Damned if you do, damned if you don't

It says a lot about modern international cricket that a pitch which has provided the most gripping Test of the three in this series is criticised the loudest. Inzamam-ul-Haq riled against it first, no doubt prompted by his struggles yesterday during a 64-ball 18. "This is a very difficult wicket and it is going to get worse to bat on as the game progresses. After seeing the behaviour of the pitch on the first day there is no way one can describe it as up to Test standards. By the third day the spinners are going to get a lot of turn and the variable bounce is a major concern for everyone. A total of 300 is good on this track," Inzamam said in a column.

He wasn't the sole protestor, Chris Gayle savaging it as "the worst Test pitch I have ever seen so far in my career because the ball was almost rolling on the very first day of the match". Only a curator - significantly anonymous - defended his actions, telling Reuters that they only follow orders given to them. "We were told to cut the grass and keep on rolling it to keep it dry and suitable for spinners and we did that."

Forget for a moment this Test. Last week, Multan's pitch was condemned for only rising to the occasion for bowlers, as wives might complain of their husbands early in the morning. Too easy for batsmen after that, was the complaint. So let's make Karachi a little more difficult for batsmen, a bit of a challenge, where bowlers can rejoice in some uneven bounce and spin? Yet, still there are the complaints.

Whatever has happened to this pitch, nothing can detract from the fact that it has provided the keenest tussle between bat and ball we have yet seen and that surely is all anyone should ask for. We saw good batsmen struggle yesterday to score against disciplined, intelligent bowling but we also saw one quality batsman make a hundred, not painfully grafted either, but carefully and elegantly built.

Much about today made for compelling viewing too. Umar Gul got better as the ball got older, a breathtaking spell post-lunch pushing West Indies onto the back foot. He swung the new ball a little and the older one some more and if he has bowled a better delivery than the one which trumped Brian Lara, then it can only have been to the Indians in Lahore. Danish Kaneria trundled away for half the day, getting teasing spin and inconsistent bounce. Who could really begrudge him that after the way he was mauled last week?

But we also saw batsmen being fully tested and only one came through the examination unscathed. If you had to pick one batsman, on reputation at least, from this West Indies side to last (not score but last) on this surface, it would have to be Daren Ganga. The batting textbook from which he draws his base was handy, but not as much, perhaps, as natural reserves of patience and discipline. For over five hours, he stood firm, inching along happily and going through, at one stage, a 16-over period in the afternoon, without hitting a boundary.

He admitted later, while speaking to reporters, that sometimes it wasn't so bad to play on such pitches. "This is a true test of character, a real test of skill as a batsman. I am enjoying the challenge though and as all great batsmen have done in the past, you have to prove yourself on all types of pitches." This pitch may be deteriorating rapidly as time passes but in doing so the story of this match is being furthered. Batsmen have been tested, so too have bowlers and after the second day it remains hazardous to place bets on a winner. What you can place a bet on is that there will be a result. And since when has that ever been bad for Test cricket?