Windies have their task cut out for them

The Pakistanis must be feeling a trifle disappointed at not having gone past the 500 mark. But they made a score of well over 400 in the first innings of a Test match for the sixth time on the trot. Having won the match on all the five previous occasions, starting with the Old Trafford Test against England, there is no way skipper Waqar Younis and his charges would not be fancying their chances in this second Test of the rubber to inflict a second successive whitewash against the Windies at home.

At the close, the Caribbeans had lost four wickets, for 164, and with the follow-on still a fair distance away, 109 runs to be precise; the Pakistani bowlers must already be sniffing the opportunity. Carl Hooper was unbeaten at 40 (6 fours), with night watchman Merv Dillon at the other end. With only three recognised batsmen remaining (Hooper, Ryan Hinds and Ridley Jacobs), the West Indians would need some exceptionally good batting from at least two of the three to make a fist of it.

Having bowled out Pakistan for 472 in their first innings, the West Indies lost opener Chris Gayle in the fourth over, Shoaib Akhtar's pace finding the inside edge onto the stumps. Daren Ganga and Wavell Hinds took the fight back to Pakistan with some well-executed strokes, taking the score to 88. Right when they seemed to be ruling the roost, Saqlain Mushtaq beat Hinds' defences as he went for a sweep to get bowled round his legs.

Two more wickets followed. Shahid Afridi reminded one and all of his intrinsic all-round value by claiming Ganga's prized wicket with a top-spinner right when he was threatening to strike it big. Ganga made 65 with the help of 10 crisply struck fours. Not to be left out, Danish Kaneria had Shivnarine Chanderpaul caught by Youhana at silly point.

Four down, the West Indies were really facing an uphill task, and a fresh and varied Pakistan attack is not likely to allow them any respite.

Earlier, it was overall a much better day for the West Indies in the field. The 'visitors' were a whole lot more tidy, as they checked the run-rate, dropped no chances to grab the remaining seven wickets for the addition of just 128 to the overnight 344-3. Razzaq was there at the end, but the tail folded around him, leaving him high and dry at 64.

The Caribbeans captured the last four wickets for a mere 25, as Cameron Cuffy celebrated his 32nd birthday in style by not allowing the tail to wag. Cuffy's four for 82 was his career-best, and it sent Pakistan packing 35 minutes into the middle session. With 3 for 137, the other main wicket-taker was leggie Dinanath Ramnarine, while the diligent Merv Dillon's share was 2 for 63.

It goes without saying that Pakistan's total was about 50 to 100 runs less than what they had expected to get. And while 462 looks impressive, a score of around 550 would have given them the aura of invincibility. But that was not to be, as the Windians were in no mood to repeat the mistakes of day one, when in addition to some mindless bowling they also dropped four catches.

Yousuf Youhana was his fluent self. Having added 13 runs to his overnight 47, he tried to cut a straightish one from Dillon, and the bowler was rewarded for his relentless toil with a valuable wicket, his second and last in this match so far in which he certainly deserved more particularly on day one.

Youhana's departure in the fifth over slowed things down quite a bit, and the wickets too kept falling at regular intervals. When the extended morning session ended, Pakistan had added 88 runs from 34 overs.