West Indies vs Pakistan, 2nd Test at Bridgetown, Apr 30 2017 - Ball by Ball Commentary

What a Test match, ladies and gentlemen! This was Test cricket at its very best with two teams going back and forth throughout, until the final day when West Indies completely dominated from the time they took the new ball for the final innings. Jason Holder is out there shaking hands with a few school children and interacting with them. Boy wouldn't he be a happy man. The series is tied at 1-1 and it all sets it up for what should be a cracking final Test in Dominica. After what has been a well-fought two games, it is only fitting that the final game of the series will now also be the decider. What a thoroughly enjoyable Test this has been. We hope you enjoyed it and our coverage of it. I have certainly enjoyed bringing this final day to you. We have a six-day gap before the next Test. Recharge your batteries and be back then. Until then, it's goodbye from all of us here.

"It was obviously a very good game for us, it was a team effort", says West Indies captain Jason Holder. "We got first-innings runs and were able to back it up with the ball. Shai Hope played a very good innings. Once we gave them anything in excess of 170, it was always going to be a very good chance on a day-five pitch. Using cutters and cross-seam deliveries was going to give us help on this pitch. Hope's innings was outstanding, he has two double-centuries here in first-class cricket. Unfortunately, he did not score a hundred, he deserved it. It was an important win, we needed to keep the series alive. I just asked the guys to focus on the important things. It was important for us to show consistency and we were able to do that here."

"It meant a lot to me and thank to the Almighty for making this possible," says Shannon Gabriel, Man of the Match. "I think it was a complete team effort. I think I was trying too hard and trying to bowl too fast, so I just made the decision to stay calm in the second innings. It did reverse a bit but I still had to put the ball in the right areas. It was an up-and-down fifth-day pitch, so we knew that all we had to do was put the ball in the right areas."

"You can easily say that it's about batting on a day-five pitch", says Misbah-ul-Haq. We all know from the first day that it was going to get worse, so that was the difference. First innings, we should have got a bigger lead. And finally, on the last day, West Indies bowled their heart out and we were left with no answers. I think we were actually, the thought was to just stay normal. And initially, they gave us a few balls to score off, but we were never trying to go negative or defensive. And we know that on the final day after the new ball wears out, scoring would be difficult. But we lost out key batsmen very early and it was difficult after that. I think because of the height - all the bowlers are tall - it was a tailor-made pitch for them to keep hitting the deck hard and make the ball jump around. Yasir Shah has been performing extraordinarily for us. Overall, satisfied with the bowling effort, but like I said, we needed a bigger first-innings lead. Both the teams are in the series and this is why you play Test cricket. It's going to be a good Test match.

Presentation time.

2pm India, 1997, and now, Pakistan, 2017. Twenty years later, we are taken back to that Test two decades ago when Sachin Tendulkar's India were bowled out for this very same score - 81 - by West Indies under Brian Lara. So clinical were West Indies' pacers that not only did they require just 34.4 overs to steamroll through Pakistan's line-up, they did not use Devendra Bishoo at all. Can you imagine - fifth-day track with cracks - and not a single over from a spinner. That is how impressive Shannon Gabriel and co. were. Unpredictable pitch with variable bounce played its part in the debacle, but take nothing away from the bowlers. They still needed to hit good lengths and they did that superbly. Pakistan batted themselves into a shell early on with a slow start and once they lost two quick wickets upfront, they never quite recovered. And don't forget West Indies' top-notch effort with the bat yesterday. This win could not have been made possible without that fourth-day batting performance and for that they will thank Shai Hope who played an innings that will not be forgotten in a hurry.

Billy Bob: "Am I the only 1 that was more gripped by this than the other limited overs matches being played right now ?"

Phat: "What a great reward for an attack that has so clearly been on the improve Well played!!!"

Odd: "finally, a career-defining performance from Gabriel.....after playing quietly for nearly 5 year. Only if Taylor and Roach could return to form, we could now have some Fire in Babylon!"

Eusha: "It is Shai Hope's second innings gem that has earned WI this victory. So he should be the MoM notwithstanding the 131 Chase made in the first innings."

Shridhar Hebbar: "Holder bowled all his overs in one spell. Captain showing great resillience and much needed result for Windies...."

Waseem: "Is that Yasir or Sarfaraz ?????" Yasir. The error is being corrected.

Fatir: "@Farhan: Switching one overly defensive batsman (Shehzhad) with another (Aslam) is not going to change anything. These young players need to learn how to read the game. On this kind of pitch you're going to get out sooner or later. So better play some shots and keep your team in the hunt rather than being overly cautious and fall like nine pins."

Hasan: "Wow! I go to my examination room for my last exam of the semester when it was 20/2, I come back 2 hours later and it is 78/8. WoW Pakistan never fails to keep the audience engaged. Are you not entertained???"

Farhan Ahmed: "Seems like its the new ball with the deteriorating pitch causing the issue - WI loosing there last few wickets for peanuts and this display from Pakistan. Sami Aslam has the ability to blunt a red cherry into juice and never should have been dropped!"