PAK vs WI 2024/25, PAK vs WI 1st Test Match Report, 17 – 21 January 2025

Tea West Indies 137 (Warrican 31*, Seales 22, Noman 5-39, Sajid 4-65) runs Pakistan 230 all out (Shakeel 84, Rizwan 71, Seales 3-27) by 93 runs

Sajid started the dismantling in just his second over when he cleaned up Mikyle Louis and Keacy Carty off consecutive balls, the latter thanks to a superb slip catch from debutant Muhammad Hurraira. By the end of his third over, he had four wickets as the West Indies floundered, unable to either defend or attack against an unfailingly accurate spin duo.

Noman Ali joined in the fun. It would be the first of five for the left-hander, who was starting to get huge rips off barely formed footprints.

As the innings progressed, the West Indies started to adopt a more belligerent outlook and tried to cheat some runs along the way. But there was limited consecutiveness – several batters pulled it on their stumps – before the last two partnerships. Gudakesh Motie and Warrican started playing warlike shots, Warrican used the back of the bat with reverse sweeps a handful of times.

However, the final partnership was the only period in which the West Indies really dominated the spinners and they connected cleanly as they smashed both spinners over the cow corner for several sixes. It forced Pakistan to challenge Abrar Ahmed for the first time as the pair plundered 46 off 21 balls. It would be Abrar who picked up the final wicket as Seales failed to collect a googly and miscued it straight up as Mohammad Rizwan took the catch, ending the brief resistance.

In the morning session, West Indies took four wickets for 13 runs to trigger a Pakistani collapse after Saud Shakeel and Rizwan put on 141 runs for the fifth wicket to leave Pakistan two wickets away at the end of the innings. The pair had begun with the same authority with which they ended the fourth day, but when Kevin Sinclair caught Shakeel 16 short of a fifth Test hundred, Pakistan’s resistance melted away. Only a powerful back-row partnership between Sajid Khan and Khurram Shahzad prevented the West Indies from running even faster through the innings, but Pakistan were still bowled out for 230 in an instant at lunch.

West Indies began the day sticking to disciplined tight lines, at one point conceding six runs in seven overs as Seales and Warrican locked in. in danger of being shut out of the game.

But the first ball after drinks brought joy to the West Indies. Sinclair lured Shakeel forward before grabbing it and taking his edge. As if it had been forgotten, the pitch suddenly started reminding everyone how hostile it could be to batsmen against quality spin as the ball hissed and spat off the surface. Salman Agha was deceived on the run from Warrican to pull out before Pakistan imploded. A bizarre mix-up between Rizwan and Noman saw the wicketkeeper turn his back on Noman to leave him struggling unsuccessfully to return to the non-striker’s end, before a reverse sweep off the next delivery ended his own innings, a sharp West Indian review concluded from Rizwan’s innings for 71.

It was only an entertaining stand from Sajid and Shahzad that saw a few more runs flow for Pakistan before the innings petered out. Sajid launched Sinclair over the cow corner for six amid a light shower as Pakistan added 25 quickfire runs. But Warrican bounced back to end the innings, making short work of both as they took 6 wickets for 43 in a session of two halves. It was a harbinger of a middle session where the wicket-taking would continue unabated.