KINGSTON (Jamaica), June 5: Shabbir Ahmed, whose bowling action was reported to the ICC last week, snared all three wickets that have fallen to leave West Indies on 374 for seven at lunch in their second and final Test against Pakistan on Sunday. At the interval, Wavell Hinds was unbeaten on 45 and Tino Best was not out on eight, as West Indies continued their reply to Pakistan’s first innings total of 374.

Armed with the second new ball, Shabbir removed batting kingpin Brian Lara for a majestic 153 and Courtney Browne for a first-ball duck off successive balls in his first over with the cherry, and later added Daren Powell to take figures of four wickets for 58 runs from 21 overs into the interval.

Up to his intervention, West Indies had almost literally had things their way, after they continued from their bedtime position of 275 for four.

Lara, whose stated intention was to bat for the remainder of the day, continued to explore the full range of his strokes. His duel with Danish Kaneria was a joy to behold, and in between some circumspect batting, he would dance down the pitch to clout the leg-spin bowler for runs.

Umpire Darrell Hair however, spoiled Lara’s fun, when he issued a second warning Kaneria for trodding on the protected area of the pitch, and the leg-spin bowler was removed from the attack for the remainder of the West Indies’ innings.

This prompted the arrival of the second new ball, and Lara greeted it with a lofted drive off Abdul Razzaq to the widish long-on boundary for four.

Next ball, Shabbir dropped Lara, on 148, at mid-off when the left-handed batsman miscued a backfoot drive to an awkwardly bouncing delivery from Razzaq, but Lara crashed the next delivery off the backfoot to the cover boundary to reach his 150.

Shabbir struck twice in the second over with the new ball. Lara gloved a steepling bouncer to give wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal the third of his five dismissals, and next ball, found the edge of Browne’s bat for another catch to the keeper.

Lara struck 20 fours and two sixes from 233 balls in close to five hours of batting and added 51 for the fifth wicket with fellow left-hander Hinds, who shared 30 for the sixth wicket with Powell to get West Indies within reach of the lead.

But Powell was caught behind for 14 after spending nearly 45 minutes at the crease before Best drove Shabbir to long off for a couple to bring West Indies level.

Earlier the 37-year-old Lara was undefeated on 125 to lead West Indies to 275 for four when stumps were drawn on the second day on Saturday.

The wicket of Shivnarine Chanderpaul in the last over of the day shifted the balance of power however, after he added 70 for the fourth wicket with Lara, who also put on 146 for the third wicket with Ramnaresh Sarwan, who scored 55.

Lara played strokes of all descriptions, but endured a tense period in the 90s, when Pakistan captain Inzamamul Haq employed Shabbir and Shoaib Malik, two bowlers with questionable bowling actions.

Gathering all of his experience, Lara fought through the tension and eventually glanced Malik to the deep fine leg boundary for four to reach his second hundred of the series to follow his 130 in the first Test at Bridgetown.

Lara has smote 16 fours and two sixes from 189 balls in fours hours of batting that produced his fourth hundred of the West Indies’ international home series.

Lara batted circumspectly through the early period of his innings and had treated Kaneria with scant disrespect on his way his 50. He lofted the leg-spin bowler for two sixes over long-on onto the Mound, the well-populated party stand, much to the delight of the crowd there.

Sarwan played more sedately and offered his more accomplished batting partner steady support, even offering Lara a few calming words, when he may have shown a rush of blood.

Lara and Sarwan had been brought together when Abdul Razzaq bowled Devon Smith for 25 in the second over after West Indies continued from their lunch position of 59 for one.