- Pakistan wins the toss, and chooses to bat first.
- West Indian Seales take three wickets.
- Masoud scores 11 before the early expulsion.
MULTAN: The play on the first day of the first Test between Pakistan and West Indies ended abruptly due to poor lighting as Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel continued to bat after the visiting team’s Jayden Seales was dismissed for three hits on Friday.
Earlier, Pakistan chose to bat first after winning the toss.
The draw, which was scheduled to take place at nine in the morning, was delayed for hours due to heavy fog in the city. It was finally shown at 1 p.m.
Play began and Jayden Sills scored three times against Pakistan on a pitch made specifically for spin, but it was the bowler who sent debutant Mohammad Hurairah, Kamran Ghulam and Babar Azam backwards to put Pakistan at 46-4 before Rizwan and Saud took control.
Radwan and Saud batted steadily and finished today’s match with scores of 51 and 56, respectively.
Play had to be stopped suddenly due to poor lighting and a few moments later, stumps were announced.
Pakistan will begin batting tomorrow with the scoreboard indicating 143-4.
Pakistan are aiming to end the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 on a winning note. The second Test will also be conducted at the same venue from January 25.
West Indies, playing a Test match in Pakistan for the first time since December 2006, are currently placed at the bottom of the ICC World Test Championship table. In the recent Test series between the two sides here, PCB Hall of Fame player Inzamam-ul-Haq led the home team to a 2-0 victory in the three-match Test series.
The Green Shirts and Men in Maroon last faced each other in the red-ball format in 2021 in the West Indies, where the two-match series was tied 1-1.
Shan Masood’s Pakistan will be looking to win its second successive home series after beating England 2-1 in October 2024.
The men in Green’s 15-member squad underwent three days of intense training, while the team led by Craig Brathwaite trained for two days at the picturesque Multan Cricket Ground. The touring team also took part in a three-day friendly match against Pakistan Shaheenz at Islamabad FC in Islamabad last week.
The home team consists of three players who have never played for their national team – Kashif Ali (right-arm fast bowler), Mohammad Hurairah (right-arm batsman), Raheel Nazir (wicket-keeper batsman), while Abrar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Ali and R. Sajid Khan was called into the side.
Abrar and Sajid need 11 and six wickets respectively to complete 50 wickets each.
In his remarks, Shan said that it was their last Test series in the current ICC World Test Championship tournament and they would like to end it on a winning note.
He added that every match like this carries great importance, and they were committed to doing everything in their power to end the season with an unforgettable victory.
“The West Indies are a good team with a lot of talented players. They bring a unique style to the game, and we know they will push us hard. Test cricket is about adapting to challenges, and as a team, we are ready to respond to anything that comes our way.”
“The win over England at home gave us a lot of confidence and momentum. We are fully focused on putting in strong performances and moving forward with a winning spirit.”
Brathwaite, the West Indies Test captain, said they are very excited to be here in Pakistan. He emphasized that he personally had not come to Pakistan before and probably the majority of the players were also touring for the first time and were really looking forward to doing well in the series. He said that Pakistan is a strong team at home, so they are looking to perform well in these conditions.
“The performance of our team will be absolutely crucial here and obviously getting runs on the board is important but getting 20 wickets will be key to winning the Test match.
