Bishoo's late strikes restrict Pakistan to 172/3 at stumps on Day 2

Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo struck two late blows to help the West Indies hit back as Pakistan ended the second day of the second cricket Test at 172/3 at the Kensington Oval here.

Opener Azhar Ali (81 not out) and skipper Misbah-ul-Haq (7 not out) were at the crease when the umpires dislodged the bails for the day.

Pakistan, on Monday, got off to a great start with Azhar and Ahmed Shehzad putting on 155 for the opening wicket, before Bishoo and pacer Shannon Gabriel struck in the final session of play to reduce the visitors to 172/3 in response to the home side's first innings score of 312.

Shehzad had earlier in the day made the most of his good fortune to reach 70 when he was dismissed by Bishoo, caught at slip, after which veteran Younis Khan was caught for a duck at mid-wicket by Gabriel, pulling a long hop.

In between, Gabriel accounted for Babar Azam, who too was dismissed without scoring like Younis, caught and bowled, to finally get his name on the wickets column.

Resuming the day at 286/6, West Indies failed to kick on substantially and the last four wickets could add just 26 runs before Mohammad Abbas returned the best bowling figures by a Pakistan paceman in an innings at the venue, finishing with 4/56.

Abbas bettered former skipper Wasim Akram's 4/73 at Kensington Oval back in 1988.

West Indies had started the morning looking to post a total in the region of 400, but its hopes were crushed inside the first nine balls of the day.

Centurion Roston Chase (131) and skipper Jason Holder (58) had added 132 for the seventh wicket the previous evening, but both fell without any addition to the overnight score.

Holder was the first to depart, a late decision to evade an Abbas delivery resulting in an inside-edge to Sarfraz Ahmed behind the stumps.

Mohammad Amir then removed Chase for 131, his indecisive poke bringing Younis his third catch of the innings.

Bishoo's (14) stodgy innings ended when he drove Abbas to Yasir Shah at mid-on, and Shah then wrapped up the innings when Alzarri Joseph (8) was bowled in the leg-spinner's first over of the morning.

Brief Scores: West Indies first innings: 312 (Roston Chase 131, Jason Holder 58, Mohammed Abbas 4/56, Mohammed Amir 3/65) vs Pakistan first innings 172/3 (Azhar Ali 81 not out, Ahmed Shezad 70, Devendra Bishoo 2/53)

--IANS

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