West Indies opener Chris Gayle plays a delivery off the bowling of Pakistan's paceman Umar Gul on the second day of the second Test in Multan yesterday. Gayle was 87 not out at the close. - Reuters

MULTAN, Pakistan (CMC):

Taylor took five for 91 as Pakistan, ominously poised at 263 for four overnight, were toppled for a modest 357 on the stroke of lunch.

West Indies replied emphatically to reach 151 without loss when stumps were drawn at the Multan Cricket Stadium.

Gayle, overcoming an edgy start, kept his trademark power game mainly in reserve and his discipline was rewarded in an unbeaten 87.

Ganga, like his partner, was impeccable in his shot selection, and closed on 59 not out.

It was Taylor, who stunned the home team in the morning period and enhanced his growing reputation with each match.

A Multan crowd of 8,000 came to see their hero, and Pakistan skipper, Inzamam-ul-Haq. But he failed to add as Taylor, armed with the second new ball, produced a pacy out-swinger that squared up the burly right-hander and kissed the edge through to wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin.

It was the defining moment of the day, as the rest of the Pakistan batting never suggested permanence against Taylor's probing pace and Corey Collymore's nagging accuracy.

West Indies even managed to overcome the profligacy of three dropped chances on the first half hour.

Collymore was the unlucky bowler in three successive overs, as Shoaib Malik lived a charmed life.

Runako Morton and Brian Lara could be forgiven for their half-chances at gully and second slip. But Dwayne Bravo's miss at third slip was regulation.

Malik strolled to 42 off 62 balls before Bravo spectacularly made up for the earlier miss with a stunning left-handed grab at third slip.

The edge would probably have been pouched by Lara at second slip, but such is the self-belief of Bravo, in spite of his earlier miss, that he hurled himself horizontally to make the catch his own.

Kamran Akmal lashed three glorious boundaries in 17 off 12 balls.

Bravo catch

But Collymore quickly collected the dangerous wicketkeeper with another Bravo catch at third slip.

Taylor then returned to blast through the lower order. Shahid Nazir was late on an in-swinger and was palpably lbw, while another Bravo slip catch gave the fast bowler his second five-wicket haul in Tests.

The Pakistan collapse was sealed when Danish Kaneria was comically run out for a duck, seeking to allow Abdul Razzaq to keep the strike.

Collymore bowled unchanged for 2-1/4 hours and 15 consecutive overs, a spell rewarded with overall figures of two for 67.

West Indies began after lunch and Gayle survived a few anxious moments during the new-ball burst from Umar Gul and Shahid Nazir.

His first four boundaries were all uncertain strokes, two off the inside edge just past leg stump, and two off the outer part of the bat through slip to third man.

But he and Ganga, solid in defence throughout, built a solid foundation in adding 69 in 29 overs to tea.

Gayle, level with his partner on 34 at the break, soon motored ahead with a more forthright approach.

A glorious cover-driven boundary greeted Danish Kaneria and two more followed before he notched his half-century off 101 balls.

He celebrated his landmark with a pulled six and two fours in the opening over from Mohammad Hafeez.

Ganga too, began to flourish after the break and his off-side strokes were of the highest class.

He rocked onto the back foot to punish Kaneria, when the legs-spinner dropped short, and a number of attractive front-foot drives met Nazir on his return.

Ganga cracked nine boundaries off 179 deliveries in a shade under four hours.

Gayle closed within sight of his first Test century, since his monumental 317 against South Africa at St. John's last year, a span of 12 Tests and 23 innings.

The tall left-handed opener cracked 10 fours and a six off 163 balls.

Pakistan 1st innings

(Overnight: 263-4)

Inzamam-ul-Haq c Ramdin b Taylor