MULTAN, Pakistan — On Day 2 of the first cricket Test match, the West Indies spinners took full advantage of the pitch conditions, dismissing Pakistan for a total of 230 just before lunch on Saturday.
Jomel Warrican, the left-arm spinner, was instrumental in this performance with figures of 3-69. Meanwhile, Kevin Sinclair contributed with 2-61, claiming crucial wickets that included Saud Shakeel (84) and Mohammad Rizwan (71). Pakistan faltered dramatically, losing their last six wickets for just 43 runs on a pitch that was clearly favorable for spin bowling.
Shakeel and Rizwan had put forth a solid fifth-wicket partnership, extending their collaboration to 141 runs after Pakistan resumed play at 143-4. However, the latter half of the session saw Pakistan collapsing as wickets fell rapidly.
Both Shakeel and Rizwan initially dominated the West Indies’ spin attack, but the turning point came shortly after the drinks break when Sinclair managed to induce an edge from Shakeel, ending their partnership.
Shakeel struck six boundaries off 157 balls and had been pivotal in reviving Pakistan’s innings, especially after the team had stumbled to a precarious 46-4 due to Jayden Seales’ (3-27) aggressive opening on Day 1.
Things went from bad to worse for Pakistan as they lost three wickets in rapid succession, plummeting to 200-8 as the spinners began to extract significant turn from the surface, with some deliveries keeping low.
Salman Ali Agha (2) attempted to play a back-foot shot off Warrican but ended up dragging the ball onto his stumps. Just one delivery later, Noman Ali was run out for no score following a misunderstanding with Rizwan.
Rizwan, who had hit nine boundaries during his impressive innings that lasted over three hours, eventually miscalculated Sinclair’s full-length delivery while attempting a reverse sweep and was out leg before wicket.
Sajid Khan (18) and Khurram Shahzad (7) added a modest 25 runs for the ninth wicket, which was the second-best partnership of the innings, before Warrican completed the innings by taking out both players in consecutive overs just before the lunch break.
At present, Pakistan and West Indies sit at the bottom of the World Test Championship standings, ranked eighth and ninth respectively, following a series of disappointing performances over the past year. Australia and South Africa have already secured their spots for the World Test Championship final scheduled from June 11-15 at Lord’s.
