Windies riding high

West Indies captain Jimmy Adams on the attack during his patient unbeaten 60. The wicketkeeper is Moin Khan.

Tony Becca, Senior Sport Editor

ST. JOHN'S:

THE West Indies, thanks to a valiant, unbroken fourth-wicket partnership of 130 between top batsmen Shivnarine Chanderpaul and captain James Adams, are riding high in the third Test against Pakistan at the Antigua Recreation Ground.

When bad light stopped play at 6.05 with 3.4 overs to go on yesterday's second day of the winner-take-all showdown, the West Indies, with Chanderpaul on 68 after batting for 237 minutes, facing 172 deliveries and stroking five boundaries and Adams on 60 after batting for 218 minutes, facing 175 deliveries, and stroking four boundaries, were 214 for three in reply to Pakistan's first innings 269, and with the deficit a mere 55 runs, with seven wickets in hand, are well positioned in their hunt for victory.

Coming together with the West Indies on 84 for three and up against some brilliant spin bowling by right-arm legspinner Mushtaq Ahmed who finished with two for 68 off 24 overs - including a spell of 20 overs during which he picked up his two wickets while conceding 46 runs, left-handers Chanderpaul and Adams survived some anxious moments before, in a classic demonstration of how to build an innings, settling in and reeling off some splendid strokes.

On another day of gripping action, it was top class cricket all the way, and if the West Indies, batting last on a pitch which promises to be a spin bowler's dream at the end, go on to post a commanding lead and win the match and the series, they will have to lift their glasses in a special toast to Chanderpaul and Adams who defied Mushtaq, knocked him out of the attack, and then dealt with offspinner Saqlain pacers Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Abdur Razzaq.

Joining the action with the West Indies on 40 without loss and Sherwin Campbell on the go after blasting five boundaries off pacers Akram and Waqar, Mushtaq struck in his first over when Campbell pulled a short delivery straight to Yousuf Youhana at mid-wicket, and from then until after tea when Chanderpaul and Adams found their touch, the Windies batsmen were under pressure as Mushtaq, with a teasing flight, corned them in his marathon spell with a lovely mixture of legspinners and googlies.

Adrian Griffith, dropped at one by wicketkeeper Moin Khan off Waqar, and dropped at 10 by Youhana at short-leg in Mushtaq's second over, was bowled legstump for 22 at 73 for two when Mushtaq, bowling around the wicket, pitched a googly outside the legstump and the left-hander swept and missed.

With Chanderpaul and Wavell Hinds playing and missing, with almost every delivery from Mushtaq followed by appeals for leg before wicket or for catches at short-leg and silly point, the West Indies lost their third wicket at 84 when Hinds, on 26, stroked Mushtaq into the offside, went for a run, was sent back, and the fast-moving Mushtaq, darting to his right, beat him with a perfect throw to wicketkeeper Moin.

At that stage, with Chanderpaul looking like a man in a trace and Adams fighting for survival, Pakistan were well on top.

To their credit, however, they fought like tigers, gradually they found their rhythm and their timing, with it came some confidence, and after tea, with Chanderpaul using his feet well, with Adams playing beautifully off the backfoot and the ball leaving the middle of the bat with perfect timing, they took control and dominated the rest of the day in a partnership which so far lasted for 218 minutes and 330 deliveries.

With one batsman going down the pitch and driving, the other going back and cutting, Mushtaq was forced to adjust his length, in attempting to do so, he lost his control, and when he changed ends with Saqlain, the batsmen celebrated their victory with Chanderpaul chipping and driving the legspinner to the wide long-on boundary and Adams, after starting to go forward, easing back and late cutting the offspinner to the thirdman boundary.

After that, with both batsmen in full flow, with Chanderpaul greeting the return of Akram and Waqar with drives through the offside and pulls, with Adams driving freely through the offside and tucking short deliveries away for singles, it was all West Indies.

Resuming on 267 for eight with Youhana on 102 and Waqar Younis on two, Pakistan lost their two remaining wickets for two runs in the first over bowled by Walsh.

Running in from the north, Walsh removed Waqar - caught by Ramnaresh Sarwan at backward square-leg, and Mushtaq Ahmed - caught by wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs - to finish with five for 83 off 26 overs.

In ticking off his 19th five-wicket haul in a Test innings, Walsh is now third on the West Indies all-time list - behind Ambrose and the late Malcolm Marshall with 22 each.

SCOREBOARD

Pakistan's 1st innings

(overnight 267 for 8)

Yousuf Youhana not out 103

Waqar Younis c Sarwan b Walsh 4

Mushtaq Ahmed c wkp Jacobs b Walsh 0

Extras (lb4, nb20) 24

Total (all out, 91 overs) 269

Fall of wickets: 1-21, 2-27, 3-33, 4-130, 5-132, 6-173, 7-209, 8-247, 9-268

Bowling: Ambrose 14-4-30-0, Walsh 26-2-83-5 (nb9), Rose 19-4-48-2 (nb7), King 16-3-48-1, Adams 14-2-40-0 (nb4), Sarwan 2-0-16-0.

West Indies' 1st innings

S.Campbell c Youhana b Mushtaq 31

A.Griffith b Mushtaq 22

W.Hinds run out 26

S.Chanderpaul not out 68

J.Adams not out 60

Extras (lb3, nb4) 7

Total (for 3 wickets, 83.2 overs) 214

Fall of wickets: 1-40, 2-73, 3-84.

Bowling: Wasim Akram 15-3-42-0, Waqar Younis 13.2-4-27-0, Mushtaq Ahmed 24-3-68-2, Saqlain 21-4-44-0 (nb3), Abdur Razzaq 10-1-30-0 (nb1).

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