West Indies clawed their way back into the second Test in St Kitts only to relinquish their foothold with an abominable display in the field. They dropped three catches and took a wicket off a no-ball as Pakistan raced to 55 for no loss at lunch, the lead now 104.
Ravi Rampaul and Kemar Roach resisted Pakistan in the morning, eventually putting on 60 and cutting the deficit to just 49. But Roach 'dismissed' Mohammad Hafeez off a no-ball in the first over and then saw Taufeeq Umar dropped twice as the Pakistan openers put on their best stand of the series.
Umar was on 1 when he edged to Darren Bravo at first slip, a regulation chance, chest-high. He then began to bat with the freedom of a man who looked death in the eye and didn't blink. He drove Roach next ball down the ground and in his next over, cut and drove him again. He then looked death in the face a second time, Darren Sammy dropping him at second slip immediately after the boundaries.
Unburdened, Umar now laughed at death and attacked Roach again in his next over. Three boundaries came: two drives before he fairly ripped into a cut. He had batted in the series as if constipated and here, now, he opened up. Sammy arrived only to be driven through extra cover. Every shot for a while thereafter was firmly struck, heavy with intent.
Hafeez, meanwhile, eased into his slipstream, taking his time in seeing off a more disciplined Rampaul. When opportunity arose, he took it, pulling once through midwicket and clipping past mid-on later. Having survived the no-ball, he survived edging Rampaul in the 10th over, Sammy again unable to get his fingers round the ball. They slowed as lunch approached though there was still time for Umar to drive Rampaul to bring up the fifty-run partnership.
It meant that the sterling work Rampaul and Roach had completed in the morning went wasted. They began as top-order men, quietly settling themselves in. Yesterday, they had landed some heavy blows; not so this morning. From the offset they looked secure; Rampaul even seemed to be picking Saeed Ajmal's doosra.
It wasn't until the ninth over of the morning that there was even any kind of appeal, and it was a ludicrous, desperate one. The strokes were accomplished and there was none of the impatience of the top-order of both sides.
The first boundary came as Roach guided Abdur Rehman through slips - how many runs have come in that region this series? In the next over, he cut Tanvir Ahmed for a far more authoritative boundary. An over later, as Rampaul cut Hafeez for two, the fifty partnership came up. Roach spanked Wahab Riaz next through cover and a wicket didn't look like falling at all.
Eventually it was left to Hafeez - who has at times looked Pakistan's most threatening bowler - to break through, deceiving Roach in flight. A few overs later, Devendra Bishoo gave Umar at slip his fourth catch of the innings. How West Indies must have wished by session's end he was standing in their cordon.
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