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Cricket
Stout-hearted reply by West Indies
By Dicky Rutnagur
SHARJAH, FEB. 1. An unfinished sixth-wicket stand of 94 between left-handers Shivnarine Chanderpaul, a veteran of 49 Tests, and Ryan Hinds, making his debut, freed West Indies from the threat of being made to follow on by Pakistan in the first Test and raised the prospect, albeit a distant one, of forcing a draw.
West Indies' opening partnership of Darren Ganga and Chris Gayle which had banked 54 runs overnight, continued to prosper while the pitch remained under the influence of the roller. The left-handed Gayle, whose lapse in the field on Friday-putting down Rashid Latif when he was only 28-had cost West Indies so dear, took great pains to play himself in and studiously blocked 16 balls before making his first scoring shot of the day, an off-drive for four off Abdur Razaak.
Once his shoulders were opened, the left-handed Gayle drove fluently. His partner, Darren Ganga, was comfortable, if staunch, and the first hour was nearly completed without West Indies coming to any harm when Ganga, going back to Saqlain Mushtaq, was lbw.
The off-spinner had begun to turn the ball with some venom off a pitch which, riddled with cracks, looked like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Once Pakistan broke through, it made quick progress, seizing two more wickets before lunch.
In the very next over after he had trapped Ganga, Saqlain, who bowled unchanged through the morning, posing sustained threat, threw one up to tempt Gayle into a drive and bowled him for 68, made off 117 balls, with 13 fours.
Although the conditions had no encouragement to offer the pace bowlers, Waqar Younis waited till only half an hour remained for lunch before bringing on the leg-spinner Danish Kaneria. Waqar did not bowl himself in the morning but when Abdur Razaak tired, he gave Shoaib Akhtar a long stint. Tending to fall away to the off-side in delivery, Shoaib posed no threat whatsoever.
Kaneria, only the second Hindu to play for Pakistan, struck in his fourth over with a googly which Sherwin Campbell failed to pick. Shouldering arms, Cambell, who found a place in the side when Ramnaresh Sarwan pulled out with a bad back, shouldered arms and was palpably leg before.
Three wickets had gone down in the space of 38 runs and 13 overs. But after lunch, Carl Hooper, possessing a technique so refined, and left-handed Wavell Hinds, settled in to score half-centuries. However, West Indies remained in peril of being made to follow on.
With 114 needed to make Pakistan bat again, Hinds was lured out of his crease by Kaneria, completely beaten and stumped by a long way. Hooper, who had batted impeccably against 103 balls and hit eight fours in his 56, succumbed with 63 runs still wanted. He had not permitted the spinners even a glimmer of hope, but fell to Abdur Razaak's reverse swing-the only victim of pace during the day.
However, Shivinarine Chanderpaul, who had batted doggedly in support of Hooper, now took charge and he and debutant Ryan Hinds, left-handed like Wavell, but unrelated, remained secure until the close. Hinds, from Barbados, captained the West Indies team in the last Under-19 World Cup.
The youngster, who bats at number four for Barbados in domestic cricket, was palpably nervous when bowling his left-arm spin during Pakistan's innings, but batted with great aplomb in his maiden Test innings to remain unbeaten with 55, made off 106 balls.
The scores:
Pakistan - 1st innings: 493.
West Indies - 1st innings: D. Ganga lbw b Saqlain 20, C. Gayle b Saqlain 68, S. Campbell lbw b Danish Kaneria 6, W. Hinds st Rashid Latif b Kaneria 59, C. Hooper lbw b Abdur Razzaq 56, S. Chanderpaul (batting) 45, R. Hinds (batting) 55, Extras (lb-4, nb-11, w-1) 16, Total (for five wickets) 325.
Fall of wickets: 1-88, 2-96, 3-126, 4- 180, 5-231.
Pakistan bowling: Waqar Younis 17-3-68- 0, Shoaib Akhtar 18-4-68-0, Abdur Razzaq 18-2-49-1, Danish Kaneria 26-4-75-2, Saqlain Mushtaq 27-8-55-2, Taufeeq Umar 2-0-6- 0.
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