West Indies vs Pakistan, day-night Test: Devendra Bishoo’s 8-for helped the Test to conclude a result, which was heading towards a draw

The first Test between Pakistan and West Indies at UAE saw the hosts emerging victorious and taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match Test series. The game, which at the end of Day Two looked like it is heading towards a draw surprisingly swung like a pendulum of and concluded a result in the final session of fifth day’s play. And one of the main reasons behind this turn-around was West Indies leggie Devendra Bishoo’s superlative spell in the second innings to bundle up Pakistan for a mere score of 123. He had eight scalps to his name while conceding just 49 runs, which were also the fifth best figures ever recorded in Test cricket by a West Indian.  FULL  CRICKET SCORECARD: Pakistan vs West Indies, 1st Test at Dubai

Bishoo’s spell was also his best figures in whites. Test cricket is rightly called the toughest format in cricket, as one bad session can cost a team the whole match. But on some occasions, a bad session can too turn out to be productive, which is a peculiarity. Something similar happened with Pakistan in the second innings as their wickets stumbled like nine pins, which in return added some spice to the dull Test and helped in yielding a result.

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Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat on a surface, which looked conducive for batting. Pakistan piled a massive total on the board riding on Azhar Ali’s maiden triple ton. They had 579 runs on the board as the pink ball did not assist the bowlers and West Indies’ bowling lacked aggression and strategy. They hardly posed any threat to the Pakistani batsmen as they were scoring runs with ease and made the day tough for the bowlers.

West Indies did not look too good with the bat barring Marlon Samuels and Darren Bravo who scored well. Samuels had 76 runs to his name while Bravo garnered 87 crucial runs after which every West Indies batsmen struggled. Couple of them got good starts but failed to convert it into big scores. At the end of Day Three, West Indies were 315 for 6 and a draw looked on the cards. On Day Four, West Indies were bowled out 356 with Pakistan securing a 222-runs lead. Pakistan did not impose the follow-on and decided to bat on. They wanted to score quick and pile up a lead. With West Indies scoring a total of over 300 in the first innings, Pakistan were well aware that they needed a target of 400 at least to give them a bleak chance of winning the game.

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When Pakistani batsmen came out to bat, they had absolutely no idea of the storm, which was about to hit them. After Shannon Gabriel drew the first blood, Bishoo spun a series of web around the spin efficient Pakistani batsmen and chipped eight prized wickets. The collapse was triggered by the over-aggressive approach by Pakistanis. He put the opposition under pressure by getting rid of triple centurion from the first innings early after which Babar Azam’s stumps were shattered with some wily spin. Sami Aslam was looking good but Jermaine Blackwood pulled off an absolute ripper at slips to remove him. Misbah-ul-Haq’s intent was quite clear as he was looking to take on the West Indian bowling and garner some quick runs but failed miserably to pick a googly from Bishoo, as the pink cherry shattered his timber. Bishoo bowled well and pitched the ball in right areas after having an ordinary run in the first innings. In fact, being a leg-spinner he outplayed the dominant Yasir with his leg-spin. He made good use of his googly and put enough revolution on the ball to turn. A beautiful exhibition of classical leg-spin bowling.

The best delivery of the Test was indubitably bowled by Bishoo as he got the ball to turn like an arc of a circle to take apart Mohammad Nawaz. The left-handed batsman did not offer a shot as the ball was pitched way outside off and none expected the ball to take such a sharp turn. He claimed his fifer but the job was not done. He inflicted more damage and went on to take three more wickets in the form of Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Aamer and Sarfraz Ahmed. To everyone’s surprise, Pakistan were bowled out for 123 and there was tension mounting in their dugout despite having a lead of 345 runs. The pitch had nothing to offer for the seamers, which was also Pakistan’s strength. And for the first time in the game, West Indies stood an equal chance of winning or saving the Test.

What did Bishoo’s spell exactly do?

Bishoo got rid of the whole Pakistani line up very early, which in return gave them enough breathing space to the opposition bowlers to chip 10 West Indies wicket. Had Bishoo not picked wickets so early, Pakistan would have definitely batted for another session and West Indies may have had a day to play. The target of 346 initially looked tempting and achievable as West Indies had enough time to bat and they knew what way to head.

Bishoo’s blitzkrieg wrapped up things quite early and gave both the teams an outside chance of winning the battle, which opened the battle. Though the pitch was docile but Pakistan bowlers had enough time to make deep inroads in West Indies batting line up. West Indies had some batting to come, and all Pakistan needed to do was get rid of couple of good players to break the spine and put them on the back foot.

Had Bishoo not got them out so early, would Pakistan have enough time to pick 10 West Indies wickets? This Test did not witness a massive crowd pouring in, which was also a huge drawback. But they certainly missed out on a nail-biting encounter. Misbah scripted history as he is now on-par with Clive Lloyd and Graeme Smith in terms of most away Test wins. This was one of the rare occasions where a team’s stellar performance resulted in their loss. It is unfortunate for the West Indies to have lost the game after putting a valiant performance. The game would have undoubtedly ended in a draw had Pakistan not lost wickets cheaply.

(Suraj Choudhari is a reporter with Criclife and CricketCountry. He is an avid follower of the game, and plays the sport at club level. He has a radical understanding about the subtle nuances and intricacies of cricket, and tries to express it through paper and pen.)