By Brain Thomas
The ground staff at Sabina Park mishandled the covering of the pitch and bowlers run-ups, which led to water sweeping through the covers, which caused a further delay on the 3rd days to play in the decisive 2nd Test, which will decide the fate of Pakistan, maintaining of their unblemished 20 year Test series Record against the West Indies.
Day 2 at Kingston in Jamaica, was a downpour, a complete washout, Pakistan comes to Sabina Park on 212 for 4 wickets after being put into bat by Kraigg Braithwaite. It was bright and a gorgeous Morning for Cricket at Sabina Park.
Overnight the Match officials came to a conclusion that the remaining 3 days of play left in this crucial Test will consist of 98 overs, instead of the usual 90, play to resume 30 minutes ahead of the scheduled start at 10 am to 9.30, and everything, as agreed by both teams, looked picture perfect at Sabina.
The ground staff alas had messed up with the ground covering on day 2, hence water had seeped through and had damped the bowler’s run-up close to the stumps almost at the delivery stride from the Michael Holding end. This added salt to the wound and after much debate due to the dampness, play was scheduled to start at 11 am instead of 9.30 am, and overs reduced from 98 to 83 overs, and play extended till 6 pm.
Yes, let’s live with it no choice. Jason Holding starts his run-up from the Michael Holding end, the second over of the day, and very correctly pointed out the lack of trust in the footing and the players were taken off the field yet again. The play started after an early lunch.
The new ball was taken after 6 overs started talking. Pakistan from 212 for 4 wickets overnight found themselves in all sought, with the score on 231 for 7 wickets. It was the lower-order resistance, that helped left-hander Faward Allam to record his 5th Test century to be unbeaten on 124, the 8th wicket partnership 36 and the 9th wicket stitched with 35, helped Pakistan to declare on a positive frame of mind on 302 runs for 9 Wickets.
Jayden Seales was miserly with 3 for 31, whist senior pro-Kemar Roach 3 for 68, with Jason Holder and Alzari Joseph with a wicket apiece for the visitors looked a good reading in the scorebook bowling column. One wicket that fell for Pakistan was a runout, and this mode of dismissal in Test Cricket is never a happy sight.
West Indies in trouble. End the day on 39 for 3 wickets, with skipper Kraigg Braithwaite bowled neck and crop by Shahen Afridi for 4 Runs, whilst fellow opener got an unplayable inswinger from Afridi to be adjudicated LBW for 5 , Roston Chase is back in the hutch after his timber was disturbed by Faheem Ashraf for 10. This leaves top-order batsman Nkrumah Bonner unbeaten on 18 and Nightwatchman Alzari Joseph with yet to open his account.
Pakistan was the happier of the two teams at the end of day 3 , West Indies in a deficit of 263 runs with 7 wickets in hand, a night watchman to face a relatively new ball on day 4 on a seaming pitch, with 3 top-order batsmen back in the hutch, hence the equation predicts unless otherwise, the hosts bat out of their skins, possibilities of Pakistan maintaining their 20-year unblemished record against the Caribbean team looks inevitable.
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