2nd Test: Pakistan vs West Indies at Multan

Re: 2nd Test: Pakistan vs West Indies at Multan

Oh man what a great day..

Though Lara dominated the sessions today, his confidence was helped considerably by the steady performance of Gayle and Ganga yesterday. Pity they couldn't convert their scores to three figures but still a good effort. Shiv's departure cut to the bone, because it would have been wonderful to witness a great partnership between Shiv and Brian but unfortunately this was not to be. I can only assume he got infected by Lara-Going-Beserkitis and thought he could start hitting the big shots instead of approaching the ball intelligently as he usually does. Bravo then stepped in and handled the pressure well even though he had a shaky start. Dwayne still has a way to go imo before he becomes the prolific all rounder I think he can be, but his contribution today was fruitful and helped beef up the windies innings. He struck agressive strokes which blossomed into a 200 run partnership with his captain. And what can you say about Lara , he scored his 19th 150 surpassing Sir Don Bradman's 18. He hammered 21 boundaries, and had some huge sixes. 26 runs off an over!!!!!!!!! And it wasn't because Kaneria was bowling horribly, quite the contrary. Lara has now become the only player of his generation to have made a century before lunch in test cricket history. I eagerly await his second ton tomorrow...

The last overs were very interesting, with Lara sacrificing quick runs in order to protect Ramdin from Kaneria. Ramdin needs to be grilled at the net and go through extensive deprogramming. It seems he can't help himself when it comes to sweep shots. Surely Bennet King can't be oblivious to this? As for Morton one wonders what Sarwan would have done in his stead but alas he's in the doghouse. Tomorrow morning will be interesting. All in all the windies have alot to be happy about, I believe this is their highest test score in Pakistan. If Ramdin can conquer his fears, the windies might well add on another hundred .....or more

and once again CONGRATS LARA! :D :D :D
 
Re: 2nd Test: Pakistan vs West Indies at Multan

Sunstroke;115983 said:
the windies might well add on another hundred .....or more
Well, at 509/5 right now, I think they'd be a little disappointed if they didn't get to 600. However, if Ramdin goes down early, Lara might start swinging a little more freely just to score runs, and he might get out too.

On the other hand, if Lara can last until lunch, that might be a good time for the West Indies to declare. The lead is 152 right now, and by lunch, it should be somewhere between 250 and 300.

While the stated goal is to only have to bat once, there's nothing worng with declaring a little early, and having to bat a second time late on Day 5. Especially not when you have folks like Gayle and Lara on the team, who can score runs at a ridiculously fast rate.


It was a great day indeed for the West Indies. Hopefully Lara can stick around for a bit tomorrow (at least for 4 more runs :p ).
 
Re: 2nd Test: Pakistan vs West Indies at Multan

Lara gets his double century! He's up to 202 now.
West Indies 519-5

That's his 9th double century, only Bradman has more.
 
Re: 2nd Test: Pakistan vs West Indies at Multan

Ramdin out for 11,
West Indies 523-6

Well, now that he's only got bowlers for partners, I say Lara should just start swinging and going for as many boundaries as he can get before all the wickets are lost.
 
Re: 2nd Test: Pakistan vs West Indies at Multan

Kaneria comes on and gives up 12 runs in his first over of the day, including a 6 to Dave Mohammed.

West Indies 557-6, they lead by exactly 200 runs.
 
Re: 2nd Test: Pakistan vs West Indies at Multan

Lara's aggressiveness against Kaneria finally costs him, and he hits a high ball to Shoaib Malik, and is finally out for 216.

West Indies 563-7, and they lead by 206 runs.

Looks like Pakistan will be batting again soon enough. It'd be nice if the West Indies tail can build the lead up to 250, but anything from here on is a bonus now that Lara is out. Mohammed has looked good out there though, scoring 21 from 35 balls so far.

Brilliant innings from Lara! Sad to see it come to an end, but I'm glad to see that he still has stuff like this in him. Don't retire anytime soon Brian.
 
Re: 2nd Test: Pakistan vs West Indies at Multan

Dave Mohammed goes for more runs, runs down the track to take a swing but misses the ball, and winds up getting stumped. That's Kaneria's 5th wicket.

West Indies 583-8, with a lead of 226
 
Re: 2nd Test: Pakistan vs West Indies at Multan

Razzaq gets 2 quick wickets.

West Indies all out for 591, they have a lead of 234.

Now it's up to the West Indies bowlers. They've been handed an opportunity here, and they have a lot of runs to play with, and they have 10 hours to get the job done.
 
