Day: First test ends in a damp draw
The West Indies having squarely defeated Zimbabwe in tests as well as one-day series and Pakistan clinched the Wireless and Cable Trophy 2000, the two sides appeared evenly poised. The interest of the spectators in the Caribbeans and cricket lovers all over the world was now focussed on the test series between the two great teams. The 1st test at Guyana was the center of attraction. The two sides were well prepared for the contest and it was generally said that the bowlers having dominated the one-day series, it was now the turn of the batsmen to show their prowess.
The 1st test thus commenced at the Bourda Oval with the West Indies skipper Jimmy Adams winning the toss and electing to bowl. Though the pitch was said to help the batsmen it did not do so to the desired extent.
With the star opener Saeed Anwar down with an injury, Pakistan had played with a make-shift opening pair throughout the one-day series. The arrangement that worked well, somehow flopped during this test. Pakistan made a disastrous start by losing 5 wickets for only 39 runs. The side was in deep trouble till Inzamam-ul-Haq and Abdur Razzaq succeeded in stemming the rot.
With a determined stay at the wickets, the two batsmen brought the terror of the West Indies bowling to rest. It was really a heroic effort to keep the scored board moving on a difficult pitch. By the end of the first day play the pair had raised Pakistan's score to 221 for 5, with Inzamam-ul-Haq having played the sheet anchor with a marvelous innings of 116 not out and Razzaq having scored a prolific 80 not out. The two batsmen had compensated the team for its earlier debacle. Pakistan was no more in crisis.
Resuming the innings on the 2nd day with a face saving score of 221 for 5, Pakistan's batting was not very enterprising. The after lunch session brought a lucky break for the West Indies who managed to clinch the remaining wickets one after the other. While Inzamam-ul-Haq was out before lunch after playing an invaluable innings of 135, the most spectacular gain for the West Indies was the ouster of Abdur Razzaq who in partnership with Inzamam-ul-Haq was instrumental in building the Pakistan's innings. He played a marvelous innings of 87.
The tail-enders not being able to hold the innings for long, Pakistan was all out for 288.
Opening their innings the West Indies lost their star opener Sherwin Campbell with only 2 runs on the board. Adrian Griffith was the second to go after scoring 34 bringing West Indies to 69 for 2. The West Indies were 101 for 3 by end of the day.
The three hours play was lost on the 3rd day on account of rain. The West Indies not being steady in their approach to the game lost three more wickets, going down to 139 for 6.
The partnership between Chanderpaul and Nixon McLean brought some sanity to the game playing some aggressive strokes the two of them were in full command of the game till McLean was out after playing an exciting innings of 46. This took the West Indies to 213 for 7. The game was suspended for bad light when the West Indies were at 222 for 7. Chanderpaul, playing the sheet anchor was not out at 46.
The torrential rains having submerged the Bourda Oval, no play was possible on the 4th and 5th day. The test was thus abandoned as draw.