GEORGETOWN, Guyana — West Indies hit back strongly against Pakistan
on Friday as 13 wickets tumbled on the second day of the opening test,
leading by 100 runs with eight wickets left in the second innings.
Pakistan
offspinner Saeed Ajmal completed career-best figures of 5-69 as the
hosts, 209-9 overnight, were bowled out for a modest 226 at Guyana
National Stadium.
But debutant legspinner Devendra Bishoo
countered with 4-68 to give the West Indies a first-innings lead of 66
as Pakistan was skittled for 160.
Fast bowler Ravi Rampaul took 3-27, while captain Darren Sammy also claimed two crucial dismissals.
The hosts limped to stumps at 34-2 in their second innings to leave the match poised.
Ajmal
collected his second career five-wicket haul half an hour into the day
when he claimed Kemar Roach (24) to a short leg catch.
But
Pakistan's joy was short-lived as its reply stuttered early when
Rampaul rattled the stumps of Mohammad Hafeez off an edge to make it
5-1.
Taufeeq Umar and Azhar Ali steadied the innings with a
second-wicket stand of 52 before Sammy made a decisive strike just
after lunch. Taufeeq (19) played across the line and was plumb leg
before, sparking a middle order collapse.
Bishoo claimed captain
Misbah-ul-Haq, plumb lbw on the back foot, for his first test wicket
and the score quickly dipped to 80-6.
Azhar Ali, after striking five fours for 34 off 73 balls, played no stroke to an inswinger from Sammy and lost his off stump.
Then Bishoo claimed Asad Shafiq (2) and Mohammad Salman (4) to lbw verdicts to put his team on top.
Umar
Akmal and Abdur Rehman played with enterprise to revive the Pakistanis,
adding 50 for the seventh wicket. Bishoo broke the stand with his
fourth wicket, Akmal top-edging a pull high into the air for an easy
catch to wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh.
Rampaul then squeezed the tail as Umar Gul top-edged a short delivery to Baugh and a tentative Saeed Ajmal was leg before.
Rehman,
who top-scored with an unbeaten 40 off 104 balls, ran out of partners
when Kemar Roach returned to claim Wahab Riaz for 5.
West Indies could not consolidate the advantage in the final hour, however, as Pakistan claimed two cheap wickets.
The nightmare continued for Devon Smith, who fell cheaply to Mohammad Hafeez for the sixth successive innings.
Smith
was leg before to the offspinner's first delivery, following similar
dismissals in the World Cup quarterfinal six weeks ago, three times in
the preceding one-day series and in Thursday's first innings.
Ajmal returned to add his sixth wicket of the match when Darren Bravo played across and became the 12th lbw victim in the match.
But Lendl Simmons (18 not out) and nightwatchman Kemar Roach (3 not out) got to close unscathed. The Canadian Press
