Pakistan's captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, is not getting ahead of himself despite his side's powerful position in the second Test against West Indies. Pakistan need only five more wickets to beat West Indies and level the series 1-1, while the hosts require 297 runs for an unlikely victory, or to bat all day to salvage a draw.
"Until the time you've taken the last wicket, the match is still not finished," Misbah said after stumps on the fourth day in St Kitts. "It's a game of cricket and you have to finish the game otherwise it's really half the job done."
Pakistan had Misbah to thank for giving them an excellent chance at victory, after he and Taufeeq Umar both made centuries in the second innings. It was Misbah's third Test hundred and he was unbeaten on 102 when he declared with a lead of 426, a fine effort for a 36-year-old in his sixth Test as captain.
"It's really, really good to have a hundred, especially when you are captain," Misbah said. "For your own confidence and for the sake of the team, it's really important that the captain chips in and perform at all stages in the game."
West Indies made a poor start to their chase, with two of the top four out for ducks, and by stumps they were 130 for 5 and relying heavily on the vice-captain Brendan Nash (30 not out) to salvage something on the final day. Abdur Rehman caused the biggest problems with three wickets, all of which came soon after the tea break and shattered West Indies' hopes of ending the day in a reasonable position.
"At tea, my coach [Waqar Younis] and my captain came to me and said, 'Go back there and go back to your normal bowling," Rehman said. "Don't give them flight, just tight, tight, contain and you'll get the wickets'."
To rescue West Indies, Nash will need not only a major innings himself but also help from the lower order, including Carlton Baugh (7 not out) and the next man in, the captain Darren Sammy. West Indies won the first Test in the two-match series.
No comments:
Post a Comment