The target wasn’t especially large, but 211 runs proved a mountain too high for Pakistan. Without support at the other end, Pakistani batsmen couldn’t withstand the West Indies pace attack — even Babar Azam’s unbeaten half-century wasn’t enough to stave off defeat.
West Indies defeated Pakistan by 90 runs in the first Test of the two-match series at Tarouba. Chasing a target of 211 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Tuesday, the tourists were bowled out for just 120. The win gives the Caribbean side a 1-0 lead in the series.
Pakistan collapsed to 71 for 9 during the chase. Captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Abbas offered some resistance for the final wicket, but couldn’t save the team from defeat, as Jayden Seales ended Pakistan’s innings by trapping Abbas lbw.
With this loss, Pakistan set an unwanted record — their eighth consecutive away Test defeat since their win over Sri Lanka in July 2023, the longest such losing streak in the team’s history on foreign soil.
Chasing 211 against the West Indies also marked the second-lowest successful defense of a target Pakistan has failed to chase down in their history, behind only their failed pursuit of 188 in Bridgetown in 2017.
Another rare record was set in this match: all 40 wickets across the Test were taken by pace bowlers, something that had happened only five times before in Test history. It also marked the first time West Indies’ pace attack had claimed all 20 Pakistani wickets in a Test.
After West Indies posted 311 in the first innings, Pakistan were bowled out for 282. The hosts added 181 in their second innings, extending their lead to 211 — a target Pakistan’s batting lineup simply couldn’t withstand against the Caribbean pace attack.
In the second innings, Babar Azam finished unbeaten on 58 off 107 balls, while last man Abbas contributed 23. Only wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan managed to reach double figures among the rest of the order, scoring 11.
Seales took 5 for 20 in 14.2 overs for West Indies in the second innings — the fourth five-wicket haul of his Test career. Kemar Roach and Justin Greaves took two wickets apiece, while Shamar Joseph claimed one.
Earlier, West Indies resumed their second innings at 126 for 7, adding 55 runs for their last three wickets. Shamar Joseph played a quickfire innings of 38 off 27 balls, Roach scored 18, and Jomel Warrican added 14.
For Pakistan, Mohammad Abbas bowled brilliantly, finishing with figures of 5 for 22 in 15.5 overs. Mohammad Ali and Khurram Shahzad took two wickets each, and Aamer Jamal claimed one.
Abbas’ five-wicket haul had given Pakistan hope of clawing back into the match, but their batting ultimately folded against a West Indies pace attack spearheaded by Seales. Babar Azam fought a lone battle at one end but found little support from his partners.
Justin Greaves was named Man of the Match for setting a rare Test cricket record in the first innings, becoming the first bowler to take five wickets across five consecutive maiden overs.
The two sides will meet in the second and final Test of the series at Queen’s Park Oval, with the match starting at 8 pm Bangladesh time.
