BRIDGETOWN (Barbados), May 26: West Indies recovered from a shaky start to reach 102 for three at lunch on the opening day of the opening Test against Pakistan on Thursday. At the interval, batting superstar Brian Lara was not out on 44 and West Indies captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul was not out on 14.

The two long-standing West Indies left-handers have added 57, unbroken, for the fourth wicket to help the home team fight back after they courted early strife at 45 for three. Shabbir Ahmed, whose bowling action was the subject of much discussion, has been the most successful Pakistan bowler so far with two wickets for 27 runs from nine overs.

Shabbir made the breakthrough after West Indies chose to bat, when he had Chris Gayle caught at mid-off for four driving loosely off the backfoot, and also had Ramnaresh Sarwan caught at third slip off six in the first half-hour. The West Indies position could have been more treacherous had second slip fielder Bazid Khan held a chance from Devon Smith on nine off Rana Navedul Hasan.

Smith, however, failed to make the most of his reprieve and he was caught at first slip off for 19 when he edged a flat-footed drive to the same fielder off Abdul Razzaq. Lara, making a return to the West Indies line-up, after missing the preceding three One-day Internationals against the Pakistanis, quickly shook off the rust and blossomed with a pair of spanking square drives off Razzaq.

Chanderpaul joined him and they gradually got on top of the Pakistan bowling on a typically hard, true Kensington Oval pitch under sunny to overcast skies.

West Indies, who were beaten 2-0 at home by South Africa in their most recent Test series, have won just one Test in their last 18 matches against lowly Bangladesh. Pakistan have never won a Test at Bridgetown, much less a Test series in the Caribbean, on five previous trips. West Indies’ last Test victory was against Bangladesh, in Jamaica last June, and their eight Tests since have brought six defeats and two draws.