Record-breaking Yousuf digs in for Pakistan by AFP

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Ground:	National Stadium, Karachi
Scorecard:	Pakistan v West Indies
Player:	Imran Farhat, Mohammad Yousuf, DJ Bravo, CD Collymore
Event:	West Indies in Pakistan 2006/07

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DateLine: 27th November 2006

 

Runmaking machine Mohammad Yousuf hit a world record eighth century in a calendar year to anchor Pakistan's innings in the third and final Test against the West Indies in Karachi on Monday.

 

The prolific 32-year-old batsman scored 102 before Corey Collymore trapped him leg-before with a straight ball that kept low on a flat grassless pitch at the National Stadium.

 

Kamran Akmal (18) and Shahid Nazir (0) were at the crease when bad light stopped play two overs early, with Pakistan on 257-7 after failing to take advantage of winning the toss.

 

Yousuf broke the record of seven centuries in a year jointly held by West Indian Vivian Richards and Aravinda de Silva of Sri Lanka.

 

Richards achieved the feat in 1976 when he also scored the most runs in a calendar year -- 1,710 in 11 Tests.

 

Yousuf fell 47 runs short of overhauling Richards' other record but has one more innings in this Test, Pakistan's only left this year, to break it.

 

He brought up his 22nd Test century by driving Daren Powell to mid-wicket for three while on 99. His innings lasted 155 balls and 230 minutes and he hit 15 boundaries.

 

Yousuf, who hit a match-winning 192 in the first Test in Lahore and a match-saving 191 in the second at Multan, was once again lucky as wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin failed to hold an edge off spinner Chris Gayle when he was on 63.

 

The tourists also dropped Yousuf on 108 in Multan to let Pakistan off the hook, and they put him down three times in Lahore.

 

He steadied the innings after Pakistan lost Mohammad Hafeez (18) and Younis Khan (20) in the first session and then opener Imran Farhat (47) after lunch.

 

Yousuf added 66 for the fourth wicket with captain Inzamam-ul-Haq (18) and another four for the fifth wicket with Shoaib Malik (18).

 

But Pakistan lost Inzamam in the third over after tea, the skipper's poor form continuing as he struggled for runs before driving uppishly to mid-off, where Shivnarine Chanderpaul took a simple catch off part-timer Daren Ganga.

 

Jerome Taylor, the pick of the West Indies' bowlers in the series, trapped Malik to leave Pakistan at 5-222.

 

Collymore then dismissed Yousuf, while Bravo chipped in with the wicket of Abdul Razzaq (seven) to leave Pakistan at 248-7.

 

Yousuf's five consecutive Test centuries also put him joint second with South African Jacques Kallis behind the legendary Australian Don Bradman, who holds the record of six back-to-back hundreds in as many Tests, from 1936-1938.

 

Earlier, Collymore bowled Hafeez between his bat and pad, while Younis was run out while taking a difficult single off Powell, who hit the stumps on his follow through.

 

Farhat played a rash shot off Dwayne Bravo after hitting nine boundaries.

 

Pakistan kept the same side for the second Test running, keeping an unchanged 11 in the series. The West Indies brought back their vice captain Ramnaresh Sarwan in place of spinner Dave Mohammed from their second Test line-up.

(Article: Copyright © 2006 AFP)