Ton-up Chase, Holder give Windies edge
ROSTON Chase’s second Test hundred and fine support from captain Jason Holder in a record unbroken partnership lifted the West Indies to 286 for six at stumps on the opening day of the second Test against Pakistan at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Sunday.
Called upon to repair yet another debacle at the top of the order after Holder chose to bat first, the unbeaten 131 form Chase (pictured celebrating his ton, AFP) was characterised by calm assurance and elegant strokeplay after he came to the crease at 37 for three.
Even if he lived a bit dangerously, the skipper also played positively and will resume on the second day alongside Chase on 58, their partnership so far worth 132 runs and establishing a new record for the seventh wicket in Tests for the West Indies against Pakistan.
Chase faced 207 deliveries in five hours at the crease, stroking 17 fours, while Holder’s innings occupied 125 deliveries over three and a half hours with eight fours decorating his knock.
On a surface offering very little assistance to the faster bowlers, the Caribbean team still managed to slip to 154 for six in mid-afternoon and at that stage it looked as if the tourists would have been well into their reply byy the end of the day.
Singh’s miserable start continues s
Opening bowlers Mohammad ad Amir and Mohammad Abbas claimed med a wicket apiece in each of the firstt two sessions while Shadab Khan, selected ected for a Test debut in support of senior enior leg-spinner Yasir Shah, earned his s first success in the shape of Shane Dowrichwrich after Shah had accounted for Shai Hope.
Amir was the first to strike for Pakistan istan at the start of the day against a battingtting line-up surprisingly unchanged from the seven-wicket defeat in Jamaica.a.
Kraigg Brathwaite enjoyed a moment of good fortune when he was dropped at short extra-cover off Amir.
However, the lapse did not prove costly for the visitors as Amir took the outside edge of the opener’s bat in the same over to give a straightforward catch to wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed.
Shimron Hetmyer, one of two batting debutants from a week earlier,
faced just three deliveries b e f o r e driving loosely at Abbas for Azhar Ali to take a sharp catch head-high at third slip.
Hope’s struggle for runs continued when he was caught at the wicket off Shah, the legspinner extracting sharp turn off the first-day pitch and appearing to justify Pakistan’s decision to give a debut to Shadab at the expense of their fastest bowler, Wahab Riaz Kieran Powell, who batted through the morning session, departed on the resumption after lunch. An lbw appeal off Amir w with the batsman on 38 was ruled no not out by onfield official Richard Ke Kettleborough only to be overturnedoverturne on review of the television repla replays. Vishaul Singh’s miserablemis start to his Test caree career continued with a low catchcatc to Younis Khan at seco second slip off Abbas and Yo Younis’s secure hands were again in evidence whe when Dowrich, on 29, p pushed at a full lengthleng delivery from ShadabS and the TestT veteran m a d e n o mis mistake.