The Saga of the 1988 ...
Pakistan won by 211 runs.
Members of the Under-23 XI included future Test cricketers, Captain Brian Lara, Keith Arthurton, Roland Holder, Jimmy Adams, Junior Murray, Nehemiah Perry, Rajindra Dhanraj, and Ian Bishop.
Down to the wire
Second Test, at Queen’s Park Oval, Port – of – Spain, April, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19. A humdinger of a match where the momentum pendulum never stopped swinging back and forth, exemplifying how closely matched the two teams were. The deck was being shuffled for the West Indies even before the match began, as both Richards and Marshall returned to the side, and Winston Benjamin was selected on the first morning, after both Patterson and Anthony Gray were declared unfit. Pakistan made no changes, opting to keep a winning formula.
Khan won the toss and invited the hosts to take the first knock. Action flowed throughout the Test, from the first over in which Khan removed Greenidge, to the tension filled last over. Khan, leading from the front once again, with four for 38, along with his sidekick, Qadir, four for 83, had the West Indies bundled out for 174 just after tea on the opening day. Richards, stamping his authority immediately upon his return, led the battle for runs, with a top score of 49. Richardson’s 42 was the only other innings of note. Marshall, leading the attack for the first time in over a year, demonstrated his worth, as Pakistan were exposed to the most torrid of times, for one hour and forty minutes. At the close, Pakistan were in dire straits at 55 for five, with Mudassar, Rameez Raja, Shoaib Mohammad, Miandad, and night watchman Ijaz Faqih all back in the pavilion.
Pakistan recovered from 68 for seven, to lead by 20 runs. Saleem Malik, 66, and Salim Yousaf, 39 (once again), set a new eighth wicket record for Pakistan against the West Indies of 94, as the momentum shifted once again. By the close, Pakistan had the West Indies struggling at 78 for three, with Richardson, 39* and Richards, 7*, at the wicket.
On the third day, Richards demonstrated, like Khan, what leading from the front was all about. Never at his best, he survived several near misses against both Khan and Qadir, but he hung in there for his team. After losing Richardson very early to Khan, the skipper, between several doses of medication on the field, received dogged support from Hooper and Dujon, as he guided the West Indies to safety. By the time Akram trapped
Richards lbw for 124 with the second new ball, the West Indies were 272 for six, with Dujon on 38. By the close, Dujon was on 70, with the West Indies, seemingly safely perched on 329 for eight.
The last two West Indies wickets cost Pakistan 90 precious runs, as Dujon, supported by Benjamin and Walsh, completed his fifth Test century, 106 not out. Set 372, Pakistan were delicately poised at 107 for three, with Miandad, 19*, and Saleem Malik, 17*, after four days, heading into the rest day, the West Indies appeared to have the upper hand. Once again, the momentum swung, with Miandad relishing the challenge, and taking the fight to the West Indies, as Pakistan reached 252 for five at tea and set to mount a charge in the one hour and twenty overs remaining. The pendulum swung one more time, with Miandad’s dismissal for 102, at 288 for seven. It was left to Qadir to block the final five balls of the contest delivered by Richards, as Pakistan, 341 for nine (extras 61), held on for a draw and retained their lead, after five pulsating days of cricket.