Gayle leads Windies to emphatic win

Chris Gayle took five wickets as West Indies swept to an emphatic 276-run win over Pakistan on the fourth day of the first Test in Barbados on Sunday.

The victory came as a fitting finale for the West Indies at the historic Kensington Oval ground hosting its last match before it is renovated for the 2007 World Cup, when it will stage the final.

Pakistan, requiring 573 runs for an improbable win, were bowled out for 296 shortly after tea with Gayle finishing with five for 91 as the home side finally ended a depressing season to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

The win came after West Indies were beaten 2-0 by South Africa in a Test series and also lost a one-day series 5-0 to them and were than outclassed 3-0 by Pakistan in one dayers.

West Indies scored 345 and 371 in the match with Pakistan being humiliated in the first innings after they were skittled for 144 runs with pacer Fidel Edwards taking five for 38.

But even the absence of Edwards with a hamstring injury after bowling just eight balls in the Pakistan second innings and a cracking 122 from 95 balls by Shahid Afridi could not stop the West Indies from completing a well deserved win.

Afridi was in a savage mood when Pakistan resumed their second innings on 113 for four in the morning, making the home side pay for dropping him on the first ball he faced in the day.

Devon Smith spilled an easy chance at long-off from Gayle's bowling.

The 25-year old than produced a series of powerful shots scoring his half century from 38 balls with a pull through mid-wicket and than taking another 40 balls to reach his third Test hundred with a four off Darren Powell.

He than smashed Gayle for two big sixes over square leg in the next over to complete his dominance over the bowlers.

Afridi's second-fastest hundred by a Pakistani came after he lost his overnight partner Asim Kamal (55) in the first hour, caught at slip by Smith off Gayle.

Shortly before lunch Afridi holed out to wide mid-off miscuing a big hit off Powell to Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who was enjoying his first Test success as captain.

Gayle than went to work after lunch when Pakistan resumed on 274 for six first having Abdul Razzaq stumped for 41 and then forcing Rana Naved (6) to hit straight to Brian Lara at mid-off.

Gayle also bowled Kamran Akmal for 21 with a sharp turner and than wiped up the innings with Danish Kaneria's wicket to finish with his second five-wicket haul.

The second Test starts in Jamaica from June 3 with Pakistan having lost the chance to win their first Test series in the Caribbean.

Scoreboard:

West Indies 1st innings: 345 (B. Lara 130, S. Chanderpaul 92)

Pakistan 1st innings: 144 (F. Edwards 5-38)

West Indies 2nd innings: 371 (S. Chanderpaul 153no, W. Hinds 52, C. Gayle 50)

Pakistan 2nd innings: (Overnight: 113-4; Target: 573 runs)
S. Butt c Gayle b Edwards 0
Y. Hameed c Browne b Powell 11
Y. Khan run out 0
B. Khan lbw b Collymore 23
A. Kamal c De. Smith b Gayle 55
S. Afridi c Chanderpaul b Powell 122
A. Razzaq st Browne b Gayle 41
K. Akmal b Gayle 21
Naved-ul-Hasan c Lara b Gayle 6
S. Ahmed not out 0
D. Kaneria c Browne b Gayle 0

Extras (lb-7 nb-10) 17

Total (all out, 62.3 overs) 296

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-1, 3-16, 4-47, 5-162, 6-257, 7-277, 8-295, 9-296, 10-296.

Bowling: Edwards 1.2-1-0-1, Powell 11-1-47-2 (nb-1), King 11.4-0-70-0 (nb-6), Collymore 19-2-80-1 (nb-3), Gayle 18.3-3-91-5, W. Hinds 1-0-1-0.

Result: West Indies won by 276 runs