BASSETERRE, Saint Kitts and Nevis: Half-centuries from Azhar Ali and Umar Akmal helped Pakistan get better from a shaky start in the second Test next to West Indies on Friday before deprived climate prompted an early close.
Azhar hit the top score of 67 and Akmal made 56, as the Pakistanis, electing to bat, reached 180 for six in their primary innings before rain then bad light stopped play 16.4 overs early on the breach day at Warner Park.
Azhar added 93 for the fifth wicket with Akmal, following a stand of accurately 50 with Pakistan head Misbah-ul-Haq that resurrected the visitors from 24 for three in the primary hour.
Azhar and Akmal, though, both succeeded in gifting their wickets when it appeared they were well set.
Akmal was caught at third man off West Indies captain Darren Sammy, chasing a broad release, and Azhar was jog out, when Mohammad Salman failed to respond to his call for a single to extra cover off Sammy, and
they together ended up at the same end.
Ravi Rampaul was the pick of the West Indies bowlers with three for 40 from 18.2 overs.
Gaining near the beginning assistance from the hard, factual Warner Park pitch, Pakistan were set back early, when Taufeeq Umar was caught behind for 11, too late in lifting his gloves out of the way of a growing delivery in Rampaul’s fourth over.
The Pakistanis were beneath additional pressure when Mohammad Hafeez edged a forward defensive shot, and was caught at third trip for eight in the West Indies fast-medium bowler’s fifth over.
Asad Shafiq then cut a short, broad delivery, and was caught at gully for a duck in Rampaul’s seventh over to leave Pakistan wobbling.
After lunch, runs started to flow for Pakistan, but the the sack of Misbah set them back, as they reached 106 for four before rain forced an early tea.
Misbah had got things going after lunch when he carved Kemar Roach to the third man frontier for his second four, and Azhar drove leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo fluently through extra cover for his second four in the next over.
In the next over, Misbah took a pair of boundaries off Roach, steering a delivery to third man, and hurtful a short, wide delivery through backward point.
But Misbah was fixed low down at mid-on for 25 off Bishoo, essaying an foolish on-drive, leaving Pakistan 74 for four.
Akmal came to the fold, and immediately got into the thick of things with a flick through backward square leg for his first boundary, then herd Rampaul sweetly through cover off the back-foot for his second four.
He and Azhar however, were interrupted, when rain stopped play about 40 minutes before the scheduled tea break, and continued to wreak havoc after the break.
The Pakistanis complete one change to their team replacing Umar Gul with left-arm fast bowler Tanvir Ahmed.
West Indies suffered a hinder with veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul sidelined with a sore shoulder to be replaced by Marlon Samuels as one of two changes.
The other saw Kraigg Brathwaite making his debut at the expense of left-hander Devon Smith, and is the fifth youngest West Indies Test player ever.
Pakistan trail 1-0 in the two-Test sequence, following a 40-run defeat inside four days in the first Test, which ended last Sunday at the Guyana nationwide Stadium, crushing the visitors’ thoughts of a maiden Test series victory in the Caribbean.
