St
Tony Cozier28-May-2000St. John’s – Mr. Justice Malik Qayyum might not be entirely convincedof their commitment, but Pakistan relied on their tried and trustedcampaigners to get them out of a couple of tight spots on the thirdday of the third and final Test yesterday.Wasim Akram, the 33-year-old veteran in his 95th Test, first turnedthe match on its head with a lengthy, unbroken spell of incisive,controlled left-arm swing bowling in the morning.It brought him the last six West Indies wickets at the miserlypersonal cost of two runs from 28 balls as the home team collapsedfrom 214 for three at the start to 273 all out two balls after lunch.Their lead was limited to a meaningless four runs, transforming thematch into a straightforward second innings contest.When the two West Indies old-timers, Courtney Walsh and CurtlyAmbrose, immediately hit back with two wickets of their own, and athird fell at 49 on the stroke of tea, it was left to Inzamam-ul-Haq,Pakistan’s leading batsman in his 64th Test, to see the emergencythrough.Just as he and Younis Youhana were seizing the initiative in apartnership of 80, Inzamam cut hard at Franklyn Rose and was given outfor 68, caught at the wicket, by umpire Billy Doctrove, standing inhis first Test.Inzamam stood transfixed in apparent disbelief before slowly trudgingtowards the pavilion, lingering on the boundary’s edge to exchange afew words with remonstrating spectators. International Cricket Councilmatch referee Peter Burge took careful note and later fined thelingerer 50 per cent of his match fee for dissent.Although he also lost captain Moin Khan for ten, Youhana, centurymaker in the second Test and the first innings here, comfortably heldfirm to the end of a day that was prolonged to over seven hoursbecause of the continuing sluggish over-rate and another spate ofvarious interruptions and delays.Youhana resumes this morning on 41, nightwatchman Saqlain Mushtaq twoand Pakistan 157 for five.They are ahead by 153 on a pitch still in excellent condition, withtwo days remaining, a situation as wide open as the second Test atKensington with two-and-a-half innings complete. The difference isthat this is further advanced.The West Indies were strongly placed when captain Jimmy Adams andShivnarine Chanderpaul resumed their fourth-wicket partnership of 130.Their first mission was to see off the second new ball, just 3.2 oversold, but Akram and his long-time pace partner Waqar Younis, in his64th Test, first throttled them with their persistent accuracy beforeAkram swept through the lower order.The West Indies had no answer to the combination. Akram kept goingunchanged for 11 consecutive overs from the northern end in themorning while Waqar hardly bowled a bad ball in seven on the trot.If Qayyum’s match-fixing findings, in which Akram, Waqar and Inzamamwere all fined, had any effect it was only positive.Akram’s final figures were six for 61, the 23rd time in his 95 Teststhat the 33-year-old champion has taken at least half the oppositionwickets in a Test innings, and moved his overall tally to 393.Only Walsh, Kapil Dev and Richard Hadlee have taken more and, onceinvestigations don’t spring something off, he will challenge them all.A measure of the Pakistani pair’s precision was three lbw decisionsthey gained from umpires who had not granted one over the first twodays.For good measure, Akram bowled Chanderpaul for 89 with a late,inswinging full toss when he was the last of the established WestIndies batsmen.Waqar set the collapse in train by pinning Adams on the backfoot after25 minutes in which he couldn’t add a run.Akram had to wait somewhat longer to make his impact. Chanderpaul andRamnaresh Sarwan, once more impressively serene in the face of thetype of quality, each-way swing with which he has seldom had to dealin his young career, kept going through to the first drinks break.But once Akram claimed Sarwan for his first lbw, uncertainly forwardan hour and ten minutes into play, there was no stopping him.Ridley Jacobs, enduring a lengthy run-drought, was hit on the boot byan inswinging yorker and also lbw, prompting Chanderpaul to attackAbdur Razzaq, who had replaced Waqar, with a four and a six, both inthe direction of long-on, in the same over.As soon as Chanderpaul returned to Akram’s end, he missed a late, indipping full toss that hit the stumps quarter-way up.He had resisted for five-and-a-half hours and his return to somethingnearing his old confidence was an encouraging sign for futureengagements.Ambrose lasted five balls before he sliced a catch to backward pointand Rose, after a few meaty boundaries off the returning Waqar, andKing were bounced out.The former skied a catch to long leg, the latter only got his as faras the bowler.Once more, the West Indies bowlers were left with the job ofreclaiming the initiative. Walsh and Ambrose wasted no time.Imran Nazir cut Walsh’s second ball fiercely but directly intoSarwan’s safe hands at gully, and Younis Khan ended an unproductiveseries with an ugly crosshaul that provided Ambrose with a clearcutlbw.The West Indies regained the initiative when King somehow conjured upa late inswinger to hit the overcautious Mohammad Wasim’s unprotectedoff-stump in the last over to the second interval.The West Indies have known that Inzamam is Pakistan’s batting championsince the hefty right-hander scored the first of his ten Test hundredson this ground seven years ago.Youhana, with hundreds at Kensingtonand here on Thursday, is not far behind.They were relieved to dispose of the ominous Inzamam. They won’tbreathe easily until they see the back of Youhana.