Pakistan vs West Indies, 2nd Test Day 3: West Indies defeated Pakistan by 120 runs© AFP

Pakistan vs West Indies, 2nd Test Day 2, Live Score Updates© AFP

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 West Indies in Multan on Sunday. Sajid took 5-50 for match figures of 9-115, while leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed snared 4-27 as West Indies were dismissed for 123, falling well short of their victory target of 251. Pakistan’s spinners took all the wickets in 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 batter 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 the best figures by a West Indian bowler in Pakistan, topping fast bowler Malcolm Marshall’s 5-33 at Lahore in 1986.

Pakistan captain Shan Masood praised his spinners but said he wanted to see an improvement in the side’s batting.

“The spinners were clinical and Abrar along with Noman and Sajid was great,” Masood said.

“Batting was tough on this pitch but we still need to add more runs with the last few wickets and there are improvements to be made.”

His beaten counterpart Kraigg Brathwaite wanted West Indies’ batters to believe in their abilities.

“The batters didn’t play as well as they should have,” Brathwaite said.

“We saw how Alick played so we just have to be brave. We have got one more Test and we have to believe in ourselves.”

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 Brathwaite (12), Keacy Carty (six), Kavem Hodge (0) and Mikyle Louis (13).

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

Noman took 5-39 in the first innings. He and Sajid took 39 of the 40 wickets in the last two Tests against England in Pakistan’s 2-1 series win last year.

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 batter 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 with the wickets of Kamran Ghulam (27), Noman (nine) and Sajid (five).

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

Pakistan vs West Indies 1st Test Day 3, Live Score Updates© AFP

Pakistan vs West Indies 1st Test Day 2, LIVE Scorecard Updates© AFP

Pak vs WI 1st Test Live Streaming And Live Telecast: When, Where To Watch© AFP

Team West Indies in action© AFP

West Indies vs South Africa, 2nd Test, Live Score Updates© AFP

Alick Athanaze missed out on a maiden Test century but played the key role in ensuring the safety of a draw for the West Indies against South Africa on the final day of the rain-affected first Test of a two-match series at Queen’s Park Oval on Sunday. Set the unlikely victory target of 298 after the Proteas declared their second innings at 173 for three just before lunch, Atahanze’s determined 92 and a fifth-wicket partnership of 65 with Jason Holder (31 not out) guided the hosts from the discomfort of 127 for four just after tea to 201 for five at the end of play.

As in the first innings, Keshav Maharaj presented the greatest threat to the hosts, the left-arm orthodox spinner claiming four for 88 to finish with match figures of eight for 164.

Coming to the crease with the West Indies in trouble at 18 for two just after lunch due to early strikes by Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada, Athanaze displayed admirable restraint in an innings spanning over three hours during which he faced 116 balls and stroked nine fours.

However that discipline wavered with the end of play in sight as the 25-year-old left-hander from Dominica, clearly keen to get to the landmark, top-edged a sweep off Maharaj to give Ryan Rickelton a comfortable catch at backward square-leg.

“It was just about dragging the length back and trying to exploit the rough outside his off-stump,” said player of the match Maharaj in explaining his plan to claim Athanaze’s wicket.

“Full credit must go to him though for the way he played. I just tried to stick to my plans and utilise different angles from the crease.”

Earlier, Tristan Stubbs‘ aggressive 68 off 50 balls (six fours, two sixes) led the Proteas’ pursuit of quick runs on a bright, sweltering morning. 

‘Not enough time’

His maiden Test half-century was supported by openers Tony de Zorzi (45) and Aiden Markram (38) in scoring at almost a run-a-ball before captain Temba Bavuma declared when Stubbs was bowled by veteran seamer Kemar Roach.

“We expected the wicket to break up a little more than it did,” Bavuma said.

“In the end we just didn’t have enough time, plus the elements got in the way of what could have been a really good competitive game of cricket.”

West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite, who fell in the first over of the innings, slicing an ambitious lofted drive to cover off Maharaj, was not thinking about a draw when he walked out to bat with opening partner Mikyle Louis.

“We believed we could have gotten the runs,” he stated bluntly.

“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but my message to the boys was to back themselves and fully commit to their plans at the crease.”

Given the significant interruptions by rain – more than two days’ playing time was lost – there is already concern the second and final Test, scheduled for the Guyana National Stadium from Thursday, will also suffer a similar fate.

It again raises questions about the wisdom of scheduling international cricket – especially Test matches – in the southern Caribbean at the heart of the rainy season.

Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada combined on Saturday to earn South Africa a healthy first innings lead over the West Indies with the visitors attempting to defy the impact of inclement weather in seeking to force an unlikely victory going into the final day of the first Test of a two-match series in Trinidad. Steady rain restricted play to just the final session on the fourth day but in that time South Africa dismissed the home side for 233 in the first innings and then made their intentions clear in reaching 30 without loss off five overs in the second innings at the close.

With an overall lead of 154 runs and all ten wickets in hand, the Proteas will be hoping for a full day’s play on Sunday for their batsmen to try and at least lay the platform which will give the bowlers a chance to put the Caribbean side under pressure in the final innings of this truncated match.

“Hopefully we can get a full day because that will obviously give us a realistic chance of getting a result,” said South Africa captain Temba Bavuma after his team made the most of the limited playing time on day four.

“To use the old cliche, we will have to take care of the first hour to set it up and if it’s going our way then we can throw caution to the wind to see what happens.

“But it’s imperative that we set it up in that first hour,” he added.

Resuming at 145 for four, Kavem Hodge and Jason Holder extended their fifth-wicket partnership to 49 only for Aiden Markram‘s occasional off-spin to achieve the breakthrough when he bowled Holder for 36.

Maharaj then claimed his fourth wicket of the innings when he quickly removed Joshua da Silva before Kagiso Rabada, who was kept waiting to use the second new ball as Bavuma gave Maharaj and Markram a chance for more success, triggered a collapse with three quick wickets.

Kavem Hodge and Gudakesh Motie both fell to sharp slip catches while Kemar Roach was trapped leg-before as the fast bowler lifted his tally of Test wickets to 294 in his 63rd match, all before his 30th birthday.

It was left to Jomel Warrican, the leading wicket-taker in South Africa’s first innings with four for 69, to show his worth with the bat in belting an unbeaten 35 off 32 balls with three fours and two sixes to extend the total beyond the 200-run mark.

Lungi Ngidi replaced a frustrated Rabada and immediately wrapped up the West Indies innings by bowling last man Jayden Seales, whose mood was not helped when Tony de Zorzi was dropped at slip driving at the fast bowler in the last over of the day.

It now remains to be seen if the weather will be kind enough to allow de Zorzi and opening partner Markram the chance to make the final day an intriguing one despite the loss of so much playing time over the first four days.