Pakistan Steady After Hafeez Exit

On a track where batting continued to be difficult, Taufeeq Umar and Azhar Ali played safety-first cricket to hold firm for more than a hour, and guide Pakistan to 45 for 1 at lunch on the second day. In the morning, West Indies' final pair had resisted for more than eight overs before Saeed Ajmal induced the inside-edge which brought him his second Test five-for.

Anyone wondering whether the pitch had eased out a touch on the second day got their answer as early as the second over of the day, when an Ajmal delivery scooted along the ground and nutmegged the befuddled wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh. Roach gamely battled on, going on to make his career-best score of 24 before giving short leg a catch.

West Indies, with only one specialist spinner in the line-up, shied away from experimenting with a slow bowler opening the innings, and the Guyana crowd had to wait almost till the end of the session to see their local boy Devendra Bishoo bowl his first delivery in Test cricket.

The West Indian quicks probed with the new ball, which jagged around early on. It was not the sideways movement that brought the breakthrough, though, as Ravi Rampaul got his second ball to climb sharply, surprising Hafeez who was slow to raise his bat as he tried to leave. A bottom edge resulted, and the ball cannoned onto the stumps.

Ali was cut in half by an incutter from Roach, Taufeeq was struck on the thigh pad by one that snaked in, and both batsmen edged past slip, but there wasn't any more joy for the home side. The closest they came to a wicket was when a caught-behind decision against Taufeeq was referred to the third umpire, who turned it down in the absence of HotSpot and the Snickometer.

Taufeeq and Ali didn't try anything fancy, sticking to defensive batting, except on the rare occasions when the ball was overpitched for the drive. Ali unleashed some pleasing cover drives, picking up back-to-back boundaries off Roach to end his spell. Darren Sammy didn't tax the batsmen much, and the batsman walked off satisfied with their morning's work.