Re: 2nd Test: Pakistan vs West Indies at Multan

Pakistan 21-0 at lunch. It should be an entertaining session after lunch. The West Indies bowlers have looked good so far, and they'll be looking to strike.
 
Re: 2nd Test: Pakistan vs West Indies at Multan

BAM!
There's the first breakthrough, Taylor bowls Hafeez and Pakistan are 24-1.
There were a few good lbw shouts for the West Indies so far, but they were all turned down (probably rightly so), so Taylor just launched a real blazer past him instead.

Pakistan have scored 2 runs in the 20 minutes since lunch.
 
Re: 2nd Test: Pakistan vs West Indies at Multan

Good batting from Younis since he's come in.
Pakistan 68-1 at drinks break in the second session.
 
Re: 2nd Test: Pakistan vs West Indies at Multan

Pakistan 2/213 at stumps, Farhat on 70 with Yousuf on 56. They trail by 21 runs.

Taylor and Mohammed with one wicket each.

Game is evenly poised. West Indies desperately need quick wickets while Pakistan will be in no hurry tomorrow, they just need to bat for most of the day.

Should be a good day's cricket.
 
Re: 2nd Test: Pakistan vs West Indies at Multan

This match definitely feels like its heading towards a draw. Since Pakistan trail by only 21 runs, they're going to be able to build up a lead that's in the hundreds, which means West Indies would need to bat for most if not all of the last session to have a chance at chasing it down.

West Indies will need to strike early tomorrow to have a chance.
 
Re: 2nd Test: Pakistan vs West Indies at Multan

The final day is underway, and Pakistan looked like they would just bat through securely, but some great fielding from Chanderpaul led to a run out, Farhat is gone.

Pakistan 243-3, lead by 9 runs.

West Indies still need more wickets, but this first session has been the dangerous one for the duration of the test, so they may get a few more before lunch. They're about to take the new ball too, that could help.

This Test isn't over yet.
 
Re: 2nd Test: Pakistan vs West Indies at Multan

Yousuf gets his 7th Test century of the year!
Pakistan 273-3


With that century, he's now got 1471 runs this year, good enough for 6th place on this list:
most Test runs in a calendar year

Another 11 runs today, and he'll be in 4th place.
 
Re: 2nd Test: Pakistan vs West Indies at Multan

Just when it looked like Pakistan was going to make it through, Taylor got Inzi lbw.

Pakistan 284-4, with a lead of 50 runs.
However, they still have about 50 minutes to get through before lunch.
 
Re: 2nd Test: Pakistan vs West Indies at Multan

And right at the very end of the session, Shoaib Malik fell to Daren Powell.

Lunch
Pakistan 308/5, with a lead of 74 runs.

West Indies had a few chances and shouts there to try to get Yousuf, but just couldn't do it. However, with Pakistan not scoring that many runs, West Indies may not have that huge of a target to chase if they do get the chance to bat again.

Pakistan is far from safe, and will need to survive about another 2 and a half hours, perhaps even 2 and three quarters hours. If West Indies can pick up those last 5 wickets before tea, I think they'll feel very good about their chances in the final session.

As long as Yousuf is still in there though, Pakistan will have a chance.
 
Re: 2nd Test: Pakistan vs West Indies at Multan

An hour into the middle session, and Pakistan is 343/5. The lead is still only 109, so West Indies will still feel they are within striking distance. However, I really think they'd need to pick up 3 wickets before tea. They don't need to get them all, they can save the last 2 for the start of the final session, but they need a breakthrough here.

Yousuf, by the way, is up to 139 so far. That should put him over 1500 Test runs for the year, and will move him into 3rd place on the all-time most runs in a year list.
 
Re: 2nd Test: Pakistan vs West Indies at Multan

377/5, a lead of 143

The frustration is starting to show on some of the West Indies faces. The balls just aren't bouncing their way, and Yousuf is determined to hang on here.

A draw now seems highly likely.
 
Re: 2nd Test: Pakistan vs West Indies at Multan

Match finished in a draw. Yousuf the last man out for 191, leaving Pakistan on 7/461. Abdul Razzaq made 80 with Dave Mohammed the most effective bowler with 3/101.

West Indies were in control for the majority of the game but couldn't get enough breakthroughs on the last day when they were required. A disappointing result for them but Pakistan get out of trouble after trailing for most of the test.

Mohammed Yousuf was Man of the Match.
 
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