Abdullah Shafique and spinners played a key role in the visitors’ much-needed win
Pakistan wrapped up an emphatic eight-wicket victory over the West Indies in the second Test on Wednesday, with Abdullah Shafique and captain Babar Azam guiding the visitors to a comfortable chase of 75 runs to level the two-match series 1-1 in Trinidad.
Shafique and Babar remained not our on 24 each.
After conceding a 43-run lead, the West Indies resumed their second innings at 103-6, and we’re folded for 117. Left-arm spinner Ali Usman took 4-39.
Pakistan then chased the target after losing two wickets in the process.
The result completed Pakistan’s recovery after suffering a 90-run defeat in the opening Test and denied the West Indies their first home series win over Pakistan in years.
Pakistan’s pursuit was not without early nerves.
Experienced opener Imam-ul-Haq fell for nine in the fifth over with only 15 runs on the board, giving the hosts an early breakthrough.
Shafique then steadied the innings alongside emerging opener Azan Awais, who contributed 18 as the pair added 27 runs for the second wicket before Shamar Joseph bowled the youngster.
Babar joined Shafique with Pakistan still requiring 45 runs, but the experienced pair adopted a patient approach to guide the visitors safely to their target without further alarm.
The victory was built on Pakistan’s dominant bowling display on the third day, when their spin attack dismantled the West Indies batting lineup on a deteriorating pitch.
After Pakistan posted 387 in their first innings, the hosts slumped to 103-6 by stumps on day three, holding a lead of just 60 runs as the visitors tightened their grip on the contest.
Off-spinner Sajid Khan starred with four wickets in the second innings after also making a valuable contribution with the bat, while left-arm spinner Ali Usman claimed two wickets, including the prized scalp of West Indies captain Roston Chase with the final ball of the day.
Earlier, Shafique produced the innings that laid the foundation for Pakistan’s victory with a marathon 160 not out, rescuing the visitors after they squandered a commanding overnight position.
Pakistan resumed on 266-2, well placed to surpass West Indies’ first-innings total of 344, but suffered a dramatic collapse after the dismissal of Babar.
The Pakistan captain, who resumed on 86, added only two runs before being run out attempting a risky single. Sent back by Shafique, Babar was left stranded as Brandon King hit the stumps directly from point.
King remained on the ground after completing the run-out and was later stretchered off with what was diagnosed as back spasms.
Babar’s dismissal triggered a collapse, with Pakistan losing three wickets for just five runs as Jomel Warrican and Shamar Joseph struck in quick succession.
Shafique, however, held firm, sharing a 59-run seventh-wicket partnership with Sajid before the latter departed for 30.
The left-handed Warrican then wrapped up the innings in dramatic fashion, taking three wickets in four deliveries to finish with outstanding figures of 6-112, leaving Shafique stranded at the non-striker’s end after a career-defining knock.
The opener occupied the crease for more than seven-and-a-half hours, facing 323 balls and striking 15 fours and three sixes in one of the finest innings of his Test career.
“Jomel was really excellent for us today, staying at the stumps and finishing off the innings well,” West Indies bowling coach Ravi Rampaul said after the innings.
“At this stage though, and given the way the pitch is playing, if we can somehow push the lead to 150 we would have a chance.”
Instead, Pakistan’s spinners seized control as Sajid ripped through the West Indies middle order, dismissing Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Amir Jangoo, Shai Hope and nightwatchman Jayden Seales, while Ali Usman consistently troubled the batters on a surface offering sharp turn and uneven bounce.
The collapse left the West Indies with only a modest target to defend, and Pakistan’s composed chase ensured the visitors finished the series on level terms.