Pakistan produced a strong batting response against the West Indies on the second day of the first Test at Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad. Captain Shan Masood played a confident unbeaten knock as the visitors reached 199 for three after restricting the hosts to 311 in their first innings.
Masood scored 88 runs and formed a crucial partnership with Imam-ul-Haq, who contributed 63 runs. Their performances helped Pakistan take control of the match after West Indies started the day in a strong position.
Pakistan Bowlers Fight Back Against West Indies
West Indies resumed their first innings at 194 for three but struggled against Pakistan’s bowling attack. Mohammad Ali led the visitors’ comeback by taking four wickets as Pakistani seamers improved significantly after an inconsistent opening day.
Kavem Hodge, who was unbeaten overnight, added only one more run before Khurram Shahzad dismissed him for 84. His wicket ended a 91-run partnership with Shai Hope and slowed West Indies’ progress.
Hope received a lifeline when Azan Awais dropped him at slip while he was on 51. However, Pakistan continued taking wickets during the morning session.
Mohammad Ali finally got his reward when he dismissed Justin Greaves, with Salman Ali Agha taking the catch. Later, West Indies captain Roston Chase and Kemar Roach also returned to the pavilion cheaply.
The hosts lost their final five wickets for just 54 runs. Mohammad Ali completed his four-wicket haul after removing the lower order, including Shai Hope, who missed a century by eight runs.
Masood and Imam Build Strong Partnership
Pakistan’s batting innings faced an early setback when Azan Awais fell to Kemar Roach. However, Masood and Imam responded with an impressive 155-run second-wicket partnership.
The left-handed pair attacked loose deliveries and punished inconsistent bowling from West Indies. Their partnership came at almost a run-a-ball during a challenging afternoon under intense heat.
Masood, who recently lost the captaincy after Pakistan’s series defeat in Bangladesh, showed confidence throughout his innings. He survived a few close moments but maintained control and reached 88 runs from 137 deliveries, including 11 boundaries.
Imam also played a composed innings and scored seven fours from 102 balls.
“My main focus was to leave the ball well and I was just waiting for them (the bowlers) to come in my zone to score runs, and luckily enough it turned out to be my day,” said Imam-ul-Haq.
West Indies Take Late Wickets
West Indies fought back in the final session through Shamar Joseph and Jayden Seales. Joseph removed Imam-ul-Haq, while Seales dismissed Babar Azam before bad light ended play.
Babar, who returned as captain for the short series, fell after scoring a valuable contribution for Pakistan. Meanwhile, Salman Ali Agha remained unbeaten alongside Masood at the close of play.
Pakistan ended the second day in a strong position with seven wickets remaining. The visitors will look to build a significant first-innings lead when play resumes on day three.
