Yasir gets 100th Test wicket, Pakistan build lead

Tea West Indies 357 (Bravo 87, Samuels 76, Yasir 5-121) trail Pakistan 579 for 3 dec (Azhar 302*, Aslam 90, Bishoo 2-125) by 222 runs

File photo – Yasir Shah bowled Miguel Cummins to get his 100th Test wicket © AFP

Yasir Shah took the first three wickets on day four to become the joint-second fastest to take 100 Test wickets, getting to the mark in his 17th match. It also completed his five-wicket haul in the innings. Mohammad Nawaz then ended Devendra Bishoo’s brief resistance to wrap up the innings as West Indies were bowled out for 357. That gave Pakistan a first-innings lead of 222, before they moved to 20 for 2 by tea.

Day four began much as day three had done – with a wicket for Yasir. A very full leg break from Yasir pitched just in line with the stumps and spun in before hitting the batsman’s pads. Dowrich had played across the line and missed. He unsuccessfully reviewed the umpire’s lbw decision before leaving the field.

In the next over, Mohammad Amir hit Jason Holder on the grille of the helmet with a sharp bouncer. That inspired Pakistan to attack West Indies with a short-ball strategy. Wahab Riaz, who had used that approach to telling effect late on the previous day, was immediately brought on to try the same again. When bowling to Bishoo, he had a short leg, a leg slip and a deep-backward square.

But both Bishoo and Holder survived the examination and put on a 21-run stand that raised West Indies’ hopes of building further on the fighting knocks from Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels on day three. That was not to be – Yasir got through Holder’s defences with a tossed up googly and then bowled Miguel Cummins with a big-spinning leg break that evaded the batsman’s wild swipe.

That was Yasir’s 100th wicket and it left West Indies nine down; Nawaz finished the job in the next over. It had taken Pakistan just 14.5 overs to take the four wickets they required.

After Pakistan declined to enforce the follow-on, West Indies made a couple of breakthroughs of their own. Shannon Gabriel trapped first-innings centurion Azhar Ali in front for 2, a ball after Azhar had successfully reviewed a caught-behind decision. Then Asad Shafiq missed an attempted sweep off Bishoo and, while West Indies’ appeal for lbw was turned down, their review was successful.

Sirish Raghavan is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.


Source: ESPN Crickinfo

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