Spinner Jomel Warrican took five wickets as the West Indies won a Test match in Pakistan for the first time in nearly 35 years.

The West Indies won the second Test in Multan by 120 runs on day three to draw the series 1-1.

Pakistan triumphed in the first Test by 127 runs, also in Multan.

Warrican finished with nine wickets in the match, 19 in the series, to give the hosts a taste of their own medicine on sharply spinning pitches.

The last time the West Indies won a Test in Pakistan was in Faisalabad in November 1990, having gone winless on their 1997 and 2006 tours.

Resuming on 76-4 and chasing 254, Pakistan’s hopes of victory rested on Saud Shakeel but Kevin Sinclair had the left-hander caught in the slip for 13 to further dent the home team’s fading chances.

Babar Azam top-scored with 31 while Mohammad Rizwan made 25 as Pakistan were bundled out for 133.

Warrican bowled nightwatchman Kashif Ali with a straighter one for one, leaving Pakistan in tatters at 76-6.

Rizwan added 39 for the seventh wicket with Salman Ali Agha before Warrican dismissed Salman lbw for 15 and bowled Rizwan to bring the tourists within two wickets of victory.

Gudakesh Motie, who took 2-35, removed Noman Ali for six while Warrican deservedly took the last wicket, bowling Sajid Khan for seven to seal the victory.

The defeat sent Pakistan crashing to ninth and last in the World Test Championship table while the West Indies finished eighth.

Title-holders Australia face South Africa in the WTC final at Lord’s in June.

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Kevin Sinclair led a West Indian spin trio to give the tourists a sniff of a series-levelling win in the second Test on Sunday with Pakistan on the ropes at 76-4 after day two in Multan.

Captain Kraigg Brathwaite hit a half-century as the West Indies scored 244 in their second innings to set the hosts a daunting 254-run target on a spinning Multan Stadium pitch.

At stumps Saud Shakeel was unbeaten on 13 and nightwatchman Kashif Ali on one. The West Indies need only six more wickets to draw the series 1-1.

Pakistan need 178 runs for victory. They won the first Test by 127 runs, also in Multan.

Sinclair (2-41) opened the floodgates by trapping Pakistan captain Shan Masood lbw for two and then had the prized wicket of Babar Azam caught for a dour 31.

Azam had added 43 with Kamran Ghulam, who was dropped twice, on two and six, but the lapses did not prove costly to the West Indies.

Gudakesh Motie had Muhammad Hurraira for two and Jomel Warrican dismissed Ghulam for 19.

The day saw 14 wickets fall, after 20 on day one.

“Our captain set the stage and infused confidence in the batters to follow,” Warrican said of Brathwaite. “We have the confidence to pull off this victory, which would be a big win in these challenging conditions.”

“There is nothing impossible in this game,” said spinner Sajid Khan. “Shakeel has batted well on such pitches and then we have other batters also, so if we have that belief then we can score the required runs.”

In the morning opener Brathwaite led the fight for the visitors with a gritty 52.

The last four wickets added an invaluable 99 runs before the tourists were dismissed for 244 in their second innings at tea.

Left-arm spinner Noman Ali finished with 4-80, 10 wickets in the match, while partner Sajid took 4-76, six in the match.

The West Indies were 129-5 at lunch when Noman dismissed Alick Athanaze for six, before the visitors put up a fight that could prove decisive.

Tevin Imlach scored 35 and Sinclair 28 to boost their team’s lead during a stubborn stand of 51 for the seventh wicket, before Sajid accounted for Sinclair and Motie for 18.

Pacer Kashif had Imlach but the last pair of Warrican and Kemar Roach took the total past 240, before Sajid had Warrican caught for 18.

Earlier, Brathwaite led the way with two sixes and four boundaries in his 31st Test half-century.

Noman broke a solid 50-run opening stand by dismissing Mikyle Louis for seven after the tourists started their second innings in the morning.

Brathwaite overturned two lbw decisions against him before he was stumped by Mohammad Rizwan off Noman.

Debutant Amir Jangoo also batted well for his 30 with three boundaries, before Sajid had him caught in the slips by Salman Agha.

Kavem Hodge was stumped by Rizwan off Noman for 15 as the West Indies slumped from 92-1 to 129-5.

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The West Indies gained a slender nine-run lead over Pakistan as the spinners dominated the opening day of the second Test in Multan, with Noman Ali achieving a hat-trick for the hosts.

Jomel Warrican took 4-43 and Gudakesh Motie 3-49 as Pakistan were bowled out for 154 at the close, replying 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 the stroke of lunch in 41.1 overs, having won the toss and batted.

