Sizzling Sarwan
Rabeed Imam from Sabina Park, Kingston
Ramnaresh Sarwan was in superlative form and his previously out-of-form Guyana mate Shivnarine Chanderpaul was looking in terrific touch as they carried the West Indies to a position from where they can start dictating the terms against Bangladesh on the third day of the final Test here yesterday.The Caribbeans were enjoying a healthy first innings lead of 193 runs with six wickets in hand and two more days to go. Sarwan hammered a double ton (208 not out) while Chanderpaul (76 not out) had gone past an effortless half-century. The West Indies were 452 for four one and a half hours before tea. Ominously for Bangladesh, the two have already put on 180 off 289 deliveries without even giving a hint of a chance. The home team has scored at more than four runs an over on the third day and look to pile on the misery for Bangladeshi bowlers and fielders who have looked flat. None of the bowlers have made any impression and the batsmen were never in need of taking risks to keep the scorebook moving in one-day fashion. While Sarwan played imperious copybook drives and cuts, Chanderpaul was timing everything to perfection. His gentle pushes rocketed to the boundary and he twice whacked Manjarul Islam Rana over the top for boundaries in the bowler's first over after lunch. Next over, fellow left arm spinner Mohammad Rafique was dispatched straight over his head with power that grossly belie his frame. That was the shot that took the 30-year-old to his 150. Sarwan had crossed 3000 Test runs in his 46th Test in the morning session. The 24-year-old, not out 106 overnight, needed 21 more runs at the start of the day to reach the landmark. Tapash Baishya got rid of nightwatchman Tino Best (4), forcing him to edge to wicketkeeper Khaled Mashud after the Windies had added just three to their second day's score of 294 for three. But Sarwan has looked commanding throughout. He pulled, glanced and drove Baishya off the back foot for fours and also drove Tareq Aziz to the cover boundary. Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar had rued the dropped catches on day two particularly that of Sarwan when the batsman was on 21. "Catching has become a problem. On this track, if you give a batsman like Sarwan one chance, it is quite unlikely that you'll get another. "But the wicket has played well so far and if we can restrict their lead and bat very well in the second innings, we can still save the game at least," said Bashar after the second day's play.
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