Pakistan’s batters continued their lead over West Indies on Sunday, after the spinners put them in command, on the third day of the first Test at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan.
Pakistan finished the second day at 109-3 with Kamran Ghulam and Saud Shakeel batting as the umpires called for stumps after poor light halted play.
Masood and Muhammad Hurraira got Pakistan’s second innings off to a flying start with a 67-run opening partnership, before Hurraira (29) was trapped leg-before wicket by Warrican, who also dismissed Babar Azam ( 5) later in the same way.
Captain Masood looked set on 52 but paid the price for his indecision as he ran, Kavem Hodge’s throw hitting Warrican when Masood was well short of the crease.
Earlier on Saturday, Pakistan spinners Sajid Khan and Noman Ali made hay with the new ball, taking nine wickets between them to bundle out the Men in Maroon for 137 before skipper Shan Masood’s second innings fifty helped the Shirts greens to build a lead of 202 points. the second day.
Ali’s five-wicket haul followed Khan’s destructive spell in the visitors’ top order, with the off-spinner taking four wickets in his first three overs to leave the West Indies struggling at 22-4.
Pakistan used spinners from the start after West Indian spinners Kevin Sinclair and Jomel Warrican claimed five scalps earlier in the day, with the hosts losing six wickets in 12 overs to end their first innings with 230.
Starting at 143-4 overnight, Pakistan lost their standout batters Saud Shakeel (84) and Mohammad Rizwan (71) to Sinclair as Warrican dismissed three more on a spin-friendly pitch.
But the visitors fared worse, with Khan dismissing openers Kraigg Brathwaite (11) and Mikyle Louis (1), as Keacy Carty also fell to the same bowler for a golden duck.
“The ball was new…I was going for wickets from the start, that’s why I conceded a few runs,” Khan, who gave away 65 runs in his 12 overs, told reporters.
Warrican, batting at number 10, put up the best resistance to the visitors with an unbeaten 31, setting up a highest partnership of 46 runs with Jayden Seales for the final wicket.
Seales, who hit three sixes en route to 22, was the second highest contributor to the innings with the extras.
This is a developing story and is being updated with more details.
