1st Test: Pakistan v West Indies at Sharjah, 31 Jan-4 Feb 2002 Anand Vasu |
Pakistan 1st innings:
West Indies, 2001/02, 1st Test 1st innings: |
Following Latif’s departure, the Pakistan tail used the long handle to great effect, with skipper Waqar Younis (25 not out) hitting the ball cleanly to notch up three boundaries and two hits that cleared the fence. Speedster Shoaib Akhtar, keen to match his captain made a better than run a ball 20 that included two boundaries and a six.
In short, it was a blitz – almost one-day style that resulted in 45 runs coming in just 7.5 overs. When Gayle (3/27) snapped up the last wicket caught and bowled, the Pakistan innings came to a close at 493 in 161.5 overs.
The West Indian openers have to negotiate 18 overs on the day.
It was very much a familiar story for West Indies. After showing early promise and curtailing Pakistan, they let the middle order get away from them. Once the momentum swung in Pakistan’s favour, there was no stopping them. Youhana and Latif made the best of near perfect batting conditions and piled on the runs - and the misery for the opposition.
There was, however, amidst Latif’s booming drives on the up and through the line and flicks that rollicked to the fence, some joy for the West Indians as spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, who is sure to play a large role in this match, was caught and bowled by Dillon for 17.
Going into tea at 438/7, there is little left to bat for in this innings for Pakistan. A declaration is surely on the cards, but not before Latif posts 150 and the batsmen have had a merry dash at the bowling for a short spell.
Pakistan captain Waqar Younis, at the crease without scoring at the moment, will certainly plan to send down a few overs today and rattle the opposition. The last session of the day looks like it will throw up a bit of excitement
The second day began with Pakistan on the road to recovery at 230/5. Youhana and stumper Latif had put on 52 for the fifth wicket and were determined to make it count for more. They did. With the first session extended by half an hour on account of a break in the afternoon for Friday prayers, it was only a case of West Indies' misery being dragged out longer. The men from the Caribbean watched haplessly as a wicketless session drained the energy from them.
Youhana, who came into this Test match with over 2500 Test runs at an average of 47 in 57 innings, capitalised on a good opportunity and made those statistics look even better. In the 107th over of the innings, Youhana slanted a full Pedro Collins delivery outside the off-stump to the third man boundary to notch up his ninth Test ton. It was an innings that made all the difference to the balance of the game. Going on after reaching the three-figure mark, Youhana, stationed on 144, put Pakistan well and truly in the driver's seat.
Youhana may have been the man that did most of the damage, but it would be an injustice to not put on the record the contribution of Latif. Although he has always been a man for crisis situations, Latif has seldom been viewed as a threat by opposition. The West Indies too seemed to make that mistake and allowed Latif to get well-entrenched on a wicket that, by the end of the first session on the second day, had got slower and lower. Pacing his knock well, Latif played second fiddle to Youhana for the best part of his innings before cutting loose when it was required.
Debutant Ryan Hinds, bowling his part-time left-arm spin, came in for some special treatment just before the lunch break. As an appetiser to a meal that both batsmen will enjoy tremendously, Hinds was smacked around for 26 in three overs, with the ball repeatedly disappearing over the infield and to the on-side fence. Perhaps Hooper could have chosen a better time to give the young man a go.
Latif, who has made five half-centuries, including one tantalisingly close to the three-figure mark - 94 - against Bangladesh not three weeks ago, notched up his maiden hundred when he swept Hinds to fine leg in the 128th over of the innings. Taking his helmet off, Latif sported a broad grin, waving his bat to the dressing rooms in the absence of any sizeable crowd.
The unbeaten stand of 200 between Youhana and Latif has changed the complexion of this game completely. Coming off just 178 balls at a rate of almost a run a minute, the partnership has given West Indies cause for major concern. With a big score on the board, Pakistan can now make the best of this sluggish wicket, bringing spinners Saqlain Mushtaq and Danish Kaneria into play well during the latter stages of the Test.
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Date-stamped : 02 Feb2002 - 11:23