Date-stamped : 08 Dec93 - 20:18 SOURCE: The Guardian DATE: 23 April 1993 SPO PAGE: 17 Barbados happy with Cummins instead of goin's MIKE SELVEY IN BRIDGETOWN West Indies v Pakistan: second Test FEW cricket grounds buzz like Kensington Oval on the day before a Test. By 8.00 yesterday morning - an unusually hot and steamy one - the place was babbling; one hour later and the queue for tickets stretched several hundred yards. All of which must have brought a huge sigh of relief in the of- fices of the West Indies Cricket Board at the back of the three- Ws stand. It is almost precisely a year since West Indies' selec- tors dropped one of the biggest and most expensive clangers in their history when, in announcing their squad to play South Afri- ca in the one-off Test, they opted to include an Antiguan bowler, Kenny Benjamin, and omit Anderson Cummins, the local man. This was politically inept since neither Benjamin nor Cummins could realistically have expected to play and it was important for the locals to see their man there. As things turned out Ben- jamin did get a game, but only because his namesake Winston sus- tained an injury. Cummins's omission led to one of the most successful sporting boycotts: on each day fewer than 70 people sat in the popular stands that ring two-thirds of the ground. ''No Cummins, no goin's,'' became a clarion call. It cost the WICB thousands of dollars plus considerable esteem. With today's second Test, faith would seem to have been restored: Cummins is in the squad and happiness reigns. The same cannot be said for Pakistan. The aftermath of the Gre- nada drugs allegation lingers on, with the Pakistan tour manager Khalid Mahmood claiming that Wasim Akram was treated ''worse than a human being'' while in custody. Then there was the humiliation in Trinidad of defeat inside three days despite having had West Indies reeling on the first morning. The tourists were eventually undone not so much by West Indies' bowling on a pitch of occasionally insidious low bounce as by their own lack of application with the bat and powder-puff bowl- ing from Wasim and Waqar on the second day when Haynes, Richard- son and Lara were allowed to carry the game beyond Pakistan's reach. Lack of match fitness, and injuries to key players such as Aqib Javed and Mushtaq Ahmed, did not help. Nor have things improved, with the suppliers of back-braces and assorted corsetry heading for ''by appointment'' status. The latest to have his back twang under the strain is Rashid La- tif, the first-choice wicketkeeper and a competent batsman who missed the first Test and now seems certain to miss the second. Aamir Sohail is also labouring with groin and hamstring strains and, most worryingly, illness prevented Akram attending practice yesterday. In the circumstances there could be a temptation to shore up the fragile batting, but it would mean relying on the assorted and uninspired left-arm spin of Sohail and Asif Mujtaba in place of a fourth front-line bowler. The chances are, though, that Aamir Nazir, a 19-year-old seam bowler with one first-class match to his name, will make his Test debut. In recent times Pakistan have come as close as any side to storming the Bridgetown fortress where West Indies are unbeaten for 57 years and currently on a roll of 11 straight wins. In 1977 only desperate last-ditch batting by Andy Roberts and Colin Croft denied Pakistan victory, and in 1988, on their last visit, Jeff Dujon and Winston Benjamin pulled West Indies back from the brink with an unbroken eighth-wicket stand of 61. It clinched a two-wicket win which also brought them the series. On a pitch which it is said will afford for the first few days the sort of pace and bounce that is West Indies' lifeblood, the contest may not be so close this time. SOURCE: The Guardian DATE: 24 April 1993 SPO PAGE: 22 Cricket: Haynes reigns supreme MIKE SELVEY IN BRIDGETOWN West Indies v Pakistan: second Test, first day AFTER the drought came the rains. Shortly before four o'clock yesterday afternoon, in front of a heaving, vibrant Kensington Oval carnival crowd, Desmond Haynes, Bajan born and bred, planted his left foot down the pitch and for the second time in as many balls, planted Asif Mujtaba's left-arm spin over midwicket and into the Kensington Stand for six. He punched the air, up went his arms in triumph. Then he bowed