Gul strikes leave West Indies in trouble

KARACHI, Nov 28 (Reuters) Young Pakistan seamer Umar Gul took three wickets in 10 balls to leave West Indies in trouble on 131 for four at tea on the second day of the third and final test today.

Gul rocked the visitors with the key wickets of Chris Gayle and captain Brian Lara in three balls before snapping up Ramnaresh Sarwan to leave West Indies floundering on 51 for three.

Daren Ganga with a patient undefeated 42 from 108 balls held the innings together and rescued his side with a 63-run fourth wicket stand with Shivnarine Chanderpaul who was out for 36.

West Indies still trail Pakistan by 173 runs.

Gul, 24, produced beautiful balls to castle Lara and Sarwan for ducks in his first over after lunch.

He had Lara playing inside the line on his second ball, beating him with a ball that swung out late and sent the off stump flying before yorking Sarwan with a superb inswinging delivery.

It was Lara's first failure of the series after scores of 61, 122 and 216 in the last two tests.

Gayle, after blasting his way to 40 from 54 balls in his typical manner, had hit Gul straight to Abdul Razzaq at mid-off where he took a tumbling catch.

West Indies, who bowled out Pakistan in the morning for 304 runs, found themselves in trouble despite the solid opening stand between Gayle who struck six fours and Ganga.

Chanderpaul was the fourth wicket to fall when he played leg-spinner Danish Kaneria straight into the hands of Imran Farhat at forward short leg.

Chanderpaul took the attack to the Pakistani bowlers, picking the gaps beautifully to hit seven fours.

Ganga was more patient, taking 37 balls to get his first runs after lunch on a slow pitch with variable bounce.

Gayle and Ganga had survived a tense hour to steer West Indies to 42 for no wicket at lunch after Pakistan added 47 runs to their overnight total in losing their last three wickets.

Seamers Daren Powell and Corey Collymore wrapped up the Pakistan innings, which was shored up by a gritty last-wicket stand of 32 from 46 balls between Umar Gul (26) and Kaneria (seven not out).

Gul struck five fours after Pakistan had lost overnight pair Nazir (nought) and Kamran Akmal (31) quickly.

Nazir was bowled in the second over of the day by Powell and Collymore extracted Akmal's middle stump with the first delivery of the second new ball.

Collymore finished with three for 57.

REUTERS PDS KN1604