Kingston – West Indies, chasing 168 to win, were 114 for seven in their second innings at tea on the fourth day of the first Test against Pakistan at Sabina Park in Jamaica.
Jermaine Blackwood defied the Pakistani attack for the top score so far of 55, but he was one of four wickets – two apiece to pacers Faheem Ashraf and Hasan Ali – that the Windies lost between lunch and tea to leave their chase at the crossroads.
At the break, Joshua da Silva was not out on two and will hold the key to success of the chase, after Hasan Ali removed Jason Holder on the stroke of tea.
Blackwood was the mainstay of the batting for the Caribbean side in the afternoon session and put on 68 for the fourth wicket with Roston Chase.
But Chase was caught at second slip off Faheem for 22 and left-hander Kyle Mayers logged his second duck of the match when he suffered a similar fate in the pacer’s next over.
West Indies were 92 for five then and Blackwood remained to help them pass 100 before he edged Ali to second slip, where Imran Butt held his third straight catch of the innings, before the pacer bowled Holder for 16 to leave the Windies pondering their next move.
Faheem has taken 2-17 from six overs, and Ali has grabbed 2-23 from 9.4 overs, but Shaheen Shah has been the most successful Pakistan bowler so far with 3-30 from 10 overs.
The Test is the first of two between the teams in the Jamaica capital and it is being played behind closed doors because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It also marks the start of the new round of the ICC World Test Championship for the teams.
The second Test starts this coming Friday at the same venue.
Summarised scores:
Pakistan 217 (Fawad Alam 56, Faheem Ashraf 44, Babar Azam 30, Mohammad Rizwan 23, Azhar Ali 17, Hasan Ali 14, Imran Butt 11; Jason Holder 3-26, Jayden Seales 3-70, Kemar Roach 2-47) and 203 (Babar Azam 55, Abid Ali 34, Mohammad Rizwan 30, Hasan Ali 28, Azhar Ali 23, Faheem Ashraf 20; Jayden Seales 15.4-3-55-5, Kemar Roach 3-30).
West Indies 253 (Kraigg Brathwaite 97, Jason Holder 58, Jermaine Blackwood 22, Roston Chase 21, Joshua da Silva 21, Kemar Roach 13; Shaheen Afridi 4-59, Mohammad Abbas 3-43) and 114 for seven (Jermaine Blackwood 55, Roston Chase 22, Jason Holder 16; Shaheen Afridi 3-30, Faheem Ashraf 2-17, Hasan Ali 2-23).
(AR)
