Pakistan record big win over West Indies

[Awesome]

We sure have a funny team...

http://www.bangkokpost.com/Sports/15Nov2006_sport37.php

Lahore _ Pakistan whipped the West Indies by nine wickets here yesterday despite Brian Lara smashing his 33rd century in Test cricket on the fourth day of the first Test. Lara made a fluent 122 and Shivnarine Chanderpaul braved dehydration to score a fighting 81 before the West Indies crumbled to 291 for an overall lead of just 12 runs.

Pakistan, who scored 485 in reply to the West Indies first innings score of 206, lost their opener Mohammad Hafeez (1) before racing to 13-1 in fading light.

Pakistan's second strength fast bowlers Umar Gul (4-99) and Shahid Nazir (3-63) once again shared the bulk of wickets like they did in the first innings and made up for the loss of two key banned fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif.

Gul finished the match impressively with figures of 9-164 while Nazir captured 6-105.

The left-handed experienced batting pair of Lara and Chanderpaul featured in a 137-run partnership and defied Pakistan bowlers for 3 1/4 hours with some impressive strokeplay.

Lara's departure at the total of 238 midway into the second session ended the West Indies resistance as they lost the last six wickets for 53 runs.

The second Test begins at Multan from Sunday while Karachi will host the last Test of the series from November 27-December 1 before both teams compete in the five limited-overs international series.AP

SCOREBOARD

West Indies 1st innings 206 (B. Lara 61; U. Gul 5-65)

Pakistan 1st innings 485

(M. Yousuf 192, K. Akmal 78, S. Malik 69, M. Hafeez 57; J. Taylor 4-115)

West Indies 2nd innings 291

(B. Lara 122, S. Chanderpaul 81; U. Gul 4-99)

Pakistan 2nd innings (Target: 13 runs)

M. Hafeez lbw b Collymore ........................!1! I. Farhat not out .................................! 8! Y. Khan not out .................................!0! Extras (lb-4) ....................................!4! Total (for 1 wickets, 5.1 overs) .....................!13! Fall of wickets: 1-2

Did not bat: M. Yousuf, Inzamam-ul-Haq, S. Malik, K. Akmal, A. Razzaq, U. Gul, S. Nazir, D. Kaneria

Bowling: C. Collymore 3-2-2-1, F. Edwards 2.1-1-7-0

Result: Pakistan won by 9 wickets

 

[Neo]

We needed that win to boost morale.
Sorry Lara.

 

[EagleEyes]

What happened here?

Lara destroys Pakistan

Tue, 21 Nov 2006
Brian Lara hit a majestic undefeated 196 on the third day of the second cricket Test to put his team in a commanding position against Pakistan at Multan stadium here on Tuesday.

The 37-year-old Trinidadian, who became the fifth batsmen to score a century before lunch in Test cricket, blunted the Pakistan attack to take his team to 509-5 at close on the third day.

The tourists now have a lead of 152 runs over Pakistan's first-innings score of 357 and are in a strong position to press for a series-levelling win after losing the first of three Tests by nine wickets in Lahore.

Lara reached his 34th Test hundred off just 77 balls with a pull off fast bowler Shahid Nazir for two runs in the penultimate over before lunch after 125 minutes of batting.

What an innings

His century, studded with 12 boundaries and five sixes, is the ninth fastest Test hundred in terms of balls faced and overshadowed a brilliant 93 by Chris Gayle, 89 by Dwayne Bravo and 82 by Daren Ganga.

In his 366-minute stay at the crease so far Lara has hit 21 boundaries and seven sixes, putting the home bowlers into submission.

The imperious left-handed batsman put on 200 for the fifth wicket stand with Bravo which erased West Indies' previous fifth wicket best of 183 against Pakistan set by Collie Smith and Everton Weekes at Bridgetown in 1957.

Pakistan finally dismissed Bravo in the dying minutes when he edged leg-spinner Danish Kaneria to slips.

Lara scored his century in the extended two-and-a-half hour session. He took the field at the fall of Chris Gayle's wicket and made exactly a hundred runs in the session — the criteria for a batsman to have hit a century before lunch.

