SECOND CRICKET TEST VS PAKISTAN Greaves, Chase steady WI on opening day

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad:

Justin Greaves’ unbeaten half-century helped the West Indies level the playing field with Pakistan at the end of the first day’s play in the second Test on Sunday.

Greaves finished the day on 64 not out, and the Windies fought back to reach 239 for five in 74 overs at the Queen’s Park Oval after electing to bat first for the second straight match.

Skipper Roston Chase is unbeaten on 36, with the two so far sharing an unbroken partnership of 66 runs for the sixth wicket that helped them recover from a potentially dangerous position of 173 for five after tea.

RAIN DELAY

Following a brief rain delay that saw the start of play pushed back by 15 minutes, the home side was given a solid start by openers Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Brandon King, with the two putting on 49 runs while scoring at over five runs per over.

However, Chanderpaul gifted Pakistan his wicket when he hooked a short delivery from pacer Mohammad Ali straight down the throat of Sajid Khan stationed strategically at deep fine leg, in what proved to be the last ball of the morning session, with showers forcing the players off the field and to an early lunch.

Play restarted an hour and a half later at 12:40 p.m. with King moving to within touching distance of a half century after his edge off Ali flew through the vacant third slip corridor and into the boundary.

But four runs short of a well-deserved 50, King was undone by a superb delivery from debutant spinner Ali Usman that turned sharply away from leg stump and hit him on his pads. While he was initially given not out, a Pakistan review showed the ball crashing into the middle stump to give Usman his first Test wicket and leave the score 65 for two.

TURNING PITCH

With the pitch assisting spinners, Sajid Khan was introduced into the attack, with the bowling pair creating headaches for Kavem Hodge and Amir Jangoo.

Pakistan had to use another review to claim the wicket of Hodge for 10, with the technology showing the ball kissing his glove before hitting his forearm, with the wicketkeeper taking a good catch down the leg-side to see the Windies slide to 91 for three.

Jangoo hit three splendid fours in his knock of 26, but just when he looked in good nick, he chased a wide delivery down the leg side from debutant pacer Ubaid Shah and edged it behind to the keeper as the Windies found themselves in a spot of bother at 120 for four.

Greaves joined Shai Hope at the crease and helped to repair the damage during a 53-run stand for the fifth wicket.

Greaves was given a lifeline when he was 22, and the score was 154 for four, when Pakistan captain Babar Azam failed to hold on to a sharp chance at cover off the bowling of Ali.

Ali got some measure of reprieve when he bowled Hope off the inside edge for 29 in the final session, to bring Chase, the Windies’ last recognised batsman to the crease.

However, the pair defied Pakistan’s bowlers from any more success, with Greaves bringing up his second Test half-century off 92 balls by pushing Khan behind square for two runs.

Greaves has so far faced 125 balls and struck eight fours, while Chase’s knock has spanned 70 balls and contained five boundaries.