MULTAN, Nov 23: Captains Brian Lara and Inzamam-ul-Haq have criticised the pitch for the second Test which ended in a high-scoring draw on Thursday between Pakistan and the West Indies.

A total of 1,409 runs were scored in 15 sessions of play for the loss of 27 wickets with Lara scoring a brilliant 216 and Mohammad Yousuf making 191 on the final day.

“It was a batting track from day one. I mean the bowlers toiled hard to get success. It was not a good Test pitch,” Lara said. “Once the ball got 20 to 25 overs old and soft there was no sideways movement and it was up to the batters to pile on the runs and it was easy for batters.”

Inzamam, who hails from Multan, said: “I was expecting it to take some spin and have wear and tear on the last two days. But it was very good for batting. “There should be more off a battle between bowlers and batsmen in Test cricket.”

Lara hailed Yousuf's match-saving innings in the second Test but urged his team to improve the sloppy fielding that keeps letting Pakistan off the hook. “He (Yousuf) played brilliantly and stayed till the end,” said Lara of Yousuf, whose 191 was his seventh century of the year, equalling the current Test record.

“Pakistan owes a lot to Yousuf, he is a great bat, someone who can score seven centuries in one year has to be very special and he showed that again today,” added Lara.

Lara said that if his team want to level the three-match series in Karachi they needed to lift their fielding. “We didn't take chances presented to us. Now we've got a Test match left and we will work on our fielding,” said Lara, whose team has now just two wins in their last 26 Tests.

Lara, who made an epic 216 in the West Indies' only innings, said his team had set their sights on the last Test.

“It was a tough Test match where we failed to win but now it's behind us and we have to work hard in the final Test. We were in the commanding position up until the fifth day.

“I am very proud of the guys that they pushed for a win and now we are very optimistic about our chances in Karachi,” said Lara.

Pakistan captain Inzamam said Yousuf was a “match winner as well as match saviour” for the team.

“Yousuf has been in an exemplary form. He has played two world class innings, one won us the match in Lahore and here he saved us,” said Inzamam of Yousuf. “To play an innings like that under pressure you need to be world class and Yousuf is a world class batsman,” said the Pakistan captain.

Inzamam said a fighting draw was morale boosting for his team.

“It (the draw) will raise the team's confidence. It needed a lot of character to come from a 200-plus deficit in the first innings and we showed resilience by fighting in the second innings.” —Agencies