in supplication and drank in the thunderous applause that greeted the 18th century of his Test career, the fourth on his home strip, and his second in successive innings following his marvel- lous bat-carrying effort in Trinidad. This time it was not to last. After 5 1/2 hours, 14 fours and those two sixes, and with the close of play imminent, he was yorked by Aamir Nazir for 125, giving the 19-year-old debutant a memorable first Test wicket. Two years and 15 Tests Haynes had suffered without a sniff and now this: form is temporary, Viv Richards used to tell him, but class is permanent. It was the cherry on the cake of misery for Pakistan, that began from the moment Wasim Akram won the toss and, just as every cap- tain, home or visiting, has done unfailingly for the past 16 years, asked his opponents to bat. The whoops, hollers and high fives essayed by the 20 or so ground staff watching the toss might have implanted doubts in his mind as to the wisdom of his decision. By the close of play, with West Indies 351 for four, any queries he might have had had been confirmed as the West Indies batsmen ran roughshod over a pathet- ic Pakistan attack. Haynes may have been the star, but there was also Phil Simmons who contributed 87 from 90 balls of an opening stand of 122, there was Richie Richardson's savage 31 before he was dismissed as the kettle came to the boil for tea, and then there was the young genius Brian Lara, who put a tired and dispirited attack to the sword with 51. Pakistan looked knackered, bewildered and ready for home and, after more than a year on the road for most, it is hard to blame them. Troubled by drug allegations and injuries, it was revealed yesterday that five of their top batsmen had had their bats stolen in Trinidad. Misery was complete when the umpires Lloyd Barker and Dickie Bird, the latter's zinc-smeared fizzog already showing the shocked pallor of someone who had discovered a tampered ball, ap- peared to do just that, entering into discussions with Wasim on the subject, and although the ball was not changed, it is all grist to the mill. Never mind. This has been a wonderful week for Haynes, who at 37 was having his future questioned after a poor tour of Australia. In Trinidad he was vigilant as all around him crumbled. Here he built himself solid foundations quietly but securely as Simmons, a rather cumbersome affable cuffer of the ball, carted 14 fours before gloving a catch to the keeper. The opening stand of 122 had occupied 25 overs. Haynes and Richardson hurtled along adding 78 in 18 more overs with Richard- son hooking Ata-ur-Rehman high into the stands for six, and when he was lbw to Waqar - the best of the bowlers - Lara merely pressed the gas pedal in a blaze of strokes. By the time he was out for 51, offering a tame (it would have to be) catch to Moin, the third-wicket stand had brought 103 from 17 overs. A few overs earlier, as Haynes' century was greeted by a small pitch invasion, the loudspeaker announced that miscreants would be ejected. They could not have cared less: this was Caribbean cricket at its best and they had had their money's worth. ONLY a mature, gutsy and, given the overall standard of Pakistan's batting in this series, exemplary unbeaten five-hour innings of 92 from Basit Ali at Kensington Oval yesterday saved the tourists from the ignominy of a second successive defeat in- side three days. They had resumed their first innings at 131 for five, with Basit on 33 and Wasim Akram three not out and a further 125 needed to escape the follow-on, but in spite of Basit's effort the innings was wrapped up 45 minutes after lunch for 221, a deficit of 234, with Courtney Walsh finishing with four for 56. Asked to bat again by Richie Richardson, Pakistan lost Aamir Sohail by tea, caught at midwicket, and Ramiz Raja leg-before for 25 soon afterwards. A third-wicket partnership of 56 between Asif Mujtaba and Javed Miandad steadied the innings, taking them almost to the close be- fore an inexplicable piece of cricket from Javed undid the work. Having hit Hooper for six in the last over of the day, he at- tempted to repeat the stroke next ball and was caught at midwick- et for 43. It was disgraceful play and may well have passed sen- tence on his career. Asif remains unbeaten on 36 out of Pakistan's 113 for three, with 121 needed to make West