Man of the match: West Indies fast bowler Shannon Gabriel is in full flow on the final day of the second Test against Pakistan at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados, yesterday. Gabriel took five wickets on the final day to help West Indies to victory by 105 runs
“So far, I think it’s one of my greatest achievements and to top it off with a victory, it’s up there.”
Shannon Gabriel was in no doubt how special his second five-wicket haul in tests was. For yesterday at Kensington Oval, he stepped up in class as a West Indies fast bowler. On a ground made famous by many of the Windies’ pace legends, Gabriel made his own entry into Kensington’s book of memorable feats as he bowled Jason Holder’s team to an emphatic 106-run victory in the second Test yesterday, to level the three-match series and set up a decider in Dominica next week.
Set 188 for victory on the final day of the pivotal contest, Pakistan folded meekly for a paltry 81, about 38 minutes before the scheduled tea interval, to slump to their fourth loss in seven games at the historic venue and maintain their unenviable record of having never won a Test at the ground.
The total equalled the previous lowest posted by India 20 years ago here and was also Pakistan’s second lowest-ever against West Indies, surpassing their record low of 77 in Lahore, 31 years ago. Gabriel had wreaked 11 overs of havoc to finish with figures of 11-4-11-5 and a match haul of nine for 92.
It surely was a Man-of-the-Match performance.