Published: Apr 23, 2017, 02:52 AM (IST)
Edited: Apr 23, 2017, 11:57 AM (IST)
The second day’s play between Pakistan and West Indies was called off due to persistent rainfall. Only 11.3 overs of the game was witnessed on Day Two which saw Mohammad Aamer taking 5 for 41 — his 4th five-wicket haul in Test cricket. West Indies were 278 for 9 when torrential rains hit Sabina Park once again. There was no more play in the rest of the day. West Indies skipper Jason Holder is currently unbeaten on 55. This is Holder’s 5th test fifty. Apart from Aamer, spinner Yasir Shah has taken 2 for 91, while Wahab Riaz and debutant pacer Mohammad Abbas have got 1 wicket each. Live Cricket Scorecard, Pakistan vs West Indies 2017, 1st Test at Jamaica
Day Two started on an embarrassing note for the Sabina Park management. There had been heavy rain overnight, but the covers on the ground were insufficient to cover the entire area. This resulted in the wet outfield, and hence, delay in play. Moreover, the covers which were put on the wicket saw water seeping in through them, resulting in the bowler’s run-up area become damp. Coal-therapy was used at the start of the day to dry up the wet patches but with little success. Umpires Richard Illingworth and Richard Kettleborough inspected the pitch twice, but no play was possible in the first session of the day. This resulted in the first session getting washed out completely and soon after the lunch was taken, rain hit Sabina Park again stopping only after a brief period of time.
Play finally resumed after four hours. When the players took to the field finally, it was decided that there would be 53 overs of cricket in the day across two sessions — provided weather and light permitted. West Indies resumed from their overnight score of 244 for 7 with Holder and Devendra Bishoo at the crease. They added 20 to the overnight total before Aamer got the wicket of Bishoo (28), his 4th of the match. Holder continued scoring runs dealing in boundaries, bringing up a gritty fifty at the other end. But Aamer struck again, this time claiming Alzarri Joseph (0). This was Aamer’s first five-wicket haul since that infamous Lord’s Test of 2010.
Pakistan fast bowlers tried their best to get the last wicket of West Indies innings, but their plans were disrupted by rain eventually the play getting called off. Play will begin 30 minutes early on Day Three to compensate for the loss of the game on Day Two. But with the prospects of rain on all the remaining days of this first Test of the series, the future of this Test remains hanging in the hands of weather.
Brief scores:
West Indies 278 for 9 (Roston Chase 63, Shane Dowrich 56, Jason Holder 55*; Mohammad Aamer 5 for 41, Yasir Shah 2 for 91) vs Pakistan
Live Cricket Scorecard, Pakistan vs West Indies 2017, 1st Test at Jamaica
