In the spring of 1977, as the Caribbean sun bore down on the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain, a new force in West Indies fast bowling announced itself to the world. With Michael Holding sidelined due to injury and Vanburn Holder also unavailable, West Indies turned to two uncapped pacemen—Joel Garner and Colin Croft. If there were any doubts about their ability to fill the void, they were dispelled with ruthless precision.
The first Test in Bridgetown had already hinted at their promise. Garner, towering and menacing, extracted bounce that made even the most accomplished batsmen uneasy, while Croft, with his whippy, skidding pace and a penchant for hostility, left an imprint on the match and the selectors.
Now, in Port-of-Spain, they had another opportunity.
Croft Unleashes a
Storm
Pakistan captain Mushtaq Mohammad won the toss and chose to
bat, sending Majid Khan and his younger brother Sadiq to open. They could not
have foreseen the tempest that awaited them.
It took only a few deliveries for Croft to signal his
intent. From a good length, a ball reared up violently, crashing into Sadiq’s
forearm before he could react. The younger Mohammad was forced to retire hurt, and
Pakistan’s innings, still in its infancy, had already suffered a body blow.
What followed was a masterclass in aggressive, calculated
fast bowling. Haroon Rasheed and Mushtaq himself were drawn into fatal errors
outside off stump, nicking behind. Asif Iqbal, usually a reliable presence,
perished for a duck. The scoreboard, once stable at 21 for no loss, now read 21
for 3—with Sadiq absent injured.
Wasim Raja walked in, aware that survival alone would not
suffice. His counterattacking instincts kicked in, and Pakistan, momentarily,
breathed again. While Majid dropped anchor, Raja played with daring, carving
out boundaries that forced Clive Lloyd to reconsider his options. Croft had
done enough damage for now; he was rested after a spell of 3 for 18 in 8 overs.
For a time, Pakistan clawed back. Majid, patient and
disciplined, played a rare subdued innings, holding one end while Raja took the
attack to the opposition. Their resilience took Pakistan past 100, a small
psychological victory. But just as the innings seemed to stabilize, Garner
struck, trapping Majid leg-before for a hard-fought 47.
Pakistan’s lower order attempted resistance. Imran Khan fell
to left-arm spinner Raphick Jumadeen, but a heavily strapped Sadiq Khan
returned, determined to make amends. Raja, unwavering in his approach,
continued to defy the West Indian attack.
Then, Lloyd brought
back Croft.
The effect was immediate. A ball sneaked through Raja’s
defences, sending the stumps cartwheeling. Sadiq, trying to settle in, drove
straight back to the bowler, who accepted the return catch. Intikhab Alam’s
off-stump was next to be uprooted. Saleem Altaf, unable to withstand Croft’s
relentless attack, was bowled for a duck.
Wasim Bari, in a last-ditch effort, swung his bat with
abandon but managed only 21 before he, too, fell victim to Croft’s unerring
accuracy.
Pakistan had been dismissed for 180. Croft’s final
figures—18.5 overs, 7 maidens, 29 runs, 8 wickets—etched his name into the
record books. No West Indian fast bowler had ever taken eight wickets in an
innings. Even Holding, the man Croft had replaced, had not managed such
destruction.
West Indies Take
Control
Pakistan, rattled but not broken, responded through their
bowlers. Saleem Altaf struck early, but the veteran Roy Fredericks was in
imperious form. His strokeplay, full of authority, silenced any murmurs of a
comeback. A commanding 120 put West Indies firmly ahead, though Mushtaq
Mohammad’s leg-spin disrupted the middle order, finishing with 4 for 50.
Garner and Croft, proving their worth with the bat as well,
stitched together a crucial 46-run stand for the ninth wicket, pushing the
total to 316. The lead—136 runs—was significant, but not insurmountable.
Pakistan’s Brave
Fightback
Faced with a daunting deficit, Pakistan needed an
extraordinary effort to stay in the game. Their response was spirited. Majid
and a still-bruised Sadiq refused to surrender, putting on a defiant 123-run
opening stand. Majid’s stylish 54 and Sadiq’s gutsy 81 gave Pakistan hope.
Yet again, Wasim Raja emerged as the driving force. With his
audacious strokeplay, he added 84, peppering the boundary with seven fours and
two sixes. His dismissal, caught by Garner off Croft, was a decisive moment.
Though Imran Khan contributed some late fireworks, Pakistan were bowled out for
340.
Croft, despite his continued menace, was overshadowed in the
second innings by Andy Roberts (4 for 85) and Garner (3 for 48). The target was
205—reachable, but not trivial.
The Chase and the
Final Blow
West Indies began with authority. Fredericks and Greenidge
cruised to 97 for the first wicket, but Pakistan, true to their resilient
nature, struck back. Raja, making his presence felt in every department,
dismissed Fredericks. Then, Imran Khan’s fiery spell removed Richards,
Shillingford, and Greenidge in quick succession, reducing West Indies from 159
for 1 to 170 for 4.
For a fleeting moment, Pakistan sensed an opening. But Alvin
Kallicharran and Clive Lloyd ensured there would be no late drama. With
measured aggression, they guided West Indies home to a six-wicket victory.
A Battle for the Ages
The Test had seen two exceptional individual
performances—one from a man making his mark, the other from a batsman who
refused to bow down to the inevitable.
Colin Croft’s 8 for 29 was a statement. A reminder that West
Indies' pace battery had seemingly endless reserves of talent. His aggression,
accuracy, and hostility had tormented Pakistan’s batsmen, leaving them gasping
for breath.
Wasim Raja, on the other hand, had played two of the finest
innings of his career. His first-innings 65 was bold, his second-innings 84 was
fearless. He had taken the fight to the opposition, refusing to surrender
against insurmountable odds.
In the end, the two shared the Man of the Match award—a
fitting tribute to a battle that had been as much about skill as it was about
courage.
For Croft, this was just the beginning. For Pakistan, it was
yet another lesson in resilience. And for cricket, it was a Test that would be
remembered for generations.
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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