Holder keeps Windies on top in Sharjah

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West Indies captain Jason Holder ended day three of the Third Test against Pakistan with figures of 3 for 10 as he pegged the hosts back.

Pakistan ended the day on 87 for 4 just 31 runs ahead of the West Indies with only six second innings wickets in hand.

Earlier in the day Kraigg Brathwaite carried his bat for the West Indies finishing with 142 not out off 318 balls.

Brathwaite partnered with Holder (16), Devendra Bishoo (27), Alzarri Joseph (6) and Sahnnon Gabriel to guide the West Indies to a total of 337 all out and a 56 run first innings lead.

Pakistan would be four down before they reached parity as Holder produced a brilliant spell of bowling to remove three of Pakistan’s top order batsmen in the space of five overs.

Holder bowled aggressively and a barrage of short stuff helped him claim the wicket of Sami Aslam (17) as the opener went on the hook but could only find Joseph in the deep.

Asad Shafiq (0) was another victim of the short ball as he was trapped playing forward to a short ball and parried straight to gully to earn himself a pair.

Holder got a little lucky with the wicket of Younis Khan, the veteran was strangled down the leg side for a five ball duck.

Misbah-ul-Haq (4) would then play a catastrophic pull off Roston Chase and was well taken in the deep by Bishoo who had to contend with the evening sun in his eyeline.

Opener Azhar Ali (45 not out) and keeper Sarfraz Ahmed would lead a mini-recovery to get Pakistan to the close at 87 for 4 after slipping to 48 for 4 with the skippers dismissal.

There is still a lot of cricket to be played in this one but the West Indies have shown a quality that we haven’t seen before in this series.

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