Windies close to victory

Press, 13 April 1989, Page 34

Windies close to victory

NZPA-Reuter Bridgetown Opener Desmond Haynes, with a superb unbeaten 81, took West Indies to the brink of victory against India in the second test after the tourists had batted heroically to set the home side 198 to win. After the Indians had been all out for 251 in their second innings with Ravi Shastri scoring a gutsy 107, West Indies raced to 154 for two in only 37 overs. Haynes and Richie Richardson took the Indian bowling attack apart after Chetan Sharma had trapped Gordon Greenidge leg before wicket for six in the fourth over.

They added 128 for the second wicket in only 28 overs before Richardson, having raced to his St from 81 balls, was bowled by Arshad Ayub after a lengthy discussion between the umpires to decide if the ball had clipped the top of the off-stump. Haynes was even quicker to bis half century, needing only 45 balls, and looks likely to complete his twelfth test hundred on the final day when the formality of victory is completed. He hit eight boundaries and a six over mid wicket off legspinner Narendra Hirwani. Shastri’s eighth test hun-

dred spanned 443 minutes and all but three overs of the innings. He gave only one chance, a difficult one to Richardson at second slip off lan Bishop when on 72. Malcolm Marshall, who did not look as threatening as he had done on Sunday when overtaking Lance Gibbs as the highest West Indies wicket-taker in tests, broke the lengthy seventhwicket stand when he yorked Klran More just after he had completed his first test 50. The stand of 132 in 50 overs had taken 215 minutes and was not broken until an hour after lunch. Although Arshad Ayub

was bowled in the same over by Marshall to give him his twentieth five-wicket haul in a test innings, Chetan Sharma stayed long enough with Shastri both to allow him to reach a thoroughly deserved century and to give India a target to defend. The pair added 50 in only 51 minutes with Shastri, on 78 when Sharma came in, going to his first test century since the Jaipur test against Pakistan in the 198687 series. Shastri was last out, having faced 255 balls and hit 12 fours, when he was caught at mid-on off Curtly Ambrose.