This becomes Lara's fourth successive hundred against Pakistan after scoring two in as many Tests in the Caribbean last year and 122 in the first Test of the current series.

The top dogs

Lara now shares the second position in the Test century makers' list with India's Sunil Gavaskar. Sachin Tendulkar of India leads the table with 35 centuries.

Lara gave two chances, first when Imran Farhat failed to catch a sharp chance in the slip off Shoaib Malik when the batsman was 131 and then wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal dropped him on 183 off leg-spinner Danish Kaneria.

Lara, who holds the record of highest Test score of 400 made against England two years ago, hit Kaneria for 60 runs off just 29 balls to frustrate Pakistan's main hope.

So forceful was Lara's hitting that he broke his bat and changed another in the second session. Lara hit Kaneria for two sixes and as many boundaries, then hit Abdul Razzaq for his eighth boundary for his 49th Test fifty off just 48 balls.

Pakistan delayed the second new ball and Lara took full advantage, hitting Kaneria for 4, 0, 6, 6, 6, 4 in his 30th over to race within eight runs of his fourth hundred in as many Tests against Pakistan.

Lara's countryman Vivian Richards holds the record of the fastest Test century notched off just 56 balls against England at St. John's, Antigua in 1985.

Forced Pakistan to take new ball

Lara's big hitting forced Pakistan to take the second new ball with the score at 281 and it brought the required results for Pakistan. Umar Gul dismissed Runako Morton (five) and Nazir removed Shivnarine Chanderpaul for 14.

Chanderpaul, playing his 100th Test, was caught off a miscued pull to leave the West Indies at 302-4.

When Kaneria returned for his next spell after lunch, Bravo hit him out of the attack with three successive boundaries. Bravo hit nine boundaries in his fifty.

Earlier Kaneria dismissed Chris Gayle in the fifth over of the day after the West Indies resumed at 151-0. Gayle hit eleven boundaries and added 162 runs for the opening wicket.

Ganga added another 58 runs for the second wicket with Lara before Kaneria trapped him leg-before.

AFP

http://sport.iafrica.com/news/450420.htm

 

[ali ahmad]

paksan commin ack strongly.........Mohammd Yousaf is ina great form...1 more century will take him at the top of the icc rating,,,,,,now he is on second spot after ricky ponting

 

[vnomad]

Who's better Lara or Tendulkar? Your take.

 

[Neo]

Hard to tell, they're both good.

 

[EagleEyes]

Tendulker is now a history.

Lara however is still in form, and not to forget, only popular cricketers get their names on the computer games.

 

[Neo]

Isn't Lara retireing from tests after these series?
Or is it a publicity stunt?

 

[Keysersoze]

Hmmm thats a even more loaded subject than most of the political ones on here

I used to be a member of a cricket forum and tha arguements about this were the strongest I have seen lol.

Anyway my fave player of the moment has to be Mo Yusuf. He has the rare ability (of a Pakistani player!) of patience and ability to stay at the crease for longer than 5 mins!
Guess who my least favourite is...........

 

[melb4aust]

I think Lara is much better player in pressure situations, though i wouldnt neglect Sachin. He is a great player too, i love to watch both of them as both are very stylish players.

Both players have some problems with their teams for the last couple of years, especially Brian Lara. India and West Indies are replying way too much on these 2 players. They always score but the other team members don't. You can't always rely on individuals !!!

 

[Keysersoze]

Well if they can bat out the middle session they will get a draw.......

 

[vnomad]

Tendulker is now a history.

That's what everybody said before the last world cup. Tendulkar was badly out of form and great things weren't expected out of him. Look what happen 50+ runs in every match save two (against the Aussies).

 

[Spring Onion]

Tabdulakr is a good player only i had obsrvedthat he cant play fast bowlers that easily.

 

[ali ahmad]

sachin is a very good player and a real litle master.....he can play and hammer any bowler in the world.....lara is equally good player.....donot forget inzmam....he is a potential player equal to lara and sachin....when he passess 20s.....and now mohammad yousaf is proving himself....

 

[ali ahmad]

Yousuf is marching towards Viv RIchards' record - Most number of runs in a calender year. Yousuf is on 1551(180*) .Richards is still perched on top with 1710. Yousuf has only one Test left in this calendar year.