Kingston – Windies captain Kraigg Brathwaite missed out on his 10th Test hundred, when he was run out on 97, but he was the glue that held his side’s innings together against Pakistan in the first Test in Jamaica.
West Indies were 251 for eight, replying to Pakistan’s first innings total of 217, at the close on the second day of the match at Sabina Park with wicketkeeper/batsman Joshua da Silva not out on 20 and Jomel Warrican not out on one.
Brathwaite shared three vital stands with Jason Holder, Roston Chase and his deputy Jermaine Blackwood that was the rock upon which the Caribbean side built their response, after they resumed from their overnight total of two for two.
Holder scored 58, but Chase made 21 and Blackwood added 22, and promised much more than they delivered.
Brathwaite led the fight for West Indies and anchored his side past 200 before he was run out, going for a second run, by Hasan Ali’s direct hit at the striker’s end.
“I am not feeling too good about my dismissal because from a team point of view, I would have loved to be there at the end,” he said. “Obviously, misjudgement from me. I recognised I was in trouble as soon as I turned.
“I committed because I thought it went fine enough for two, and when I took off, I was in shock that he had the ball in his hand, and the only thing that would have saved me is if Josh (da Silva) told me ‘no’. If it happened tomorrow, I would have committed to two, to be honest.”
Chase put on exactly 50 for the third wicket with little trouble with Brathwaite before he was caught behind off Hasan Ali, essaying a lofted drive in the final hour before lunch.
Blackwood stayed with Brathwaite to carry West Indies to 81 for three at lunch and extended their stand after the interval to 49 before left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi struck with successive balls to rock the hosts.
Blackwood was caught at mid-on off Afridi, miscuing an ill-advised, lofted on-drive, and next ball, left-hander Kyle Mayers was trapped lbw to Afridi for a duck, playing back and across to a full-length delivery that moved back.
The Windies were 100 for five, but Holder joined his successor and they batted purposefully to carry the home team to 148 for five at tea.
After the break, the Wanderers and Barbados Pride pair took their stand to 96 before Holder was caught behind, playing defensively forward to Faheem Ashraf.
Brathwaite was run out after West Indies crossed the 200 mark and Kemar Roach was lbw playing across a delivery from Mohammad Abbas, armed with the second new ball, in the final hour to give Pakistan a strong finish to the day.
Abbas has been Pakistan’s most successful bowler, taking three for 42 from 21 overs, and Afrida has poached two for 59 from 20 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.
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).
West Indies 251 for eight (Kraigg Brathwaite 97, Jason Holder 58, Jermaine Blackwood 22, Roston Chase 21, Joshua da Silva 20 not out, Kemar Roach 13; Mohammad Abbas 3-42, Shaheen Afridi 2-59).
(AR)
