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The end was swift and the defeat as emphatic, predictable and self-inflicted as the other 24 they have suffered from their last 27 Tests abroad.

Patently inferior, as much temperamentally as technically, the West Indies were crushed by 244 runs with a day in hand by Pakistan in the second of the two rearranged Tests at Sharjah Stadium, Pakistan's home away from home, yesterday.

When Waqar Younis belatedly closed Pakistan's second innings half-hour after lunch, the West Indies were set the hopeless task of batting through the rest of the afternoon and all of the last day to avoid defeat a minimum 150 overs in all.

Given recent history, it was more a chance to regain a little of what is left of their self-esteem than existing for a draw.

Only the youngest and newest member of the team, the 20-year-old left-hander Ryan Hinds in his second Test (he turns 21 on Sunday), batted with any assurance, stroking seven boundaries with the aplomb of a seasoned campaigner in his topscore 46.

He was eventually one of six lbw victims as the innings only managed to get to the 60 overs by the appointed close with eight wickets down.

The stadium lights were in operation as the sun rapidly disappeared below the horizon when, as was his right, Waqar claimed the additional half-hour to complete the job.

He needed only three balls.

Using the massive late reverse swing of which he is a past master, he knocked over the stumps of No. 10 Cameron Cuffy and No. 11 Pedro Collins to carry his tally to 352 Test wickets and chalk up the sixth successive Test victory under his direction.

Within quarter-of-an-hour, Waqar was collecting the glittering Pepsi Cup for his team's work while Carl Hooper recited the well-known phrases of every recent losing West Indian captain, from Courtney Walsh to Brian Lara and Jimmy Adams.

We batted poorly, the bowling was average and we fielded terribly, Hooper conceded at the later media conference, acknowledging that the two losses were the team's lowest points since he came to the post a year ago.

Unreliable batting, featuring a lower order that has now counted the startling sum of 20 ducks in the last five Tests, and unpenetrative bowling have become established complaints.

They were compounded through the two Tests here by an aggregate of 17 missed chances, ten in this Tests alone. It is a statistic that would shame any ordinary club side and, in the incriminating opinion of Hooper and coach Roger Harper, caused by fielders willing the ball not to come their way.

No team, least of all one so limited in resources and low on confidence, can expect anything but the results suffered here as a consequence.

Their demise is even more certain when their own incompetence is matched by that of the umpiring.

The West Indies were already all but beaten when they began their second innings but their collapse was accelerated by three poor leg-before decisions two by the big Australian Darrel Hair, one by the little Pakistani Shakeel Khan.

Hair's ruling against Daren Ganga would have been out of place in a lower division club match. It did not need the television replay to realise that Shoaib Ahktar's inswinger was blatantly missing leg stump.

Wicket-keeper Rashid Latif, moving well down the leg-side, could not even bring himself to join the bowler's appeal. It should have been a clue.

Hair, standing in his 43rd Test, again got it wrong when Abdur Razzaq, from over the wicket, won his appeal against Shivnarine Chanderpaul to a ball television replays showed would have missed off-stump. Once more, the umpire erred on his angles.

With a couple of errors in the first innings, against Chanderpaul (caught off the boot) and Ryan Hinds (lbw to a ball pitched outside leg), Hair had a bad enough match to warrant a review of his position on the International Cricket Council (ICC) panel.

Shakeel, in his fifth Test, was steadier but still ruled Hooper lbw yesterday when he was hit on the backfoot by Saqlain's off-break. The ball would have gone on to hit the stumps but the point of contact was outside off.

These are not excuses and there was certainly no grumbling from the West Indies camp. But such mistakes, and others like the third umpire's run-out against Sherwin Campbell on contrary television evidence at a crucial stage of the first Test, should be unacceptable at the highest level.

So should the standard of cricket the West Indies have played for so long.

They came into the day already 338 in arrears with the resuming Pakistani second wicket pair, the left-handed Taufeeq Umar and Younis Khan, already the beneficiaries of three missed chances.

Younis drove Merv Dillon directly into Collins' midrift at mid-on and back out again. Since Collins had missed a similar dolly at long-on from Taufeeq the previous afternoon, it was safe to assume that he was one who feared the ball coming his way.

Dillon kept pegging away and soon found someone to take his catches, Ganga clinching on to Younis' drive at mid-off.

Taufeeq was belatedly ruled lbw by Shakeel in Dillon's next over and, by lunch, Inzamam-ul-Haq's heave against Collins had sent a steepling catch, accepted by substitute Darryl Brown at midwicket.

The continuation of Pakistan's innings into the afternoon was notable for another Yousuf Youhanna half-century and Hooper's sensational run-out of Razzaq.

The captain dived from extra-cover to cut off his firm drive and, from a kneeling position, knocked over the middle-stump with his throw as Razzaq scrambled to regain his ground. It was a throwback to the days when there was none better in the position in world cricket.

In 20 overs to tea, the West Indies had already lost Chris Gayle, Ganga and Hooper.

Put down at third slip off Waqar before tea, Wavell Hinds played dutifully for just over two-and-a-quarter hours for 34 until he edged Saqlain Mushtaq's off-break into the gloves of Taufeeq, subbing as wicket-keeper while Rashid Latif .

Chanderpaul, Ryan Hinds and Jacobs offered more left-handed resistance but the late swing became increasingly pronounced and harder to negotiate as the ball got older.

Chanderpaul and Hinds fell to it and, once through to the tail, Dillon and Dinanath Ramnarine were summarily despatched by Razzaq.

Dillon went second ball for his 16th duck in Tests and Ramnarine third ball for his sixth in his last four Tests.

Cameron Cuffy's entertaining methods brought him his highest Test score, 14, and carried the match into its extra time but not by much.

© The Barbados Nation