Indies bat again. Today is a rest day. For Basit, 22 years old and a former Pakistan youth and B inter- national, this tour has been a chance to establish himself in the upper echelons. Clearly there is merit in sparky youth, for whereas many of his colleagues have had their enthusiasm dulled by their itinerary this past year, international cricket is fresh and adventurous to him. On his debut in Trinidad, where other tired warriors, no longer able to motivate themselves, formed a sorry procession, he bat- tled it out in relative comfort, forming, with Asif, Pakistan's only worthwhile partnership of the match. Yesterday, however, once his captain had been caught at short leg off Carl Hooper's off-spin - bringing to an end their sixth- wicket stand of 80 - and Moin Khan and Waqar Younis had departed to consecutive deliveries from Walsh, this compact young player stood alone: neat as ninepence off his legs, a punchy driver, and not short on power. When the ninth wicket fell, Ata-ur-Rehman becoming the third successive batsman to leave without scoring, he had made 73, suf- ficiently satisfying in the circumstances, and he would have been forgiven for either calling it a day and playing for his red ink or having a whack in a death-or-glory attempt to reach his centu- ry. Instead, with Aamir Nazir for company, he set about frustrating the West Indies bowlers, refusing singles when they were offered and manipulating the strike so well that his partner faced only 11 of the 47 deliveries that constituted the last-wicket stand of 21. But having manoeuvred himself within striking distance of his century, he saw a harmless full toss from Winston Benjamin to Na- zir poked stiffly straight into the hands of Arthurton perched at silly mid-off, leaving him stranded on 92. SOURCE: The Guardian DATE: 27 April 1993 SPO PAGE: 20 Miandad charges into oblivion MIKE SELVEY IN BRIDGETOWN West Indies v Pakistan: second Test, rest day GIVEN his pedigree, Javed Miandad's performance as the third day drew to a sedate close ranks alongside David Gower's injudicious flick at Adelaide two years ago as one of the most crass pieces of Test cricket in modern times. The situation was straightforward enough. Pakistan had followed on 234 runs behind and lost two second-innings wickets cheaply. Then Miandad and Asif Mujtaba carefully and skilfully pulled the innings round with a partnership of 66; not enough to haul Pakis- tan clear of trouble but a benchmark for what could be achieved. Ambition in the dressing room was starting to stretch into the realms of gaining a sufficient lead for Wasim and Waqar to raise their game, tear in and exploit Kensington Oval's traditional last-day low bounce. For the first time in the match - and the only occasion since the opening session of the first Test in Trinidad - Pakistan were in control. It was the last over of the day: Carl Hooper to Miandad, who is one of the finest players of spin the world has seen. Nothing fancy needed. The bowler's job was to send down half a dozen deliveries to set the seal on the day. Miandad's duty was to block them out and disappear until today. Ten years ago that would certainly have happened, probably as a prelude to an impish, virtuoso century. But that was when Miandad was in his prime, with a voracious appetite for runs. Instead, with the field in, he launched the ball high over long on into the top deck of the Sir Garfield Sobers pavilion. It was gloriously outrageous. In the dressing room Pakistan players, with little to applaud these past few weeks, stood and saluted the audacity of the man. Out in the middle Mujtaba walked down the pitch and spoke earnestly to Miandad: ''Great shot. Now let's see it through.'' Yet the next ball, unbelievably, saw Miandad fling himself down the pitch once more and attempt a repeat. But this delivery was a shade quicker and flatter and Miandad, never quite in the right position, dragged it unerringly low to Arthurton at deepish midwicket. In that one irredeemable moment Pakistan lost a match and a series. What makes a player of Miandad's ability and nous do such a thing? After all, this is his 120th Test and with 23 centuries and an average of 54 he is among the best. ''I don't need to tell Javed how to play,'' said the Pakistan captain Wasim Akram as the sun began to set over the pavilion and the series. ''He is