Bad light and rain threaten to spoil Inzamam's hard work by AFP

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Ground:	Sabina Park, Kingston
Scorecard:	West Indies v Pakistan
Player:	TL Best, Inzamam-ul-Haq
Event:	Pakistan in West Indies 2004/05

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DateLine: 6th June 2005

 

Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq made his 22nd Test hundred to give his side a chance of levelling the series with the West Indies on the fourth day of the second and final test.

 

However, bad light and rain prompted an early tea with West Indies on 38 for one - chasing 280 to win - in their second innings.

 

Devon Smith was not out on 16 and Ramnaresh Sarwan was on six not out when umpires David Shepherd and Darrell Hair offered the batsmen light about 40 minutes before the scheduled tea break.

 

About 20 minutes later, the gloomy skies over the Jamaica capital burst open and drenched Sabina Park, hosting its final international match before undergoing major renovations ahead of the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean.

 

West Indies had an early setback when Chris Gayle was caught at third slip for 15 off Shabbir Ahmed fending a short, lifting delivery.

 

There were a few more anxious moments for both Smith and Sarwan, but they kept their composure, and defied the Pakistani attack until the break.

 

Kaneria came close to removing Sarwan, when the former West Indies vice captain, on 14, offered a sharp return chance to the left of the leg-spin bowler, who could only get his fingertips to the ball.

 

Earlier, Inzamam capitalised on his good fortune to complete his fourth Test hundred against West Indies, a purposeful 117 not out, that was the cornerstone of his side's second innings total of 307.

 

Fast bowler Tino Best kept West Indies in the game however, when he collected a Test-best four wickets for 44 runs from 12 overs, and Corey Collymore ended with four for 56 from 16.5 overs to claim the best match figures in 41 Tests at Sabina Park of 11 for 134.

 

Inzamam, who escaped when he was dropped first ball the previous evening, dug in deep to fashion a vital hundred that could have effectively put a series-levelling victory on the platter for his side.

 

The 35-year-old Inzamam glanced Reon King to the deep fine leg boundary for four about 25 minutes before lunch to arrive at his landmark.

 

Minutes earlier, fortune again smiled on him, when on 92 he was caught behind off King, only to be saved by a loud bellow of 'no-ball' from umpire Darrell Hair.

 

Inzamam held things together for Pakistan, despite Best's efforts to bring a swift conclusion to the innings.

 

The Pakistan captain added 73 for the fifth wicket with Shahid Afridi, who was caught at mid-wicket off Best for a run-a-ball 43 that contained five fours and one six to give West Indies the breakthrough they yearned.

 

In his next over, Best bowled Abdul Razzaq for two, and in his following over, the fast bowler struck again to have Kamran Akmal caught behind for one.

 

King stepped in to have Rana Naved-ul-Hasan bowled off the inside edge for a duck, before Best added the wicket of Shabbir Ahmed caught behind for a duck just prior to the interval.

 

After lunch, West Indies needed less than 15 minutes and only 11 balls to wrap up the Pakistan innings, when Corey Collymore caught and bowled Kaneria for a duck to eclipse the late hometown boy Hines Johnson for the best figures at the ground.

 

Johnson's 10 for 96 against England stood for 57 years as the best match analysis at the ground.

 

West Indies, who were beaten 2-0 at home by South Africa in their most recent Test series and lost eight consecutive One-day Internationals to the Proteas and Pakistan, lead the two-Test series 1-0, after winning the first Test at Bridgetown by 276 runs.

(Article: Copyright © 2005 AFP)