Pakistan v West Indies

At Rawalpindi, November 29, 30, December 1, 2, 3. Pakistan won by an innings and 29 runs. Toss: Pakistan. Test debuts: Shoaib Akhtar; P. A. Wallace.

Pakistan clinched their first series victory over West Indies in 39 years in a most emphatic manner. They improved on their record margin in the First Test by another ten runs, disposing of the visitors within an hour on the final day.

The match, played on a pitch described by West Indies manager Clive Lloyd as one of the best he had seen, was dominated by a stand of 323 between Inzamam-Ul-Haq and Aamir Sohail, the biggest for the third wicket ever conceded by West Indies. That effectively eliminated their hopes of squaring the series after a first-innings total of 303 seemed to herald a batting revival.

West Indies had been in early trouble again at 58 for four, with Pakistan's fast bowlers exploiting heavy, overcast conditions. Waqar Younis signalled his return by removing Lara in a dramatic passage. Lara had sought to impose his dominance on Waqar by taking ten runs off three balls. Waqar had the perfect response, a vicious, late in-swinging yorker that uprooted Lara's leg stump and left him on all fours. Hooper followed without scoring. But the tourists then enjoyed their best partnership of the series. Campbell and Chanderpaul batted with growing assurance into the second morning as they added 147. Campbell finally top-edged a hook to fine leg off Azhar Mahmood, who returned to end the innings after lunch with two wickets in three balls. Chanderpaul's caution in the nineties proved his undoing: he went lbw to Waqar, five short of a second Test century, though David Williams propped up the lower order with 48, his highest Test score.

Pakistan lost two wickets cheaply in reply and, had Lara taken a straightforward chance at first slip from Sohail off Bishop, would have been 76 for three. They paid heavily for the lapse, with Sohail and Inzamam batting through to the final session of the third day and making the most of some very ordinary West Indian bowling and worse fielding. Inzamam finally completed his first Test century in Pakistan, and went on to a Test-best 177, a monumental effort of discipline and composure after his chancy 92 in the First Test. Sohail contributed 160, a timely innings to boost Pakistan and to heal his own relationship with his team-mates, some of whom he had accused earlier in the year of being involved in bribery and match-fixing. Walsh eventually broke the stand, dismissing Sohail on the third evening - the only wicket to fall that day - and Inzamam early next morning. He was to finish with five wickets for the second time running, as a much more determined West Indian effort saw the last seven wickets add only 84. Mohammad Wasim's 26 was the next best score, which only magnified the cost of Lara's miss and the wretched third-day showing.

Pakistan's pace attack soon engineered another early West Indian slide: at 26 for three, a fourth-day finish was in sight. But Campbell soldiered on until he was bowled off his pads by Mushtaq Ahmed. Hooper kept the game going and struck three sixes in one over off Mushtaq to finish unbeaten on 73. This felicitous cameo was little consolation, however, as his team were trounced again.

Man of the Match: Inzamam-Ul-Haq.

Close of play: First day, West Indies 179-4 (S. L. Campbell 71*, S. Chanderpaul 66*); Second day, Pakistan 122-2 (Aamir Sohail 62*, Inzamam-Ul-Haq 20*); Third day, Pakistan 403-3 (Inzamam-Ul-Haq 169*, Mohammad Wasim 3*); Fourth day, West Indies 99-6 (C. L. Hooper 44*, I. R. Bishop 1*).