West Indies finished at 264/9, a lead of 183 runs thanks mainly to Shai Hope's 90.

By Abdullah Ansari (3rd May, 2017)

Toss: West Indies won the toss, Jason Holder chose to bat first.

Teams

West Indies: KC Brathwaite, KOA Powell, SO Hetmyer, SD Hope, VA Singh, SO Dowrich†, RL Chase, JO Holder*, D Bishoo, AS Joseph, ST Gabriel

Pakistan: Azhar Ali, Ahmed Shehzad, Babar Azam, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq*, Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed†, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Abbas

Pakistan's two pacers commenced proceedings and it wasn't long before the breakthrough was achieved as Amir swung one back into Hetmyer with the batsman completely beaten and his stumps broken. Brathwaite, who had been extremely defensive on the previous day looked for more scoring opportunities while Hope played his shots whenever he was given the chance to do so. Yasir soon began what was to be a very lengthy spell but the partnership steadily built as the home team slowly erased the lead. Yasir came around the wicket to Brathwaite and the move soon paid off as the batsman tried to defend a turning, bouncing delivery and edged it with Younis taking an excellent, diving catch. The angle was tough to deal with for the batsmen but the new man Chase showed his prowess against spin with a solid display as West Indies went to Lunch at 112/3.

The batsmen were solid after the break despite occasional misbehaviour off the pitch as the ball stayed low and spun viciously at times. Hope constructed his innings solidly from one end using his powers of concentration while Chase looked to build on his first innings effort. Just as Chase was beginning to look comfortable, however, he drove one down the ground but it was a slightly uppish shot which resulted in a catching chance for Yasir who gratefully accepted it. Hope went past his fifty and began to find more opportunities for boundaries including a six off Shadab. The lead soon surpassed 100, with Singh displaying his mastery of spin against the twin leggies. The home side finished the session at 197/4.

The scoring rate slowed down after the resumption as the second new ball got closer with a review taken just before the 80th over. However, it went West Indies' way on umpires' call. The initial few overs with the new ball didn't yield a breakthrough as the bowlers toiled away in search of a wicket. It was to be the returning Yasir who got the wicket as Hope drove a full-pitched delivery but couldn't keep it down as he was caught for 90. The next ball, it was the start of a new over from Abbas and another wicket fell as he got one to seam back into Singh who played at it tentatively and chopped it onto his stumps. Yasir's next over also brought around a wicket as Holder edged one off the back-foot with Younis taking another flying catch to his left. A few overs later, it was Dowrich who got a thick edge off Yasir and Shafiq pulled off a good catch despite almost colliding with Younis to complete Yasir's five-wicket haul. There was time for one more wicket as Joseph flicked a full toss from Yasir towards mid-wicket where Amir stayed low to complete the catch as the home side ended the day at 264/9, a lead of 181 runs.

Summary: A competitive day of cricket with West Indies having the better of it for the most part thanks mostly to Hope and a few partnerships he constructed along the way in the first two sessions. However, Pakistan hit back strongly towards the end of the day to wrest the initiative with Yasir's excellent bowling bearing fruit at last. The lead is still a healthy one and a tricky chase beckons for Pakistan, but at one point, it looked as though West Indies might be the favourites to push on for a win. That advantage now lies with Pakistan if they can get the remaining wicket on Day 5. It is still unlikely to be an easy chase for the visitors but they will be pleased with their standing at the close of the day's play.

Fall of wickets: 

2-41 (Hetmyer, 16.1 ov)
3-97 (Brathwaite, 33.4 ov)
4-155 (Chase, 59.6 ov)
5-235 (Hope, 88.6 ov)
6-235 (Singh, 89.1 ov)
7-236 (Holder, 90.1 ov)
8-252 (Dowrich, 98.1 ov)
9-261 (Joseph, 100.3 ov)

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