Pakistan in command, despite Hooper's defiance

Pakistan, despite a defiant 84 not out from West Indies captain Carl Hooper on Saturday, tightened their grip on the third day of the second Test as they moved ahead by 236 runs at tea.

Having dismissed West Indies for 264 in their first innings reply -- for a lead of 208 -- they opted not to force the follow-on and reached 28 for one at the interval batting a second time.

Both Taufeeq Umar and Younis Khan, who top-scored with a career-best 153 in the first innings, were unbeaten on 14.

Shahid Afridi, dropped four times in the first innings, was removed in the first over, caught behind off Mervyn Dillon for no score.

Earlier, Shoaib Akhtar and Saqlain Mushtaq produced a deadly combination of pace and spin to wrap up the West Indies first innings one hour into the afternoon session.

Bowling unchanged after lunch, Shoaib and Saqlain ran through the West Indies tail as the last four wickets crashed for just 28 runs.

Paceman Shoaib finished with figures of four for 63 while off-spinner Saqlain returned three for 75.

Hooper, who moved past 5,000 Test runs in his 92nd match, remained unbeaten on 84, having been at the crease for four and a half hours and striking nine fours and one six.

USEFUL SUPPORT

The only batsman to give him any useful support was the left-handed Ridley Jacobs (31) who shared in a seventh-wicket stand of 47 before unluckily being bowled by a Saqlain no-ball.

Television replays later indicated the bowler had overstepped the mark.

Resuming on their overnight score of 164 for four, West Indies suffered two early blows when nightwatchman Dillon (0) and Ryan Hinds (11) were removed in quick succession.

Dillon fell to the pace of Shoaib in the sixth over of the day while all-rounder Abdur Razzaq, in his first over, dismissed Hinds leg before wicket.

But Hooper, dropped on five by Younis Khan off Saqlain Mushtaq's off-spin on Friday, dug in and reached his 50 with seven fours in 95 balls after two hours 10 minutes at the crease.

Pakistan lead the two Test-series after a crushing 170-run win in the first match.

The series is taking place on the neutral territory of the United Arab Emirates after West Indies expressed security concerns over political tensions on the Pakistan-India border.

Mail Cricket Editor