After the second day was washed out, only 54 overs of play was possible on the third day of this second Test between West Indies and Pakistan. Pakistan took giant strides and put themselves in the ascendency. Fawad Alam’s ton was the highlight of the day before the Pakistan bowlers reduced West Indies to 39/3.
The day didn’t start on time due to a wet outfield and a few damp areas. Eight balls into the day, the damp area on the bowler’s run-up caused concerns, and the umpires took the players off. The delay lasted for more than 90 minutes, and the players came out only in the second session.
West Indies made inroads with the second new ball. Jayden Seales had Faheem Ashraf LBW, and that brought Fawad Alam, who had retired hurt on day one back to the crease. He was batting on 76. Jason Holder dismissed Mohammad Rizwan and Nauman Ali on successive balls to leave Pakistan at 231/7.
However, Alam weathered the storm and shared crucial stands with the lower order. He put on 36 runs with Hasan Ali for the ninth wicket while Shaheen Afridi shared 35-run stand with the left-hander. In the process, Alam got to his fifth Test hundred and went on to score an unbeaten 124 as Pakistan declared on the score of 302. Afridi chipped in with a useful 19.
In reply, Windies had a terrible start to their innings. Afridi was the one who did the bulk of the damage. He dismissed both the West Indian openers, and it came in back to back overs.
The left-arm fast bowler first had Kieran Powell LBW before ratting skipper Kraigg Brathwaite’s stumps. Ashraf further dented the hosts with the wicket of Roston Chase.
West Indies are currently reeling at 39/3 and have a tall mountain to climb on day four. Pakistan are well and truly in the box seat as they push to level the series.
Brief Scores
Pakistan 302/9 decl (Alam 124*, Azam 75, Seales 3/31, Roach 3/68) vs West Indies 39/3 (Bonner 18*, Shaheen Afridi 2/13)
