MULTAN, Nov 17: West Indian vice captain Ramnaresh Sarwan said on Friday his team was determined to win the second Test against Pakistan to keep their chances alive in the three-match series.
“Losing the first Test was a huge blow to us but we have two Tests to go and this one is special because we have to win this to draw the series,” Sarwan said, ahead of the second Test starting here from Sunday.
Despite a fighting 122 from West Indian captain Brian Lara, Pakistan won the first Test in Lahore by nine wickets on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old Sarwan said West Indies needed to play consistent cricket over five days.
“We would have to go into the final Test with a win so that the series is still open but for that we have to play well in all departments,” said Sarwan, who hails from Guyana.
The third Test starts in Karachi on November 27.
Sarwan said a number of factors contributed to the first Test defeat.
“Getting out for 206 on the first day on that sort of wicket made it difficult for us to come back and then dropped catches did not help either,” said Sarwan, referring to chances spilled off Mohammad Yousuf when he was on 43 and 101.
Yousuf went on to make 192 to help Pakistan gain a big first innings lead of 279.
“There were some other things which did not go well and those were totally out of our control,” said Sarwan in an apparent reference to the umpiring of Sri Lankan Asoka de Silva, who did not refer a close stumping call off Yousuf to the third umpire when the batsman was on 53.
De Silva also adjudged opener Chris Gayle and Sarwan leg-before when television replays showed the deliveries hit the batsmen high on the pads.
Sarwan said he himself was due for a big score. “I am very determined. I have been in the poorest form for a long while now and haven't gotten any scores together on the entire trip to Asia,” said Sarwan, who has just one fifty in his last 13 one-day matches and who managed just three and 23 in Lahore. —AFP
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