Yasir leads Pakistan to win over WI

ABU DHABI: Leg-spinner Yasir Shah took six second-innings wickets in Pakistan’s crushing 133-run second Test win over West Indies in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday as they took an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the threematch series.

The wily spinner finished with 6-124 to secure his second ten-wicket haul in Test cricket after claiming four wickets in the first innings as West Indies were bowled out for 322 before tea on a weary fifth and final day pitch at Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

Shah had deprived West Indian batsman Jermaine Blackwood his second Test hundred when he bowled him for 95 in the pre-lunch session.

West Indies, set a mammoth 456-run target for an unlikely victory, still fought hard and batted for 108 overs with Shai Hope also scoring a fighting 41.

Hope and Devendra Bishoo fought for 45 runs during their eighth-wicket stand before leftarm spinner Zulfiqar Babar (2-51) had Hope and Bishoo (26) caught to finish the match.

In between Babar’s wickets, Shah had Miguel Cummins bowled for nought to finish the match with figures of 10-210, having taken 4-86 in the first innings. Pakistan won the first Test by 56 runs in Dubai, leaving the final Test in Sharjah starting from Sunday inconsequential.

Captain Misbah-ul-haq showed delight at the series win.

“It’s a good win and I am very happy,” said Misbah. “The pitch was not helping the spinners so it was tough to get West Indies out even on a fifth day pitch but we have match-winners like Shah who bowled very well.” Brief scores: Pakistan 452 (Younis 127, Misbah 96, Gabriel 5-96) and 227 for 2 dec (Azhar 79, Shafiq 58*) beat West Indies 224 (Yasir 4-86, Rahat 3-45) and 322 (Blackwood 95, Brathwaite 67,

Yasir 6-124) by 133 runs.