It’s not difficult to know what awaits us in this Test Match. It’s an easy question to analyze, easy to predict. The West Indies will have prepared carefully for the challenge posed by Pakistan, and Pakistan itself has made no secret of the fact that it will double the nature of the surfaces it will prepare. The wicket might start breaking when both captains go for the toss. Whoever wins will bat first, and spin bowling will be present from the start.
But being forewarned is not necessarily forewarned. The challenge Pakistan poses with surfaces crackling in the winter heat is much easier understood than done. The outcome of the game depends on the execution of the West Indies; any mistakes they made in terms of understanding what type of pitch it was will have been corrected.
Kraigg Brathwaite threw down the challenge to his team at the end of the first Test, while encouraging them by reminding them that they were ahead of the game at a few key stages and that there was significant room for improvement for their give confidence.
The West Indies spinners showed they could compete with those of Pakistan, and Jomel Warrican recorded better figures than any of his Pakistani counterparts. In Kemar Roach, they have the best fast bowler on both sides, on the rare occasions when he is needed. They’ve even figured out how to make sweeping and reverse sweeping productive, although they’re not necessarily risk-free. And they found substandard runs, a perennial Achilles heel of Pakistani bowling, whatever the conditions.
Aaqib Javed has passionately defended the pitches Pakistan have started preparing at home, but he knows he is yet to convince everyone. Concerns about what this means for Test batting and the country’s fast bowling persist, and the one thing – the main thing, in his view – his style has succeeded, simple; he won Pakistan’s test matches. Pakistan is aware that it must continue to achieve these victories, because as soon as the results are out, spring-loaded criticism is waiting to be unleashed.
Pakistan: WLLWW (last five matches completed, most recent first)
In the spotlight – Shan Masood and Alick Athanaze
Pakistani cricket leads to a short attention span, and Shan Massoud knows he won’t have many in the next nine months. He has now been captain for just under the full WTC cycle, and this is Pakistan’s final Test in a disappointing year and a half of Test cricket. Reports of his Test captaincy being vulnerable have surfaced more than once, and with a new cycle starting at the end of the year, Pakistan will likely reassess at some point. However, this match represents a chance to finish strong and continue to make his case. With the bat, there are possible signs of a spell of form with a hundred and fifty in his last three innings, and although it has not been seen as the reason for an improvement in Test results, victory here will mean he completes the cycle. with four victories in his last six tests
Alick Athanaze came into this series with runs against Bangladesh and seems to have enjoyed batting in Pakistan more than most of his teammates. He scored 99 and 58* in the three-day match preceding the series in Islamabad and was responsible for almost half of the runs. his team’s runs in the fourth innings in Multan, becoming the only visiting batter to score a half-century. Praise for the Dominican’s technique has come from exalted quarters, with Brian Lara and Ian Bishop among his admirers, and if the visiting top six are to take up the challenge their captain has set before them, Athanaze should play an important role.
Pakistan are yet to name an XI with Aqib Javed saying he will take one last look at the box.
Pakistan (probably XI): 1 Shan Masood (captain) 2 Muhammad Hurraira 3 Babar Azam 4 Kamran Ghulam 5 Saud Shakeel 6 Mohammad Rizwan (week) 7 Salman Agha 8 Noman Ali 9 Sajid Khan 10 Abrar Ahmed 11 Khurram Shahzad
West Indies are also yet to name their starting squad. Jayden Seales misses his shot with a slight pinch to the leg. Kemar Roach is available again alongside Amir Jangoo.
West Indies: 1 Kraigg Brathwaite (captain) 2 Mikyle Louis 3 Keacy Carty 4 Alick Athanaze 5 Kavem Hodge 6 Justin Greaves 7 Tevin Imlach/Amir Jangoo (week) 8 Gudakesh Motie 9 Kevin Sinclair 10 Jomel Warrican 11 Kemar Roach
The pitch was prepared in the same manner as that of the first Test. Since then, the weather conditions have not changed during the week and it remains cold and dry. Any deviation from what happened in the first test would be a surprise.
“Of course we were right to prepare for a spin delivery against West Indies. Their batting is not as proficient in spin as fast bowling.”
Acting head coach of Pakistan Aaqib Javed makes no apologies for preparing a suitable ground for spin in Multan.
“I have played on surfaces that were spinning from day one, but this was the first time I saw such cracks on a pitch from day one.”
Captain of the West Indies Kraigg Brathwaite says he has never seen a pitch break so early, just like the Multan surface did for the first Test.
