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| May 30, 2005 | Monday | Rabi-us-Sani 21, 1426 |
West Indies end drought despite Afridi’s heroics
BRIDGETOWN (Barbados), May 29: Despite a hurricane century by mercurial all-rounder Shahid Afridi, West Indies swept to an emphatic 276-run victory over Pakistan with Chris Gayle taking five wickets on the fourth day of the first Test on Sunday. The victory came as a fitting finale for the West Indies at the historic Kensington Oval ground hosting its last match before it is renovated for the 2007 World Cup.
Pakistan, requiring 573 runs for an improbable win, were bowled out for 296 shortly after tea with Gayle finishing with five for 91 as the home side finally ended a depressing season to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
The win came after West Indies were beaten 2-0 by South Africa in a Test series and also lost a one-day series 5-0 to them and were than outclassed 3-0 by Pakistan in one dayers.
West Indies scored 345 and 371 in the match with Pakistan being humiliated in the first innings after they were skittled for 144 runs with pacer Fidel Edwards taking five for 38.
But even the absence of Edwards with a hamstring injury after bowling just eight balls in the Pakistan second innings and a cracking 122 from 95 balls by Shahid Afridi could not stop the West Indies from completing a well deserved win.
Afridi was in a savage mood when Pakistan resumed their second innings on 113 for four in the morning, making the home side pay for dropping him on the first ball he faced in the day.
Devon Smith spilled an easy chance at long-off from Gayle’s bowling.
The 25-year old than produced a series of powerful shots scoring his half century from 38 balls with a pull through mid-wicket and than taking another 40 balls to reach his third Test hundred with a four off Darren Powell.
He than smashed Gayle for two big sixes over square leg in the next over to complete his dominance over the bowlers.
Afridi’s second-fastest hundred by a Pakistani came after he lost his overnight partner Asim Kamal (55) in the first hour, caught at slip by Smith off Gayle.
Shortly before lunch Afridi holed out to wide mid-off miscuing a big hit off Powell to Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who was enjoying his first Test success as captain.
Gayle than went to work after lunch when Pakistan resumed on 274 for six first having Abdul Razzaq stumped for 41 and then forcing Rana Navedul Hasan (6) to hit straight to Brian Lara at mid-off.
Gayle also bowled Kamran Akmal for 21 with a sharp turner and than wiped up the innings with Danish Kaneria’s wicket to finish with his second five-wicket haul.
On Saturday, Shivnarine Chanderpaul collected his 14th Test hundred, and was eyeing his first victory in the post of West Indies captain.
The 30-year-old Chanderpaul was undefeated on 153 — his first Test hundred against Pakistan — that was the backbone of West Indies’ second innings total of 371.
Chanderpaul swept leg-spinner Kaneria to fine leg for two runs to reach his landmark before his side was dismissed about five minutes before the scheduled tea break.
Left-hander Chanderpaul hit 10 fours and two sixes from 254 balls in 5-3/4 hours of dogged batting that helped his team tighten their grip on the match, and puts them in the frame for their first victory in a Test, since an innings and 99 runs win over Bangladesh at Kingston last June.
Scoreboard
WEST INDIES (1st Innings) 345 (B.C. Lara 130, S. Chanderpaul 92).
PAKISTAN (1st Innings) 144 (F.H. Edwards 5-38).
WEST INDIES (2nd Innings):
C.H. Gayle c Asim b Kaneria 50
D.S. Smith c Kamran b Razzaq 10
R.R. Sarwan c Kamran b Afridi 1
B.C. Lara st Kamran b Afridi 48
S. Chanderpaul not out 153
W.W. Hinds b Kaneria 52
C.O. Browne c Kamran b Afridi 1
D.B. Powell b Rana Naved 5
F.H. Edwards c Kamran b Shabbir 20
R.D. King b Shabbir 5
C.D. Collymore lbw b Razzaq 0
EXTRAS (B-4, LB-9, W-2, NB-11) 26
TOTAL (all out, 102 overs) 371
FALL OF WKTS: 1-59, 2-64, 3-65, 4-137, 5-271, 6-274, 7-307, 8-353, 9-367.
BOWLING: Rana Navedul Hasan 24-7-88-1 (1nb, 1w); Shabbir Ahmed 20-2-70-2 (3nb, 1w); Danish Kaneria 26-4-115-2 (1nb); Abdul Razzaq 15-4-36-2; Shahid Afridi 17-3-49-3 (6nb).
PAKISTAN (2nd Innings, overnight 113-4):
Salman Butt c Gayle b Edwards 0
Yasir Hameed c Browne b Powell 11
Younis Khan run out 0
Bazid Khan lbw b Collymore 23
Asim Kamal c Smith b Gayle 55
Shahid Afridi c Chanderpaul b Powell 122
Abdul Razzaq st Browne b Gayle 41
Kamran Akmal b Gayle 21
Rana Navedul Hasan c Lara b Gayle 6
Shabbir Ahmed not out 0
Danish Kaneria c Browne b Gayle 0
EXTRAS (LB-7, NB-10) 17
TOTAL (all out, 62.3 overs) 296
FALL OF WKTS: 1-0, 2-1, 3-16, 4-47, 5-162, 6-257, 7-277, 8-295, 9-296.
BOWLING: Edwards 1.2-1-0-1; Powell 11-1-47-2 (1nb); King 11.4-0-70-0 (6nb); Collymore 19-2-80-1 (3nb); Gayle 18.3-3-91-5; Hinds 1-0-1-0.
RESULT: West Indies won by 276 runs.
UMPIRES: D.B. Hair (Australia) and D.R. Shepherd (England).
TV UMPIRE: B.E.W. Morgan (West Indies).
MATCH REFEREE: R.S. Madugalle (Sri Lanka).
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
SECOND TEST: Kingston (Jamaica), June 3-7.—Agencies
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