WEST INDIES v PAKISTAN 1987-88

Toss: West Indies. Contrary to expectations, Pakistan won the First Test convincingly, inflicting on West Indies their first home defeat since April 1978, when Australia beat them, also at Georgetown. Pakistan's success was due principally to inspired spells of fast bowling by Imran Khan, who finished with match figures of eleven for 121 in this first Test since being coaxed from retirement.

With Richards recovering from an operation for haemorrhoids and Marshall out with a knee injury, Greenidge led West Indies and chose to bat first on a newly laid pitch. They were soon in trouble when Imran dismissed Haynes and offspinner Ijaz Faqih bowled Simmons with his first delivery. However, Greenidge and Richardson added 54, Logie and Richardson, Logie and Hooper, with sensible batting, took the score to 219 for four by tea. Logie's dismissal after the resumption brought on a slump, and only a last-wicket stand of 34 between Ambrose and Patterson saw West Indies to 292. Imran took the last five wickets, including a spell of four for 9 in three overs.

Pakistan lost Ramiz early on the second morning, but Mudassar batted defiantly before Ambrose yorked him for his first Test wicket, whereupon Shoaib and Miandad added 70 for the third wicket. Miandad and Malik then put on 90 in two and threequarter hours, Malik when 7 reaching 2,000 Test runs. Miandad, caught off a no-ball when 27 and dropped by Dujon when 87, was 96 at the end of a day which had seen Benjamin warned by umpire Barker for intimidatory bowling. Next morning, having been on 99 for 38 minutes, he reached his sixteenth Test hundred and his first against West Indies. When fifth out for 114, he had batted for six and threequarter hours, faced 234 balls and hit twelve fours. A dedicated innings for 62 by Salim Yousuf gave a final boost to a total also swelled by 71 extras. This exceeded by 3 the previous highest in a Test innings, also conceded against Pakistan, at Bridgetown in 1976-77; including those from which runs were scored, there were 53 no-balls.

An infected toe prevented Imran from bowling more than two overs in the final session, but helped by the rest day which followed and treatment with antibiotics, he was able to resume on the fourth morning. Qadir removed Simmons and Richardson early on, and after Greenidge and Logie had added 65 in even time, Imran dismissed them both, Yousuf catching Logie one-handed and well to his right. After lunch, Imran's introduction of Shoaib's occasional off-breaks brought two wickets with successive balls, Qadir had Hooper caught and finally Walsh and Patterson were deceived by Imran in successive balls. Pakistan needed 30 runs for victory and by tea the match was over.

Man of the match: Imran Khan.

Close of play: First day, West Indies 292; Second day, Pakistan 249-4 (Javed Miandad 96*, Ijaz Ahmed 10*); Third day, West Indies 25-1 (P. V. Simmons 11*, R. B. Richardson 6*).