Greaves wreaks havoc before Pakistan fight back on 14-wicket day

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As if to prove the popular notion of the third day of a Test being the moving day, the Test in Tarouba between West Indies and Pakistan moved at a rapid pace on Monday. Fourteen wickets tumbled, with Justin Greaves snaring five wickets without conceding a run to give the hosts a lead of 29, before Pakistan’s pace quartet led by Mohammad Abbas ran riot to bag seven West Indian wickets with the pitch starting to throw a challenge at the batters.

Pakistan started the day 112 runs adrift of West Indies’ first innings score of 311, but the seamers were nagging with their radar as they kept the scoring rate in check. Shan Masood copped a blow on the glove, but it did not perturb him in his pursuit of raising his seventh Test hundred: a statement knock immediately after being stripped of his captaincy. Prior to that, Salman Agha was adjudged LBW to Kemar Roach with the ‘keeper standing up but a successful review got him to overturn the call.

Masood and Agha got Pakistan through a testing first hour, but Shamar Joseph then sent the latter’s off pole cartwheeling before Greaves went on a rampage, sending down four wicket maidens on the trot and immediately adding a fifth after Lunch. He had Masood playing onto his stumps for 109, cleaned up Jamal with one that nipped back in slightly and trapped Ali Usman plumb in front for a duck. Pakistan’s hopes then rested on Mohammad Rizwan, but he slashed a short and wide one to the ‘keeper to leave the visitors in tatters as they lost five wickets for 15 runs. Greaves then picked up his fifth in the first over after Lunch as Abbas poked one in the channel. While Khurram Shahzad hung around to add 19 useful runs, his stay was brought to an end by Roach as Pakistan were bundled out for 282.

Pakistan’s new ball bowlers extracted more swing and seam movement than what was the case across the first two innings, while there was variable bounce on offer too. That told in an outstanding display of bowling as Abbas started the procession, removing Brandon King and Kavem Hodge in the space of four balls. Both batters edged behind, King playing a loose stroke while Hodge played at one that rose in the corridor. Amir Jangoo chipped one back to Mohammad Ali, who pulled off an excellent diving catch shortly before Tea to put the game back in the balance.

Shai Hope attempted a counter-attack after Tea, but he attempted one shot too many as he swung wildly across the line for Mohammad Ali to disturb his stumps before following it up with a send-off. Resilient at his end was Tagenarine Chanderpaul, who withstood whatever Pakistan threw at him before converting the rare loose delivery into a boundary as Greaves gave him able company. A 40-run partnership seemed to steady things for the hosts, but Chanderpaul undid all his hard work by heaving a short ball from Aamer Jamal to midwicket. Greaves then drove an Abbas delivery to Babar Azam, who completed an excellent diving catch at cover while Roston Chase too perished without adding much.

West Indies were 93/7 but Joseph reprised his first-innings counter-punch, launching three sixes across two Jamal overs to frustrate Pakistan. Jamal nearly had his redemption with a shorter, slower delivery but Rizwan shelled a tough chance on the second attempt. A breezy unbeaten 33-run stand between Joseph and Roach took West Indies’ lead at Stumps to 155, a count which they will look to stretch to 200 on a deck that is unlikely to get any better to bat on.

Brief Scores: West Indies 311 & 126/7 (Tagenarine Chanderpaul 35, Shamar Joseph 22*; Mohammad Abbas 3-14, Khurram Shahzad 2-36) lead Pakistan 282 (Shan Masood 109, Imam-ul-Haq 63; Justin Greaves 5-27, Kemar Roach 2-53, Shamar Joseph 2-58) by 155 runs.