MULTAN: Jomel Warrican claimed a five-wicket haul to steer West Indies to a dominant 120-run victory over Pakistan to level the two-match series 1-1 here on Monday.
This was West Indies’ first Test win in Pakistan since their seven-wicket triumph under the captaincy of Desmond Haynes in Faisalabad back in 1990.
Pakistan were bundled for a meagre 133 runs while chasing 254 in the first session of the third day. Babar Azam was the top-scorer with his 67-ball 31.
Warrican led the bowling charts with his figures of 5-27, while Kevin Sinclair and Gudakesh Motie returned with three and two wickets respectively.
The hosts resumed their innings at 76-4, but their situation quickly deteriorated as their fragile lineup crumbled alarmingly within just 20 minutes of play.
Kevin Sinclair made a critical breakthrough, sending Saud Shakeel back to the pavilion for a mere 13 runs. The situation worsened soon after, as night-watchman Kashif Ali (1) fell victim to Jomel Warrican, leaving Pakistan teetering on the brink at 76-6.
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Just when it seemed like the team was set to collapse entirely, a flicker of hope emerged as Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha joined forces to forge a 39-run partnership that steadied the innings momentarily.
However, Warrican once again shifted the momentum, dismissing Salman for a modest 15 runs. Rizwan, showcasing admirable resistance throughout the innings, eventually succumbed as well, scoring 25 runs before giving away his wicket to Warrican.
Noman Ali attempted to infuse some life into the innings, striking a six off a delivery from Motie, but his efforts were short-lived as he was dismissed shortly after, contributing only six runs to the team’s total and leaving Pakistan reeling at 131/9.
The final nail in the coffin came with the dismissal of Sajid Ali, who fell to Warrican, culminating in a rapid collapse that sent Pakistan crashing down.
Pakistan Playing XI: Shan Masood (c), Mohammad Huraira, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Sajid Khan, Noman Ali, Kashif Ali, Abrar Ahmed
West Indies Playing XI: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Mikyle Louis, Amir Jangoo, Kavem Hodge, Alick Athanaze, Justin Greaves, Tevin Imlach (wk), Kevin Sinclair, Jomel Warrican, Gudakesh Motie, Kemar Roach
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