But the visitors hit back with a blitz of their own as 16 wickets fell to spinners, the most by 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) batted with confidence for the home side, adding 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 at 51-4.

In the post-tea session, Shakeel was smartly caught in the deep by Roach, who hurt his groin but completed the catch, while Rizwan was stumped, both falling to Warrican.

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

Earlier, the West Indies were left reeling at 38-7 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 added an invaluable 68 runs for the last wicket with Warrican, who scored 36* 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 which earned them a 127-run win in the first Test, with the ball turning from the first over.

Noman came on to bowl as the first change, and trapped West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite lbw for nine to spark a collapse which 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 previously.

Off-spinner Sajid dismissed debutant Amir Jangoo and Alick Athanaze while Abrar Ahmed accounted for Kavem Hodge for 21.

Debutant pacer Kashif had Mikyle Louis for four in his first over.

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Pakistan have gone for a spin bowling attack as they seek a clean sweep against the West Indies in the second Test starting on Saturday.

Pakistan completed a 127-run win inside three days in the opening Test, with spinners Sajid Khan taking nine wickets, Noman Ali six and Abrar Ahmed five for their third straight win at home.

West Indies left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican also grabbed a career-best 7-32 as 34 of the 40 wickets in the match went to spinners.

The second Test will also be played on a dry and grassless pitch in the central city of Multan.

Former Pakistan players and analysts hit out at the spin-heavy strategy, saying the team would struggle on away tours where pitches may not be as conducive to spin.

Aaqib, a fast bowler from an era dominated by the great pacemen Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, insisted the spin assault would continue.

“We found that the West Indies have a weakness in dealing with the spin bowling, so we exploited that and will do that again,” Aaqib told a news conference on Friday.

West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite had no qualms about Pakistan’s tactics.

“Pakistan are playing at home and if they believe spinning pitches are their strength then that’s fine and that’s how cricket is played,” Brathwaite said. “I have played on pitches which took turn from day one but not like this, which had cracks from day one.”

The West Indies will be without injured pace bowler Jayden Seales, who took three wickets in the first match and will be replaced by the experienced Kemar Roach.

Pakistan are unlikely to make any changes.

Brathwaite said his batsmen need more faith after the first Test, in which his team managed just 137 and 123 in their two innings, with Alick Athanaze the only one to reach a half century.

“It was a difficult pitch to bat in the last game,” Brathwaite said. “I would say you need to believe in your plan from ball one and not think of the third or fourth ball.”

Pakistan are eighth and the West Indies ninth and last on the World Test Championship table.

Another victory in Multan could see the hosts rise to seventh.

Pakistan were forced to make radical changes last year after losing the first of three Tests against England, their 11th straight home Test without a win.

The Aaqib-led selection panel dropped out-of-form batsman Babar Azam and rested pace spearheads Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah.

The tactics worked on the spin-friendly pitches in Rawalpindi and Pakistan went on to win the series 2-1.

“If we had taken these decisions earlier we would have been in the race for World Test Championship final,” Aaqib said.

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Spinner Sajid Khan took five wickets and Abrar Ahmed another four to guide Pakistan to a 127-run win on the third day of the first Test against the West Indies in Multan.

Sajid took 5-50 for match figures of 9-115, while leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed snared 4-27 as the West Indies were dismissed for 123, falling well short of their victory target of 251.

Pakistan’s spinners took all the wickets in the West Indies’ second innings, with Noman Ali chipping in with 1-42, as the home side took an early advantage in the two-Test series.

Left-handed batsman Alick Athanaze hit 55, the only half-century of the match for the tourists, and added 41 runs for the sixth wicket with Tevin Imlach.

Sajid removed the dangerous Athanaze, while Abrar’s haul included the final wicket of Jomel Warrican.

Left-armer Warrican had led the spin attack for the tourists with a career-best 7-32 as Pakistan were bowled out for 157 in their second innings.

They were also the best figures by a West Indian bowler in Pakistan, topping fast bowler Malcolm Marshall’s 5-33 at Lahore in 1986.

The Test lasted fewer than eight sessions, with the start delayed on the first day by poor visibility.

The Multan pitch provided sharp turn, with Sajid taking the wickets of skipper Kraigg Brathwaite (12), Keacy Carty (six), Kavem Hodge (nought) and Mikyle Louis (13).

Noman then trapped Justin Greaves leg lbw for nine in the last over before lunch, leaving the tourists tottering on 54-5.

Pakistan had resumed earlier on 109-3 but managed to add just 48 runs.

Warrican’s nagging line and length earned him match figures of 10-101, his first 10-wicket match haul.