sufficiently experienced to know what to do.'' Did not Graham Gooch say something similar about Gower?. But Miandad has always been a maverick. Five times he has been captain of his country and five times he has lost the job. No one claims to know him or understand what makes him tick. He is a man apart. One thing is certain: Miandad, at 35 and with a persistent and chronic back injury that necessitates careful selection of when and where he plays, has been under pressure for his place. This was made clear by the Pakistan team manager Mudassar Nazar in the wake of the Trinidad rout. Yet it would be unlike Miandad simply to see red. For all his hot-headedness he is a calculating cricketer. The way he walked off with head drooped was probably more in anticipation of his reception than a sign that the mist had cleared and realisation dawned; the dressing room would probably have shown embarrassment for his error rather than anger, for these same players had ecstatically acclaimed his six. In his mind Miandad probably had something to prove. No great sportsman likes to see his powers declining, and Desmond Haynes, two years his senior, has already shown in this series that for some the light can still be made to burn bright. Haynes's perfor- mance did Miandad no favours and compounded his position. That final over was Miandad's statement. Haynes had reached his century on Friday by smearing successive deliveries for six into the most popular stand of his home ground. So if he could do that, it became Miandad's priority to bat equally well and top it by pouring scorn on convention, take a calculated risk and give the day a glorious end, Pakistan a lift and his own esteem a fil- lip. Had he succeeded, his sheer nerve would have been revered and his position secure. But he did not. It was stupid but also very sad, for in that one moment a genius died. West Indies 455 v Pakistan 221 and 113-3. Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com) Date-stamped : 03 Nov93 - 05:55 Subject: Pakistan vs West Indies (2T3D - Bridgetown, April 25) Summary: West Indies set to win A brave 92 by Basit Ali and a phlegmatic 36 not out by Asif Mujtaba, when Pakistan followed on 234 runs behind, could not remove the certainty of a West Indies win in the second Test. At the close of the third day at the Kensington Oval on Sunday, Pakistan were 113 in their second innings, needing another 121 runs to avoid an innings defeat. With two days remaining after Monday's rest day, Pakistan look doomed to be beaten and lose the series. The hopeless situation in which Pakistan were overnight, 131 for five, was improved by the sixth wicket pair of Basit Ali and Wasim Akram. They put on 80 and lasted until 18 minutes before lunch when Akram was caught at short-leg, off off-spinner Hooper. Frustrated for so long, West Indies then made rapid inroads. In the very next over after Akram was out, Courtney Walsh claimed Moin Khan and Waqar Younis with successive balls both batsmen edging him to the wicket-keeper. After lunch, Walsh accounted for his fourth victim, Ata-ur-Rehman, but Basit Ali, keeping the strike, continued his resistance. Basit Ali had batted for 228 minutes, faced 174 balls and hit eleven fours and a six when his last partner, Amer Nazir, finally submitted. Pakistan suffered an early blow when they began their second innings 55 minutes after lunch. The badly injured Sohail was gone with only four runs on the board, mistiming a deflection >from Ambrose. Sohail's partner, Ramiz Raja and Asif Mujtaba battled for another 20 overs and seemed to have taken the sting out of the bowling when Walsh claimed Ramiz Raja leg before. Veteran Javed Miandad had problems playing himself in against Walsh and also played Hooper with little confidence. He should have been stumped off Hooper when on 19. But Miandad then settled down and with Mujtaba, all concentration and defiance, added 66 for the third wicket. In the last over of the day, Miandad came down the pitch and drove Hooper for a straight six. He pulled rashly at the next ball, the last but one delivery of the day, and was caught at mid-wicket. At the end of what could be his last innings in Test cricket, Miandad returned to the pavilion with his head bowed in embarrassment. Mujtaba remained unbeaten with 36, having batted for 171 minutes. Contributed by vasa (vasa@sun.com)