Pakistan's opening batsman Azhar Ali compiled an unbeaten 81 as they marginally gained the upper hand against West Indies on 172 for three in their first innings on the second day of the second Test in Barbados on Monday. Azhar's obdurate 193-ball stay at the crease helped his side plod slowly towards the hosts' first-innings total of 312 at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown to stand 140 runs behind with seven wickets in hand at the close. Captain Misbah-ul-Haq, on 7, was also unbeaten at stumps on a pitch already starting to produce some uneven bounce. Pakistan looked set to take a stranglehold on the match when openers Azhar and Ahmed Shehzad, helped by some sloppy fielding, put on a first-innings stand of 155, before three quick wickets brought the home team right back into the contest. Shehzad was the first to go, for 70. After being dropped three times, he edged leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo to slip, where Shai Hope grasped a sharp chance, the batsman finally running out of luck. Shehzad was quickly followed back to the pavilion by Babar Azam and Younis Khan, both for ducks. Earlier, West Indies lost their final four wickets for 26 runs in the morning session as pacemen Mohammad Abbas and Mohammad Amir made good use of the second new ball. Jason Holder and Roston Chase were sent packing without adding to their overnight scores, Holder for 58 when he got an inside edge to the keeper off a peach of a delivery from Abbas, before Chase was caught at second slip off Amir for 131. Abbas finished with fine figures of 4-56, while Amir claimed 3-65. Bangladesh bowlers get 10-year bans for protests Two Bangladesh club cricketers who deliberately conceded runs to protest against poor umpiring in the Dhaka Second Division cricket League have been banned from cricket for 10 years, local media reported on Tuesday. Lalmatia Club's Sujon Mahmud conceded 92 runs in four legal deliveries in his side's match against Axiom cricketers last month, peppering the field with 15 no balls and 13 wides that also raced to the boundary. Fear Fighters Sporting Club's Tasnim Hasan had conceded 69 runs in seven legitimate deliveries in a similar protest against the umpiring in an earlier match. "This incident has dented the reputation of Bangladesh cricket and we have taken a stern step because this was important for us," Bangladesh cricket Board director Jalal Yunus was quoted as saying by local newspaper the Daily Star. The two clubs have been barred indefinitely from competition. The captains, managers and coaches of both teams have been banned for five years. "They willingly tarnished the image of Bangladesh cricket," Sheikh Sohel the BCB's disciplinary committee chief said. "A bowler won't be able to do such a thing without the order of their team management. From the whole investigation we realized that it was done to hurt Bangladesh cricket." — Reuters
