THUNDERSTRUCK: Umar Gul strikes and Brian Lara is gone in Karachi on Tuesday. — PHOTO: AP

KARACHI: Opening batsman Daren Ganga made an unbeaten half century on Tuesday after Pakistan paceman Umar Gul rattled the West Indies with three top-order wickets in 10 balls on the second day of the third and final cricket Test here.

Ganga's resolute 77 over five hours with nine 4s took the West Indies to 191 for six at stumps on a slow and low bouncy National Stadium wicket in reply to Pakistan's first innings score of 304. The tourists still trail Pakistan by 113 runs.

Gul (three for 49) gave the West Indies a double jolt in his first over after lunch when he claimed the wickets of Chris Gayle and captain Brian Lara in the space of three balls.

Gayle dominated the opening stand of 51 runs with his aggressive 40 off 54 balls that included six 4s before Abdul Razzaq attempted twice and brought up a juggling catch at mid-on.

Superb delivery

Two balls later, Gul squared up Lara with a superb delivery that moved away slightly and knocked back his off-stump. Ramnaresh Sarwan, who was dropped from the second Test due to poor form, continued to struggle for seven deliveries before Gul shattered his stumps in the next over with a perfect yorker.

Despite losing three wickets at the total of 51, Shivnarine Chanderpaul (36 off 49 balls) opted for an attacking approach and added a run-a-minute 63 with Ganga. Imran Farhat, who dropped Gayle on 12 before lunch, took a sharp reflex catch off a hard push from Chanderpaul that gave Danish Kaneria (three for 48) one of his three wickets.

Unusual dismissal

Kaneria got rid off Runako Morton (21) in unusual circumstances in the last session and later chipped in with the wicket of Dwayne Bravo (8). Farhat took another athletic catch at forward short-leg on the second attempt after Morton's hard flick hit the fielder on the chest and rebounded.

The on-field umpires consulted the television umpire to check whether the ball had touched Farhat's helmet before he caught it. The rules state that a batsman is not out if the ball touches a fielder's helmet. After a number of close TV replays, the decision finally went in favour of Pakistan.

Earlier, Pakistan added 47 runs to its overnight 257 for seven before it's first innings folded up in just over an hour.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal (31) hit two boundaries off paceman Jerome Taylor's first over of the day, before Daren Powell struck off his first delivery from the other end when he bowled Shahid Nazir for a duck.

Paceman Corey Collymore sent Akmal's middle stump cart-wheeling off a vicious in-swinger with the new ball before No. 10 batsman Gul hit five well-timed boundaries in his career-best knock of 26.

Gul and No. 11 Danish Kaneria (7 not out) frustrated the West Indies with a brisk 32-run partnership and got Pakistan past the 300-run mark before Powell finally ended Pakistan's resistance by clean bowling Gul.

Collymore was the most successful West Indian bowler with three wickets for 57 runs, while Dwayne Bravo (two for 33) and Powell (two for 83) were the other main wicket-takers.

Pakistan leads the three-match series 1-0 with a nine-wicket victory in the first Test, while the second Test ended in a draw last week. — AP

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