Sport

Brilliant Brian

West Indies star batsman Brian Lara on the go during his 130 on the opening day of the West Indies versus Pakistan first Digicel Test at Kensington Oval in Barbados, yesterday. - Dellmar

BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS:

CMC BRIAN LARA GAVE another superb batting display at Kensington Oval Thursday as he reeled off his 29th Test century to help rescue West Indies on the opening day of the first Digicel match against Pakistan.

Lara, with a breath-taking 130 off 120 balls including 16 fours and four sixes and captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who agonisingly fell for 92, added 169 in 132 minutes for the fourth wicket after West Indies had slipped to 45 for three following Chanderpaul's luck of the toss on a hard, true pitch.

But following Lara's dismissal, bowled by leg-spinner Danish Kaneria whom he treated roughly and reached his century off with two consecutive sixes, the batting fell away.

Rally lower order

It was then left to Chanderpaul to rally the lower order before West Indies were bowled out for 345 ­ the last four wickets falling for nine runs.

Pakistan closed on 22 without loss off four overs.

It was a memorable day for the 36-year-old Lara, who was rested for the just-concluded three-match One-Day-International series, which the Pakistanis won 3-0.

Apart from equalling the legendary late Australian batsman Sir Donald Bradman's number of the Test centuries ­ he is now third on the list behind Indians Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar (34 each) ­ Lara became the fifth batsman to score a hundred against all Test-playing nations, joining Tendulkar, Australian Steve Waugh, Gary Kirsten of South Africa and India's Rahul Dravid.