Test cricket went back in time on the third day of the final Test between Pakistan and the West Indies at the National Stadium. Rain overnight and cloud cover for most of the afternoon meant play stopped 15 overs short, though to many that might have been a relief given that only 199 runs had been scored in the 75 available.
Mohammad Hafeez, a raucous Twenty20 opener for Faisalabad when not opening for Pakistan, put together a studious fifty, his fourth in Tests. It was, from just over three-and-a-half hours, his slowest, and the improvised strokes so readily seen in his limited-overs performances were all but absent here, replaced by stodgy defense and plenty of streaky edges through third man.
"You have to really graft on this pitch," Hafeez told reporters at the end of the day. "It is difficult but to be a good player you have to be able to do it on all types of wickets. On the first day there was a lot of variation in the bounce but that is not there now. It still isn't easy especially for playing shots on."
Along with Imran Farhat, the start was particularly tortuous. Farhat took his first run off his 18th ball, there were only two boundaries in the first 15 overs and after 24 overs, they had eked out only 45. In part, the West Indian bowling attack can be blamed for this, as Hafeez acknowledged. "They bowled superbly to us at the beginning, especially (Corey) Collymore who was very difficult to play. The idea was to see off the new ball. We would take our time but set ourselves."
The caution may also have arisen from circumstance, especially in Hafeez's case. A fifty in the very first innings of this series should have led to bigger, brighter things but pretty starts were frittered. Bowled between bat and pad twice has also raised concerns about his technique and footwork; another failure here would have put severe pressure on his position in the side.
"The wickets in this series have had low bounce. There are very few pitches like this at domestic level where the balls come on higher, faster and seam more. Adjusting to low bounce wickets has been the difficult thing to do.
"When I made my comeback in England, the captain and coach really gave me lots of confidence. In this series I know I haven't made big scores but they are still backing me and that support has helped," he added.
He wasn't the only batsman to make an important fifty today. Earlier in the morning, Denesh Ramdin had to take over the West Indian cause after the dismissal of Daren Ganga in the day's fifth over. Like Hafeez it was his fourth in Tests, though an altogether punchier affair. And for getting his side within 44 runs of Pakistan's first innings total, it was a timely innings.
"After Ganga fell I had to take things up on my own and try to build partnerships with the tail. We wanted to get as close as possible to the Pakistan score," Ramdin said.
He had struggled initially against the spin of Danish Kaneria, edging the legspinner through Kamran Akmal's legs for four early. But once the new ball was taken, he unveiled a surprisingly wide array of strokes. "The pitch is playing better now and there is something in it for bowlers and batsmen. There was a bit more bounce today. But I take this as one of my best fifties. I needed to show character and had to bat with the lower order as well, which we have done."
Pakistan ended the day 174 runs ahead with eight wickets in hand. The pitch hasn't deteriorated as many thought it might, to the extent that Hafeez suggested only a target of 350-plus would be a safe one. Mohammad Yousuf is at the crease, record in sight, stunning form behind him and with Hafeez keen to continue to a second Test hundred, setting such a target is not as far-fetched as it might have appeared on the first two days.