West Indies eyes victory in second Test against Pakistan by AFP

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Ground:	Sabina Park, Kingston
Scorecard:	West Indies v Pakistan
Player:	Inzamam-ul-Haq
Event:	Pakistan in West Indies 2004/05

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DateLine: 3rd June 2005

 

West Indies' hierarchy have dispelled any thoughts of playing for a draw in the second and final Test against Pakistan, starting Friday.

 

Both team captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul and team coach Bennett King asserted that West Indies would be going all out to end their international home programme on a high note with a series-clinching victory over the Pakistanis.

 

West Indies lead the two-Test series 1-0 after convincingly winning the first Test at Bridgetown by 276 runs inside four days to lift the spirits of the team and the legions of supporters.

 

"We go out there to win every game and we are not going to change our strategy," King told reporters on the eve of the match.

 

"People don't believe we got the quality, but I think we do. It's a shame that people say things like this, because what it indicates to me is that they don't trust us.

 

"But for me certainly, I put full faith in the players knowing that the side that we put out on the field is the best that West Indies has to offer, and also that it gives us the best chance of winning."

 

King however must be concerned that West Indies will again have to play musical chairs with their attack.

 

Fast bowler Fidel Edwards, the principal wrecker of Pakistan's first innings at Bridgetown with his third five-wicket haul in Tests, picked up a thigh injury during the match, and again has been sidelined.

 

Compatriot Tino Best, whose speed and confidence, if not effectiveness, is equal to Edwards' has been brought back into the side, and is likely to take the new-ball, along with Daren Powell.

 

All-rounder Dwayne Bravo has not fully recovered from an injury to his left ankle, and again should be on the bench for this Test, which paves the way for either Reon King to continue his comeback, or Ian Bradshaw to make his belated Test debut.

 

Though West Indies and their fans may be cock-a-hoop about the victory at Bridgetown, Pakistan could easily argue that they fielded an under-strength side for that match.

 

Inzamam-ul-Haq, the regular Pakistan captain, will make his welcomed return to the line-up, after serving an ICC-imposed one-match suspension for excessive appealing during the last Test at Bangalore against India earlier this year.

 

His physical, and spiritual presence, along with the return of Shoaib Malik immediately adds the kind of substance that was clearly lacking in the Pakistan batting during the previous match.

 

Sadly, Yousuf Youhana, who would have helped to make the batting more formidable, has not returned to the Caribbean, after leaving to attend to his ailing father at home.

 

"We will be coming back with full force in the second Test to draw the series," Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer said. "We have to be more consistent and play better cricket.

 

"We were simply outplayed by West Indies. We didn't play well enough in Barbados. Since I have been involved with the teamm we have not played well in Test cricket apart from a couple of occasions. It was very disappointing performance."

 

West Indies, who were beaten 2-0 at home by South Africa in their most recent Test series and then lost eight consecutive One-day Internationals to the Proteas and Pakistan, have won six of the last nine Tests at Kingston, as Sabina Park has become something of a fortress for West Indies over the last 10 years.

 

Fresh in their minds and Pakistan's however, is that England dismissed West Indies for a record low 47 in their second innings to win the first Test of a four-match rubber last year on their way to winning a Test series in the Caribbean for the first time in almost four decades.

 

Unfortunately, Pakistan will not be able to break their maiden victory on their sixth trip to the Caribbean, but can leave satisfied if they square the series.

 

Squads:
West Indies (from): Shivnarine Chanderpaul (captain), Courtney Browne (vice captain), Tino Best, Ian Bradshaw, Dwayne Bravo, Corey Collymore, Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Reon King, Brian Lara, Daren Powell, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Devon Smith.
Pakistan (from): Inzamam-ul-Haq (captain), Younis Khan (vice captain), Abdul Razzaq, Arshad Khan, Asim Kamal, Bazid Khan, Danish Kaneria, Iftikhar Anjum, Kamran Akmal, Naved-ul-Hasan, Salman Butt, Shabbir Ahmed, Shahid Afridi, Shahid Nazir, Shoaib Malik, Yasir Hameed.
Umpires: David Shepherd, Darrell Hair, TV Replays: Billy Doctrove, Reserve: Norman Malcolm.
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle

(Article: Copyright © 2005 AFP)