November 30, 2006	Thursday	Ziqa'ad 8, 1427

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KARACHI, Nov 29: West Indies’ talented wicketkeeper-batsman Denesh Ramdin said on Wednesday his side were well prepared to chase a 300-plus target in the third and final Test to level the series against Pakistan.

Talking to reporters after the third day’s play, the 21-year-old reckoned that despite the unreliable behaviour of the National Stadium wicket, the West Indies were confident of emerging victorious.

“I think we can chase a target in the 300 to 330 region. The reason for that prediction is the pitch which has played well today although it is still very slow. The bounce is not as inconsistent as it was on the first two days,” the Trinidadian said.

Commenting on his fourth half-century in Test cricket, Ramdin said it was probably the best innings of his career because it came at a crucial time.

“It was important for me to get the innings moving after (Daren) Ganga got out early. We needed runs to get closer to Pakistan total. I’m happy to make a vital contribution for the team. Corey Collymore also batted extremely well in the partnership to support me.”

Ramdin said he was happy to be given a chance to prove himself in one-day cricket after being preferred to Carlton Baugh for the forthcoming limited-overs series with Pakistan.

“I think it’s a good opportunity for me to perform in the one-dayers and prove that I’m also good enough to be part of both Test and one-day side,” he remarked.

Mohammad Hafeez, meanwhile, defended Pakistan’s slow scoring rate in the second innings and said the batsmen had to graft for runs on the sluggish pitch.

“It’s not easy to play aggressively because the pitch is very slow and low. Out first task was to see off the new ball and that’s why we were cautious in our approach.

“Moreover, we were forced to graft for runs since the ball isn’t coming to the bat as we would like it to,” the opener, who scored an unbeaten 57, pointed out. “Because of the uneven bounce it’s hard to score quickly and the batsmen have to struggle for runs. But personally I’m happy to score on a difficult pitch.”

Hafeez added that a target of over 350 would be extremely tough for the West Indies to chase. “As I’ve said, batting on this track is not easy, especially in fourth innings. I’m pretty optimistic that we can win if we put on another 180 to 200 runs on the board.”