Pakistan beat West Indies in gripping game at Windsor Park

Not even the rain gods could come save the West Indies on Sunday despite a rear guard action by the lower order and a brilliant unbeaten century from Roston Chase and Pakistan pulled off a remarkable victory with one over left to win the game by 101 and take their first series in the Caribbean 2-1.

Shannon Gabriel, West Indies’ No. 11, had spent just over half an hour at the crease, and had seen out 21 balls. Gabriel had kept out those 21 balls by trusting his defence, but now, in one of the most inexplicable moments in Test cricket’s history, he swung wildly, madly at a loopy full delivery pitching well outside off stump from Yasir Shah. The ball took his inside edge and rattled into off stump, sealing one of the greatest days in Pakistan’s cricket history.

Pakistan looked like they would make short work of the final session when, three overs in, Hasan Ali brought an end to Jason Holder’s stout resistance. It left West Indies seven down with only the tail to give Chase company. With the pitch playing extremely slowly, what Hasan did to dismiss him might even have been an intentional ploy. He took the surface out of the equation, hurling a fierce in-swinger that made a beeline for leg stump on the full. Holder made a mess of trying to keep it out, and was plumb in front.

But just as Pakistan began to envisage victory, Devendra Bishoo and Chase had designs on a grand resistance. They split the work brilliantly, with Bishoo keeping out Yasir Shah and Chase negotiating the faster bowlers, and Pakistan struggled to break that pattern Bishoo’s resistance ended as he fended a Mohammad Abbas bouncer to silly point.

Chase had been sensational all series long, and it would be churlish to take any credit away from him. But he led a charmed life in the last session and one couldn’t help wondering if he was destined to save the game. On two occasions, Hasan dropped him off his own bowling, and when Abbas had him caught in the slips on 92 in the first over after the second new ball was taken, replays showed he had just overstepped. When Chase drove Hasan down the ground for an exquisite boundary to bring up his hundred, one could sense the stadium felt it too.

Captain Jason Holder once again has called for “consistency” from the top order.

“We have spoken a lot about our first innings total and still haven’t gotten a good first innings total yet…our top order has been inconsistent we need some consistency there,” he said.

He heaped praises on the fast bowlers and spinners saying, “If is one area I can highlight is the fast bowlers and the spinners, we’ve bowled our hearts out this series on flat pitches and credit must be given to them.”

Holder however was not amused at the fielding saying they dropped “chances which cost them.” We dropped chances here and there which cost us in all the matches,” On the positive side he hailed the batting of Chase and those like himself who contributed to the batting.

“Is in the circumstances we did it under pressure…from hear we just need to press on forward,” he said.

Scores again: Pakistan 376 (Azhar 127, Misbah 59, Chase 4-103) and 174 for 8 dec (Yasir 38*, Younis 35, Joseph 3-53) beat West Indies 247 (Chase 69, Abbas 5-46, Yasir 3-126) and 202 (Chase 101*, Yasir 5-92, Hasan 3-33) by 101 runs.