West Indies Earn Slim Lead Over Pakistan In 2nd Multan Test After Noman Hat Trick – Sports

West Indies took a slender nine-run lead over Pakistan on Saturday as spinners dominated the opening day of the second Test in Multan, with Noman Ali claiming a hat-trick for the home side.

Jomel Warrican took 4-43 and Gudakesh Motie 3-49 as Pakistan were bowled out for 154 at the close and replied to the West Indies first innings total of 163.

Left-armer Noman became the first Pakistan spinner to register a Test hat-trick during his 6-41 as the West Indies were bowled out at lunch in 41.1 overs, having won the toss and struggled.

But the visitors hit back with a blitz of their own as 16 wickets fell to spinners – the most of that type of bowling on the opening day of a Test.

The previous record was 14 between England and South Africa at Leeds in 1907.

Only Mohammad Rizwan (49) and Saud Shakeel (32) battled home with confidence and added 68 for the fifth wicket before Pakistan slumped from 119-4 to 154 all out—losing the last six wickets for 35 runs.

Fast bowler Kemar Roach dismissed openers Muhammad Hurraira (nine) and Shan Masood (15), while Motie sent back Babar Azam (one) and Kamran Ghulam (16) to leave Pakistan on 51-4.

In the session after tea, Shakeel was smartly caught in the deep by Roach—which hurt his groin but ended the catch—while Rizwan was stumped, both falling to Warrican.

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Motie had Salman Agha for nine while last man Kashif Ali was run out without scoring.

Earlier, West Indies were left reeling at 7-38 with Sajid Khan 2-64 and Noman doing the damage.

It could have been worse for the tourists had Motie, who top scored with a career-best 55-not out, added a priceless 68 runs for the last wicket with Warrican scoring 36 not out with two sixes.

Motie also added 41 for the ninth wicket with Roach (25) to delay the lunch break before Noman grabbed the last two wickets for his eighth five-wicket haul in an innings.

Pakistan employed the same spin-heavy tactics that saw them to a 127-run win in the first Test – also in Multan – with the ball spinning from the first over.

Noman came on to bowl as the first change and caught West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite leg before for nine to stage a collapse that saw the tourists slump from 32-2 to 38-8 off just 14 deliveries.

Noman dismissed Justin Greaves for one, then Tevin Imlach and Kevin Sinclair off successive deliveries to become the fifth Pakistan bowler to grab a Test hat-trick.

Fast bowlers Wasim Akram (two hat-tricks against Sri Lanka in 1999), Abdul Razzaq (against Sri Lanka in 2000), Mohammad Sami (also against Sri Lanka, in 2002) and Naseem Shah (Against Bangladesh in 2020) achieved the feat for Pakistan earlier.