WEST INDIES v PAKISTAN 1987-88

Toss: West Indies.

Pakistan's hope of becoming the first team from their country to win a series in the West Indies was dashed at the last by a match-winning stand of 61 between Dujon and Benjamin, who came together at 207 for eight with West Indies needing another 59 to win and defeat in sight. Their unbeaten ninth-wicket stand enabled West Indies to square the series half an hour after lunch on the final day.

West Indies went into the match unchanged; Pakistan brought in Aamer Malik and Saleem Jaffer for Ijaz Ahmed and Ijaz Faqih. Put in, the Pakistanis batted at times well, at times carelessly, and they needed the scintillating eighth-wicket partnership for 67 between Salim Yousuf and Wasim Akram to ensure that earlier good work by Ramiz, Shoaib and Aamer was not wasted. They put on 50 in five overs, but in attempting to hook Marshall, Yousuf managed only to deflect the ball on to his face, breaking his nose in two places. Marshall followed up with two wickets to end the innings, Qadir becoming his 250th Test wicket. With Yousuf injured, Aamer Malik kept wicket in both innings for Pakistan.

West Indies made a poor start on the second morning, but Hooper played well for 54, Haynes grafted for 286 minutes for his 48, and Richards blasted a dynamic 67 from 80 balls, his fifty coming from 51 balls. When 61, he became the third West Indian to score 7,000 runs in Tests. However, a close-of-play score of 226 for eight reflected a position lost: West Indies had been 198 for three until Mudassar sent back Haynes and Logie with successive balls. Marshall and Benjamin pulled their side back with a ninth-wicket partnership of 58 at almost a run a minute, Marshall's 48 from 62 balls containing a six and six fours. West Indies finished just 3 runs adrift, and when Pakistan slumped to 177 for six by the close, they appeared to have gained the upper hand. Shoaib and Mudassar had put on 94 for a second wicket, Shoaib compiling his second fifty of the match, but in the final hour Pakistan had lost wickets quickly. Miandad was caught at the wicket, Aamer was brilliantly taken by Logie at forward short-leg, and Salim Malik fell to Benjamin after being softened up by Marshall.

On the fourth morning, Imran and injured Yousuf added 52 for the eighth wicket, with Yousuf, dropped first ball by Richards and having to bat some of the time with a runner because of dizziness, making a brave 28. Imran finished unbeaten with 43, having seen another 85 runs added that day. By the close, honours were about even, with Haynes, Greenidge, Richardson, Hooper and Logie out and a further 112 needed. But when Ambrose the night-watchman, and Richards fell in the first 35 minutes next morning, and Marshall was lbw to Wasim, victory was in Pakistan's grasp. Instead, Benjamin and Dujon snatched it away from them, Benjamin finally hitting the winning boundary off Qadir.

It had not been a happy day for the Pakistani leg-spinner. Denied two confident appeals for lbw and a catch off Dujon, he had allowed himself to get involved with a heckler on the boundary. A punch was thrown, the heckler was hit, and $US1,000 were paid to the offended party in an out-of-court settlement so that Qadir would not have to remain in Barbados to face charges.

Man of the Match: M. D. Marshall. Man of the Series: Imran Khan.

Close of play: First day, Pakistan 309; Second day, West Indies 226-8 (M. D. Marshall 15*, W. K. M. Benjamin 0*); Third day, Pakistan 177-6 (Imran Khan 6*, Wasim Akram 0*); Fourth day, West Indies 154-5 (I. V. A. Richards 26*, C. E. L. Ambrose 0*).