A SHORT

PRESENTATION

BY

SPORTYHIGHLIGHTS

PAKISTAN VS WEST INDIES 1ST

TEST DAY 2 HIGHLIGHTS 14-10-2016

Resuming the day on 146, Azhar was solid and assured right

from the outset and displayed more of the lovely drives and

powerful cuts and pulls that lit up the first day. He went into

tea at 194, but got to his milestone within two balls of the

resumption of play – a leg-side delivery from Gabriel was

tucked fine for four, after which a wide one was cut past

backward square for the four that took him past 200. A

salute and a set of nine push-ups followed; by that stage,

West Indies’ fielders looked too ragged to follow suit

Azhar and Shafiq had added 73 runs to the overnight total of

279 for 1, taking their second-wicket partnership to 137. The

pair built on their solid platform with relative ease, facing

little pressure either from West Indies’ bowlers or from a

pink ball that did not do much in the air. While Shafiq played

the odd false shot, including a full-blooded sweep that failed

to make contact with a flighted delivery from Devendra

Bishoo, Azhar looked compact and sharp, quick to pounce on

width and short balls. He greeted Roston Chase with

successive lofted shots for four and six, and also played a

number of assured sweep shots against both spinners.

The partnership ended when Shafiq drilled a return catch to Devendra Bishoo on 67. That moment of success provided only fleeting relief for an increasingly deflated West Indies side. Azam came in and settled in swiftly to provide capable support to Azhar. He glided his way to a half-century that seemed to come far too easily, before driving in the air straight to cover to give West Indies only their second breakthrough of the day.

West Indies had their moments, but were not able to capitalise on them. Bishoo had dropped short frequently in the first session. Immediately after dismissing Shafiq, his bowling perked up – temporarily. He beat Azam with a beautifully flighted ball and found the batsman’s outside edge in the next over, only for the ball to fly to the right of slip. Frustratingly, he dropped short again the next ball and was cut for another boundary. A few overs later, Chase got Azhar to nick to slip, where Jermaine Blackwood spilled a sharp chance that should have been taken.

Like on the first day, west indies misused their reviews.

Shannon gabriel clocked up impressive speeds in the

first over of the day. His fifth ball, bowled at 147 kph,

seamed into shafiq and clipped the top of his back pad

on its way through to the wicketkeeper. The appeal,

seemingly for a caught behind, was turned down, but

replays indicated the ball would have gone on to hit

enough of the top of middle for the batsman to be given

lbw, if a review had been taken

When west indies did opt for a review – on the last ball

of the 131st over – they were left red-faced and wishing

they hadn’t. Jason holder bowled an indipping low full

toss at azhar, went up in appeal for lbw and reviewed

the not-out decision, evidently believing that the ball

had brushed pad before bat. Replays, however, showed

that the ball was nowhere near the pad and had been

middled by azhar.

These errors paled in comparison with West Indies’

shoddy bowling and often-farcical fielding. Bishoo

and Miguel Cummins released the early pressure

that Gabriel and Holder had created. While Bishoo

bowled a number of short balls and juicy half-

volleys, Cummins repeatedly drifted onto the

batsmen’s pads. Gabriel struggled to find his line

or length in a terrible spell after tea and bowled

three big no-balls, and at least three more that

were not called.

A

SHORT PRESENTATION

BY

SPORTYHIGHLIGHTS

http://sportyhighlights.com/