed Hafeez have both gone wicketless in 27 overs between them, despite proving handfuls.

Earlier, opener Taufeeq Umar registered his fifth Test century and captain Misbah-ul-Haq struck his third, as Pakistan declared their second innings at 377 for six after resuming the day on 202 for three.

Taufeeq equalled his highest Test score with 135 - his first hundred in nearly eight years - while Misbah scored an unbeaten 102 in a partnership that yielded 129 runs for the fourth wicket.

Set an improbable target, West Indies did themselves no favours when teenage opener Kraigg Brathwaite lost his off-stump to seamer Tanvir Ahmed off the fifth ball he faced, playing back to an off-cutter in the third over of the innings to depart without scoring and complete an inauspicious debut.

Bravo then counter-attacked in a 54-run second-wicket stand with Simmons, smashing two thunderous sixes straight back overhead off Abdur Rehman, while also counting two fours in his 144-ball knock.

initial appeal

The right-handed Simmons hit two fours off 57 balls, but never looked settled and sliced Abdur Rehman to Hafeez at slip at 59 for two. The experienced Ramanresh Sarwan faced just four balls before being given out lbw on referral in the bowler's next over after the initial appeal was turned down.

Marlon Samuels, top scorer in the first innings, had no such luck this time around as he laboured 33 balls over six against the spin triumvirate before edging a nearly unplayable delivery from Abdur Rehman to wicketkeeper Mohammad Salman at 77 for four.

SCOREBOARD

PAKISTAN 1st Innings 272

WEST INDIES 1st Innings 223

PAKISTAN 2nd Innings

(overnight 202 for three)

Mohammad Hafeez b Sammy 32Taufeeq Umar run out 135Azhar Ali c Sammy b Bishoo 53Asad Shafiq c wkpr Baugh b Roach 4Misbah-ul-Haq not out 102Umar Akmal b Bishoo 30+Mohammad Salman c Roach b Rampaul 8Tanvir Ahmed not out 4Extras (w7, nb2) 9TOTAL (6 wkts decl, 112.2 overs) 377

Did not bat: Abdur Rehman, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal.

Fall of wickets: 1-82 (Mohammad Hafeez), 2-158 (Azhar Ali), 3-167 (Asad Shafiq), 4-296 (Taufeeq Umar), 5-358 (Umar Akmal), 6-367 (Mohammad Salman)

Bowling: Roach 21-6-58-1, Rampaul 24.2-6-87-1, Sammy 23-3-64-1, Bishoo 38-5-149-2, Nash 6-0-19-0.

WEST INDIES 2nd Innings (target: 427 runs)

L Simmons c Mohammad Hafeez b Abdur Rehman 24K Brathwaite b Tanvir Ahmed 0D Bravo lbw b Wahab Riaz 50R Sarwan lbw b Abdur Rehman 0M Samuels c wkp Mohammad Salman b Abdur Rehman 6B Nash not out 30+C Baugh not out 7Extras (lb6, w1, nb6) 13

TOTAL (5 wkts, 53 overs) 130

To bat:D Sammy, K Roach, R Rampaul, D Bishoo.

Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Brathwaite), 2-59 (Simmons), 3-63 (Sarwan), 4-77 (Samuels), 5-115 (Bravo).

Bowling: Tanvir Ahmed 5-0-10-1, Wahab Riaz 7-1-26-1, Abdur Rehman 14-6-26-3, Saeed Ajmal 17-4-39-0, Mohammad Hafeez 10-1-23-0.

Position: West Indies require another 297 runs with five wickets remaining.

Toss: Pakistan. Umpires: Billy Bowden, and Asoka de Silva; TV - Tony Hill.