In recognition of his outstanding performance, which included taking 4/65 in the first innings and 5/50 in the second, Sajid Khan was named Player of the Match.
After a thrilling third day, Pakistan defeated the West Indies by 127 runs in the opening Test, gaining a 1-0 series lead. Sajid Khan, Noman Ali, and Abrar Ahmed, Pakistan’s spinners, were instrumental in the victory, which saw a total of 17 wickets fall in just two sessions.
Pakistan lost seven wickets for just 48 runs in their second innings after scoring 230 in the first. Jomel Warrican’s outstanding bowling performance helped the West Indies cut Pakistan to 157 all out, earning him career-best statistics of 7-32. Pakistan’s powerful first-innings advantage and spin attack were sufficient to secure the victory despite the collapse.
West Indies knew they had to attack in order to have any chance of winning, thus they started their quest for 251 runs in the second innings with an optimistic attitude. But Pakistan’s spinners, especially Sajid, found plenty of turn off the footmarks, so the breakthrough came early. With crucial dismissals, he reduced West Indies to 37-4 by first dismissing captain Kraigg Brathwaite and then Mikyle Louis and Kavem Hodge.
Just before lunch, Noman Ali, who hadn’t bowled in the opening hour, contributed with a wicket, putting the West Indies in a difficult position at 54-5. Alick Athanaze put up a strong fight for the West Indies after lunch, scoring 55 runs, the team’s lone half-century. However, his resistance was broken when Sajid bowled dismisses him with a straight delivery.
After being added to the attack, Abrar Ahmed had an instant impact by getting rid of Tevin Imlach with a lovely pass that clipped his outside edge. As the pressure increased, Abrar swiftly took two more wickets, including Kevin Sinclair, who was dismissed by a spectacular catch made by Salman Agha at first slip.
West Indies was on the verge of losing after Athanaze’s wicket, and Abrar gave Pakistan the victory when Jomel Warrican’s reverse sweep attempt struck the stumps.
Earlier, Pakistan had experienced a spectacular collapse in their second innings. The pressure from Warrican and the West Indian spinners caused the remainder of the batting order to collapse following a solid first-inning partnership between Saud Shakeel (84) and Mohammad Rizwan (71). Pakistan was bowled out for 157 in the second innings, and Warrican took his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket.
Pakistan’s spin combination of Sajid, Noman, and Abrar proved to be too strong for the West Indies, despite their batting difficulties. Abrar concluded with 4 for 27, Noman Ali finished with a wicket in the second innings, while Sajid grabbed 5 wickets for 50 runs. Pakistan obtained a well-earned victory after the West Indies were bowled out for just 123 in 36.3 overs, fading their campaign.
Pakistan led the series 1-0 at the end of the match, which had seen sharp changes in momentum, and the West Indies had a lot of work ahead of them in the second Test.
