Tony Becca

The West Indies won the fourth one-day match against Pakistan on Wednesday in Multan, and with the score now reading 2-1 in Pakistan's favour with one match to go, the Windies have left themselves in with a chance of sharing the five-match contest.

If both teams are at full strength, and if the West Indies play well, the final match of the contest, scheduled for tomorrow (tonight local time), in Karachi, should be a thriller - as exciting as the first match which ended with Pakistan winning by two wickets.

If Pakistan, however, are not at full strength, as was the case on Wednesday when, in the absence of Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf and Inzamam-ul-Haq, Umar Gul, Danesh Kaneria and Abdur Rehman, they were without their three top batsmen and three of their best bowlers, it could be as easy for the West Indies in Karachi as it was in Multan.

In Multan, the West Indies won with 15.1 overs to spare, with seven wickets in hand, and walked away with a victory which, despite the absence of so many of Pakistan's top players, including their captain, has left the West Indies patting themselves on the back and talking about, not only that "the boys showed a lot of character", not only that "we just need to go into the next game with a positive frame of mind in order to win it", but also about a victory well deserved.

Golden opportunity

It was, however, nothing but an opportunity handed to the West Indies - an opportunity which they grabbed with both hands. Against such a team, defeat would have been embarrassing, and the fans would never have allowed the players to forget it.

Depending on what Pakistan's 11 will be tonight, this match, this final contest for a share of the spoils, will be the one which will show the character of the team.

The West Indies team, and particularly so because of their batsmen, are good enough to defeat this Pakistan team at their best - and especially so if they bat second.

And one reason for that is that apart from the presence of Chris Gayle - a deadly destroyer of bowlers, of Shivnarine Chanderpaul - a classy gatherer of runs, Brian Lara - one of the best batsmen of all time, and even Ramnaresh Sarwan who is still to fulfil his potential, the West Indies boast a batsman like Marlon Samuels.

On Tuesday, Samuels went to bat at number four with the West Indies on 11 for two after 2.5 overs chasing 210 for victory, and when the match was over with the West Indies on 212 for three off 34.5 overs, he was on 100 not out after smashing one six, after stroking 17 fours, and after facing 99 deliveries with the first 50 coming off 61 and the second off 39.

That, even against that bowling attack, was great going, and like his magnificent 108 not out off 75 deliveries against India in Vijayawada in 2002, underlined not only his quality as a batsman but also his class - a quality and a class that should have made him, by now, one of the top three batsmen in the West Indies team.

Samuels is a stroke player out of the top drawer, a batsman who many would walk miles to see in action.

Second hundred

The problem with Marlon Samuels is that after making his West Indies debut in 2000, one month short of his 20th birthday, after starting with such promise, Tuesday's century was only his second. In 78 one-day matches, Samuels has scored a mere 1,689 runs at an average of 28.62.

And, Samuels' Test record is no better and also disappointing - and definitely so for a batsman of his quality. In 23 Test matches, he has scored 1,044 runs with one century, 104 versus India at the Eden Gardens in 2002, at an average of 28.21.

Some may say that he sometimes bats too low in the order, and while that is true, or may be true, remembering that he started higher up the order, remembering that against South Africa in 2001 he was considered so good that he was given the privilege of batting at number three, ahead of Lara, Sarwan and Carl Hooper, it must be that he has been shunted up and down the order because of his own fault - his failure to make runs.

Samuels, for example, should be disappointed, not only that while Sarwan was considered a sure pick he was battling for a game, but also that one like Dwayne Smith and one like Runako Morton have been, in the past, selected over him.

Knowing how those close to West Indies cricket think of Samuels as a batsman, and how the selectors think of Samuels as a batsman, the reason for that is simply that he has not scored enough runs.

Samuels' one-day century before this one was against India way back in 2002, his only Test century was way back in 2002, his last one-day 50 was way back in 2003, and since his Test century, in 18 innings, his record shows three 50s, three times over 20, three times over 10, and nine times under 10.

Samuels is a class batsman, and there can be no question about that. A batsman's job, however, is to score runs, whatever the reason, that is where Samuels has been lacking, and hopefully he is now ready to perform - to train and practise so that he can perform, if not brilliantly all the time, certainly with a level of consistency.

With Gayle and Chanderpaul, Lara, Sarwan and Samuels firing, the West Indies, with Dwayne Bravo behind them, would be one hell of a team - especially when they bat second.