He dismissed overnight batsman Saud Shakeel for two with the first ball of the day and then had Mohammad Rizwan for the same score in his next over.

Warrican continued the demolition act with the wickets of Kamran Ghulam (27), Noman (nine) and Sajid (five).

The second match starts on 25 January, also in Multan.

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Spin wizards Noman Ali and Sajid Khan guided Pakistan to a strong position against the West Indies after another spin-dominated day’s play in the opening Test in Multan.

The pair shared nine wickets between them to dismiss the West Indies for a paltry 137 in reply to the home team’s 230 all out earlier on day two.

By the close, Pakistan had stretched the 93-run lead to 202 by scoring 109-3 in their second innings, with Kamran Ghulam and Saud Shakeel batting on nine and two respectively when bad light ended play 25 minute before time.

Left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican (2-17) dismissed Muhammad Hurraira for 29 after an opening stand of 67 and Babar Azam for a second failure, trapped lbw for five.

Skipper Shan Masood look solid for his 52, hitting two sixes and two fours, before Warrican ran him out after attempting a quick single.

The dry and grassless Multan pitch has already produced 22 wickets in six sessions even though two-and-a-half hours were lost on day one, and another 30 minutes on Saturday, because of poor visibility.

Noman grabbed 5-39 for his seventh five-wicket haul in Tests, while Sajid finished with 4-65 to dismiss the West Indies after lunch in a first innings that lasted just 25.2 overs.

Noman and Sajid, who shared 39 of the 40 wickets in the last two Tests against England in Pakistan’s 2-1 series win last year, were once again unplayable.

Sajid opened the bowling and removed Mikyle Louis (one), Keacy Carty (nought), Kraigg Brathwaite (11) and Kavem Hodge (four) in his first three overs.

Noman then further jolted the tourists with another four wickets to leave them on 66-8.

The tailenders showed more resistance, with No 10 batsman Warrican unbeaten on 31, with Gudakesh Motie adding 19 and Jayden Seales the last wicket to fall for 22.

Seales hit three sixes before holing out off spinner Abrar Ahmed.

Earlier, Warrican took 3-69 as Pakistan lost their last six wickets for 43 runs after resuming at 143-4.

Saud Shakeel top-scored for Pakistan with 84 off 157 deliveries, including six boundaries, while keeper Mohammad Rizwan added 71.

Shakeel added an invaluable 141 for the fifth wicket with Rizwan, lifting Pakistan from a precarious 46-4 on day one.

Kevin Sinclair sparked the Pakistan batting collapse by taking Shakeel’s wicket with the first ball after drinks.

He then trapped Rizwan lbw off a missed reverse sweep, the original decision of not out overturned on review. Rizwan’s 133-ball stay included nine boundaries.

Sajid hit a boundary and a six in a rapid-fire 18 before he was bowled by Warrican on the stroke of lunch to end Pakistan’s innings.

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Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan helped Pakistan fight back from a poor start in the first Test against the West Indies to reach 143-4 at the close of a fog-hit opening day.

When bad light ended play with just 41.3 overs bowled, Shakeel was unbeaten on 56 for his ninth half-century, while Rizwan was 51* for his 11th.

The pair added 97 after coming together with Pakistan in trouble at 46-4.

The left-right combination of Shakeel and Rizwan negotiated the three-spinner West Indies attack with confidence after fast bowler Jayden Seales initially left the home team struggling.

Sensing the dry and grassless Multan Stadium pitch will be tough for batting on the last two days, and with spin set to play a major role, the home team opted to bat after winning the toss.

But play was delayed owing to early morning fog compounded by poor air quality, resulting in poor visibility and wiping out the first session.

Shakeel has so far cracked four boundaries while Rizwan has seven.

Seales finished with 3-21 off 10 overs.

Both teams started with three spinners and just one frontline fast bowler, and the tourists opened the bowling with left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie alongside Seales.

It was Seales who provided the breakthrough, forcing an edge off debutant Muhammad Hurraira to wicketkeeper Tevin Imlach in the sixth over. Hurraira scored six.

Three overs later, Motie dismissed Masood off a faint edge to the wicketkeeper for 11 before Seales trapped Kamran Ghulam lbw with a sharp incoming delivery for five.

It became 46-4 when Babar Azam edged Seales behind the wicket for eight, continuing a poor run of scores at home from Pakistan’s premier batsman.

The two-match series is part of the World Test Championship’s third cycle (2023-2025). Pakistan currently rank eighth and the West Indies ninth and last.

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Pakistan will look to formidable spin duo Noman Ali and Sajid Khan to torment the visitors when the West Indies play their first Test series in the country in 19 years from Friday.

