Sublime Lara builds Windies lead

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A sensational unbeaten 196 from Brian Lara helped the West Indies build a 152-run lead against Pakistan on day three of the second Test in Multan.

The Windies skipper became the fifth batsman to score a Test century before lunch, reaching 100 off just 77 balls.

He and Dwayne Bravo (89) shared a 200-run partnership to help the tourists reach 509-5 by the close.

Bravo fell late on to spinner Danish Kaneria, who had earlier removed Chris Gayle (93) and Daren Ganga (82).

However, the leg-spinner could do little to contain Lara, who hit seven sixes and 21 fours in his 230-ball innings, having made the ninth-fastest century in history before lunch.

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Cricket historians record a century before lunch as one where a batsman goes from nought to 100 in the morning session.

It is the second time the feat has been recorded in Pakistan - the first was by Majid Khan against New Zealand at Karachi in 1976.

Lara was particularly explosive against Kaneria in the morning, hitting the leg-spinner for 60 off 29 balls.

That was after Kaneria had got the hosts off to a fine start, trapping Gayle on the back foot in the fifth over.

But Lara, 37, set about Pakistan's lead with some ferocious hitting as Runako Morton and Shivnarine Chanderpaul were reduced to cameo innings.

The former fell for five, while Shahid Nazir snared the prized wicket of Chanderpaul, who was caught at mid-on for 14 to dampen the celebrations of his 100th Test appearance.

However, the afternoon and evening sessions brought little but frustration for the hosts as Lara and Bravo took the Windies past Pakistan's first-innings total of 357.

It might have been a different story had Imran Farhat not dropped Lara on 131, while wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal missed a legside catch when the West Indies captain was on 181.

However, the pair survived until Bravo, who himself was dropped on 79, eventually fell 11 runs short of his third Test hundred, edging to Younis Khan at slip.

Lara saw out the final overs alongside Denesh Ramdin, though, to keep the Windies in a commanding position.

Highest scores before lunch in a Test: 103 Victor Trumper (104) Aust v Eng at Manchester 1902 112 CG Macartney (151) Aust v Eng at Leeds 1926 105 Donald Bradman (334) Aust v Eng at Leeds 1930 108 Majid Khan (108) Pak v NZ at Karachi 1976 100 Brian Lara (not out) WI v Pak at Multan 2006