PAK vs WI 2024/25, preview of the 1st test match PAK vs WI

Overview: Expect lots of twists and turns in Multan

The timing of this series doesn’t really help to raise its profile. This comes after the top two spots for the World Test Championship (WTC) were decided at the end of the cycle. The West Indies are bottom of the table, with Pakistan just ahead of them. This series was originally scheduled to take place in January 2024 and could have turned a team’s cycle around, but the T20Is against New Zealand replaced it. This time, in this broader competition, it’s little more than a basement battle.

However, away from the WTC, there is more intrigue. West Indies will play a Test in Pakistan after over 18 years, although they have played Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates in the meantime. This series is a continuation of the PCB’s experiment, so successful against England last year, aimed at transforming Pakistan’s grounds into a spin bowling paradise. It was in Multan, where the two Tests against the West Indies will take place, that this was attempted for the first time. Pakistan has made no secret that it would seek to replicate it there, with heaters and a makeshift greenhouse that would make the project appear as much high-tech horticulture as land preparation.

They also have the team, especially the bowlers, for such conditions. The express quicks have been left out and Sajid Khan is back with partner Noman Ali, as is Abrar Ahmed, who missed the last two Tests against England due to illness. Shan Masood continues to lead the team. He will open the innings in a batting lineup that has also seen adjustments. Abdullah Shafique’s loss of form and Saim Ayub’s injury propelled Masood up the order and also brought Imam-ul-Haq back into the fold.

But the spin experiment may encounter more resistance from the West Indies than from England. The latter attempted to subdue Pakistan with the same cavalier belligerence that served them well on flatter tracks, ultimately playing into the hands of the hosts. West Indies are unlikely to do the same, and while they don’t have a star-studded batting line-up, they will come with a squad that has experience in these conditions – as well as a spinning attack that can potentially thrive there.

However, West Indies are at the bottom of the WTC points table for a reason. Their results, both at home and away, have not been consistent enough. The thrilling victory against Australia in Brisbane seems far away. This was followed by England sweeping them aside, a home series defeat to South Africa and a draw against Bangladesh.

They are aware that things need to change and have already made an important decision; vice-captain Joshua Da Silva was dropped after a series of disappointing performances with the bat. However, Brathwaite and his team will know that their problems run deeper than that, and this series gives them, at the very least, the chance to start from the bottom again.

Form guide

Pakistan: LLWWL (last five tests, most recent first)
West Indies: LWLDL

In the spotlight: Saud Shakeel and Gudakesh Motie

Batters who can negotiate spin-friendly conditions will become invaluable, and that’s where Saud Shakeel comes in. In theory, Shakeel should thrive with the slow, low turn Multan will provide. But he, somewhat counter-intuitively, suggested that he enjoyed playing on quicker wickets. And in Pakistan’s last Test in Multan against England, where spin was heavily favored, Shakeel scored 35 runs in two innings. Overall, though, he still averages over 50 in six innings on this pitch, and if he can get close to that in what is likely to be a fast-paced, low-scoring match, he just might be a point of difference with the bat.

Few people should enjoy this series more than Gudakesh Motie. West Indies’ perceived greater spin ability compared to England makes setting up slow-turning tracks potentially riskier than against England, and it is the left-arm orthodox that Pakistan will be most wary of more. Nine tests in, Motie’s ceiling remains to be determined, but his size gives him a range of options to work with on surfaces conducive to his skills. Motie has a better bowling average than Sajid and almost the same as Noman – Pakistan’s most potent threat in these conditions against England – although 19 of his 28 wickets have come in Zimbabwe.

Team news: Roach ill, Da Silva crashed

Pakistan are yet to name an XI, although, unsurprisingly, spin is expected to feature prominently.

Pakistan (probable): 1 Shan Masood (captain), 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 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

Kemar Roach is not feeling well, while Anderson Phillip is also unlikely to be picked in what is shaping up to be a spin-rich West Indies team. In Roach’s absence, their seam attack will be led by Jayden Seales. Meanwhile, Da Silva has been dropped, with uncapped keeper-batsman Amir Jangoo almost set to make his debut.

West Indies (probable): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), 2 Mikyle Louis, 3 Justin Greaves, 4 Keacy Carty/Tevin Imlach, 5 Alick Athanaze, 6 Kavem Hodge, 7 Amir Jangoo (week), 8 Gudakesh Motie, 9 Kevin Sinclair, 10 Jomel Warrican, 11 Jayden Seales

Location and conditions

That’s the question, isn’t it? Pakistan continues to rage against the elements, determined to dry out the surface of Multan in bitter cold by erecting a greenhouse in the square to warm the surface. It has never been attempted here in January before, although Pakistan managed to bend the Rawalpindi surface against England to their will in October. If they succeed again, expect a significant right turn early on and for the rotation to continue almost throughout the test without a break. The weather, for its part, promises to be extremely cold.

Statistics and anecdotes

Kraigg Brathwaite is 99 runs away from surpassing Richie Richardson’s Test total and 149 away from becoming the tenth West Indies batter to score 6,000 Test runs.
The last Test played by these two teams in Multan, in November 2006, saw just 27 wickets fall over 439 overs and five days, with over 1,400 runs scored.

Quotes

“Home conditions are very important in Test cricket. We have adopted a certain style of play and pitch preparation, and we want to carry the momentum forward in the England series.”
Shan Massoud calls for consistency on his part

“We have adapted well – conditions similar to those in Islamabad [where the warm-up game was held]. We have acclimatized and are looking forward to the tests.”
Kraigg Brathwaite believes conditions won’t be too different from their three-day warm-up match

Danyal Rasool is the Pakistan correspondent for PK Press Club. @Danny61000