Pakistan capitalised on home advantage when England came in October, tailoring pitches for slow bowling to snap a painful winless streak with a 2-1 victory.

Noman and Sajid played starring roles and are joined in the squad by Abrar Ahmed, hinting at a three-pronged spin assault in the two-match series in Multan.

The West Indies last toured Pakistan in 2006, before a militant attack on the visiting Sri Lanka team three years later scared off international sides.

Andre Coley is in charge of a West Indies team which has won only two of its last 13 Tests, before he hands over the reins to white-ball coach Daren Sammy in April.

“It’s a new series, a new opportunity,” Coley told reporters as the team arrived last week. “When you talk about Test cricket, it’s not only the opposition’s skill that provides tests, but the different conditions, different environments and different game situations.”

Pakistan selectors delivered victory against England by taking the bold decision to drop ace batsman Babar Azam and pace pair Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah.

Left-arm spinner Noman and off-spinner Sajid shared 39 of 40 England wickets on pitches baked with patio heaters and dried with fans, clinching the series after losing the first match.

“We bounced back well against England,” said captain Shan Masood of a series that salvaged his reputation after Pakistan lost their first six matches under his captaincy.

“With backs against the wall we did well. We need to learn how to land the first punch,” he said after his team suffered a 2-0 defeat in South Africa last week.

Azam has regained his place but Shaheen and Naseem remain out in a bid to manage their workloads.

Opener Saim Ayub is suffering from a calf injury sustained in South Africa and his partner Abdullah Shafique is dropped because of poor form, leaving the door open for the return of experienced Imam-ul-Haq.

To match Pakistan’s spin attack, the West Indies will deploy left-armers Gudakesh Motie and Jomel Warrican, as well as Kevin Sinclair.

Kemar Roach will head the pace attack in the absence of Shamar Joseph – out with a shin injury – and Alzarri Joseph who has opted to play T20 cricket in the UAE.

The second Test starts 25 January, with the series deciding which team will finish bottom of the World Test Championship table.

Pakistan currently rank eighth and the West Indies ninth and last.

South Africa and Australia have already qualified for June’s WTC final at Lord’s despite Australia’s shock loss to the West Indies in Brisbane last year.

Pakistan squad: Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Kashif Ali, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan, Noman Ali, Rohail Nazir, Sajid Khan, Salman Agha.

West Indies squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Joshua Da Silva, Alick Athanaze, Keacy Carty, Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach, Amir Jangoo, Mikyle Louis, Gudakesh Motie, Anderson Phillip, Kemar Roach, Kevin Sinclair, Jayden Seales, Jomel Warrican,

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Jaker Ali’s blistering unbeaten 72 highlighted a dominant Bangladesh effort as the visitors thrashed the West Indies by 80 runs in the third and final T20I to sweep the series 3-0 at the Arnos Vale Stadium in St Vincent on Thursday.

Benefiting from a huge reprieve when he thought he had been run out on 18, the attacking right-hander took heavy toll of an uninspired Caribbean team, belting six sixes and three fours off just 41 balls to pace his side to a challenging 189-7 after captain Litton Das opted to bat first.

Beaten in the first two low-scoring matches at the same venue, the West Indies were never in the hunt for a consolation victory after losing Brandon King to the second delivery of their reply and were eventually bundled out for 109 off 16.4 overs.

All-rounder Romario Shepherd top-scored with 33.

Wrist-spinner Rishad Hossain led the rout with 3-21 while there were two wickets each for fellow spinner Mahedi Hasan, the Man of the Series, and seamer Taskin Ahmed, who had the distinction of starting the slide when the trapped King lbw and then sealed victory by bowling local hero Obed McCoy.

Debutant opener Parvez Hossain Emon, playing in the absence of the injured Soumya Sarkar, set the tone for the Bangladesh innings with 39 off 21 balls before Man of the Match Jaker took over the show with a display typical of his uninhibited batting style.

However, it could all have been very different had the on-field run out decision against him stood following a terrible mix-up with Shamim Hossain. A fuming Jaker, believing that a second run was always on, could not disguise his rage when Shamim opted to return to the striker’s end and bowler Roston Chase effected the dismissal.

Yet even as he continued to vent his frustration in the dressing room, television replays showed he had made his ground at the striker’s end just before his partner returned to safety, meaning that Shamim was the man eventually on his way back to the pavilion.

All was forgiven at the end of the innings, though, as Shamim was first to embrace his teammate after his power-hitting drained any enthusiasm left in a deflated West Indies side.

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The West Indies wrapped up a clean sweep of their ODI series with Bangladesh on Thursday as Amir Jangoo became just the second West Indian to score a hundred on ODI debut. (more…)