ABU DHABI: Leg-spinner Yasir Shah took six second-innings wickets for a match haul of 10 in Pakistan’s crushing 133-run second Test win over West Indies in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday as they took an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
The wily spinner finished with 6-124 in 39 overs to secure his second 10-wicket haul in Test cricket after claiming four wickets in the first innings as West Indies were bowled out for 322 before tea on a weary fifth and final day pitch at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
Yasir had deprived West Indian batsman Jermaine Blackwood his second Test hundred when he bowled him for 95 in the pre-lunch session.
West Indies, set a mammoth 456-run target for an unlikely victory, still fought hard and batted for 108 overs with Shai Hope also scoring a fighting 41.
Hope and Devendra Bishoo fought for 45 runs during their eighth-wicket stand before left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar (2-51) had Hope and Bishoo (26) caught to finish the match.
In between Zulfiqar’s wickets, Yasir had Miguel Cummins bowled for a duck to finish the match with figures of 10-210, having taken 4-86 in the first innings.
Pakistan won the first Test by 56 runs in Dubai, leaving the third and final Test in Sharjah starting from Sunday inconsequential.
Captain Misbah-ul-Haq showed delight at the series win.
“It’s a good win and I am very happy,” said Misbah, who equalled Imran Khan’s record of most matches as Pakistan captain with 48. “The pitch was not helping the spinners so it was tough to get West Indies out even on a fifth day pitch but we have match-winners like Yasir who bowled very well.”
Meanwhile, West Indian captain Jason Holder was pleased with his team’s fight despite the defeat.
“We’ve showed signs of improvement,” said Holder. “Unfortunately we weren’t able to start the game the way we like. They scored too many runs on the first day, we didn’t bat well in the first innings.
“But I’m pleased with the guys like Blackwood, the way they showed application.”
Blackwood defied Pakistan’s spin-cum-pace attack in the first session by adding 63 for the fifth wicket with all-rounder Roston Chase (20) and another 57 with Hope for the sixth to counter the weary pitch.
When it seemed Blackwood would complete his second Test hundred, Yasir produced a beautiful delivery which kept straight and hit the batsman’s pad, dislodging the stumps.
Blackwood hit 11 boundaries during his enterprising 127-ball stay.
Yasir, who was adjudged man-of-the-match, then trapped Holder leg before for 16 to complete his five-wicket haul, the second in the series.
Resuming at 171-4 West Indian pair Blackwood and Chase batted without any problems for the first nine overs, but in the 10th of the day Yasir produced a sharp turning ball which took the edge off Chase’s bat to wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed for an easy catch.
Pakistan took the second new ball with the score on 223-5 but Blackwood hit two boundaries in Sohail Khan’s first over.
Yasir then took two three wickets — those of Blackwood, Holder and Cummins — to derail West Indies’ fight.
Scoreboard
PAKISTAN (1st Innings) 452 (Younis Khan 127, Misbah-ul-Haq 96, Asad Shafiq 68, Sarfraz Ahmed 56; S.T. Gabriel 5-96, J.O. Holder 3-47).
WEST INDIES (1st Innings) 224 (D.M. Bravo 43; Yasir Shah 4-86, Rahat Ali 3-45).
PAKISTAN (2nd Innings) 227-2 declared (Azhar Ali 79, Asad Shafiq 58 not out, Sami Aslam 50).
WEST INDIES (2nd Innings, overnight 171-4):
K.C. Brathwaite lbw b Nawaz 67
L.R. Johnson b Yasir 9
D.M. Bravo c Nawaz b Rahat 13
M.N. Samuels c and b Yasir 23
J. Blackwood b Yasir 95
R.L. Chase c Sarfraz b Yasir 20
S.O. Hope c Younis b Zulfiqar 41
J.O. Holder lbw b Yasir 16
D. Bishoo c Misbah b Zulfiqar 26
M.L. Cummins b Yasir 0
S.T. Gabriel not out 7
EXTRAS (B-4, LB-1) 5
TOTAL (all out, 108 overs) 322
FALL OF WKTS: 1-28, 2-63, 3-112, 4-124, 5-187, 6-244, 7-266, 8-311, 9-312.
BOWLING: Sohail Khan 14-3-44-0; Rahat Ali 23-2-69-1; Yasir Shah
39-5-124-6; Zulfiqar Babar 22-5-51-2; Mohammad Nawaz 10-0-29-1.
RESULT: Pakistan won by 133 runs to lead three-match series 2-0.
UMPIRES: M.A. Gough (England) and R.K. Illingworth (England).
TV UMPIRE: P.R. Reiffel (Australia).
MATCH REFEREE: J.J. Crowe (New Zealand).
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Yasir Shah.
FIRST TEST: Dubai, Pakistan won by 56 runs.
THIRD TEST: Sharjah, Oct 30-Nov 3.
Published in Dawn October 26th, 2016
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