West Indies are inching closer to a series-levelling win after reducing Pakistan to 76-4 at stumps on the second day in Multan. The hosts are still another 178 runs away from victory.
Earlier, West Indies had produced their best batting performance of the series, led by a half-century from their captain Kraigg Brathwaite to take control.
They further solidifying their position when the lower order produced several useful contributions.
In the 24 overs West Indies had with the ball in the final session, they inflicted four bruising body blows, including a last-gasp dismissal of Babar Azam that brought nightwatcher Kashif Ali to the crease.
In pursuit of a steep target, made especially more awkward by the nature of these surfaces, Pakistan ran into headwinds early.
Within 16 deliveries, both openers were gone. Shan Masood was out lbw playing for turn against Kevin Sinclair as the delivery carried on with the arm and rapped into his front pad.
Mohammad Hurraira, too, played for phantom spin against Gudakesh Motie, and paid for it with his front leg in front of the stumps and an easy decision for the umpire.
Babar Azam and Kamran Ghulam staved off the worst of Pakistan’s fears to puncture the swell of optimism coursing through West Indies’ veins by gradually rebuilding from the ruins of that start.
Ghulam was fortunate to be put down off the eighth ball he faced, but the pair found a way to hang on, putting run-scoring on the backburner for a few overs as they bedded in.
Babar began to look brighter as his innings went on, and his continued presence began to feel like it would play an outsized role in the outcome of this match.
But the partnership was broken when Ghulam failed to get to the pitch of a delivery from Jomel Warrican, and skied it to backward point. That is when the rebuild began anew.
With Saud Shakeel, Pakistan’s best player of spin, at the other end, he and Babar were shepherding the day through to the finish.
But Sinclair inflicted what at the moment felt like the knockout blow. A touch of extra bounce and a hint of more turn at Babar found a chunk of the inside edge, which deflected off the pad to short leg.
West Indies’ slightly wild celebrations belied the magnitude of the moment.
Brathwaite had challenged his side to be more aggressive, and led from the front. The tempo was set when he launched Sajid Khan over long-on for six in the fifth over, before consecutive boundaries to start off Noman Ali’s spell.
It sent the message that the spin duo wasn’t going to have things their way, and Brathwaite kept reinforcing that in offence and defence. Abrar Ahmed, too, saw his second ball whipped through midwicket for four.
But Mikyle Louis, Brathwaite’s opening partner, was neither as positive nor looked as comfortable.
That was how Pakistan got back into the game: they drew Louis into a prod towards the off side, and Shan Masood took a straight forward catch at short extra cover.
Debutant Amir Jangoo, though, took a leaf out of his captain’s book. Brathwaite slapped Noman for six over long-on, but found himself slowed down as he approached his half-century.
Jangoo, though, motored along nicely, and when he helped himself to two boundaries off Abrar in an over, West Indies, in total control, had their lead inching towards three figures.
But Pakistan’s spinners were bringing them back into the game. Brathwaite survived two raised fingers off consecutive deliveries with successful reviews, but fell the next over when he tried to charge Noman and ended up getting beaten by extra turn.
It was a manner of dismissal almost identical to the one that would snare Kavem Hodge in the minutes before lunch.
In the meantime, Sajid, too, was getting into the game. He had dismissed Jangoo shortly after Brathwaite went walkabout, forcing the issue with a sweep when he appeared to have misjudged the flight and the pitch of the delivery.
It ended up taking a feather off the bottom of the bat to slip, and West Indies were left with two new batters at the crease.
The final over before lunch saw Pakistan strike a fifth time. Noman landed the ball in the footmarks and ripped it back into the pads of Alick Athanaze. An enthused appeal, needed partially because Pakistan had burnt all three reviews, was successful.
Pakistan continued making inroads when a miscued reverse sweep from Justin Greaves found backward point. But as the visitors have done all series, their lower order dug in.
Imlach and Sinclair did not take too many risks as they worked to build up a conventional Test partnership, and the runs appeared to follow.
The duo batted for nearly 14 overs as Pakistan rotated through their bowlers, and the quest for a wicket became increasingly desperate.
The breakthrough came in unlikely fashion when Sinclair somehow played all around a Sajid delivery from around the wicket, throwing his head to the skies in frustration.
Imlach succumbed shortly after to fast bowler Kashif Ali, who was naggingly accurate on the brief occasion he was called upon.
Yet again, however, the bottom two partnerships found ways of contributing. Gudakesh Motie combined with Warrican to add a further 27, before Kemar Roach, injured taking a splendid catch on Saturday, limped out to add a few more crucial runs.
He got his side past 250 before Sajid finally wrapped the innings up. The sense, however, was that it was already too late. (ESPNcricinfo)
