Pakistan ended the first day of the two-match Test series against the West Indies at 143 runs for the loss of four wickets at Multan Cricket Stadium on Friday.

 

The Test match is being played in Multan, where Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat first. The day’s play started late due to fog, beginning at 1:30 PM instead of the scheduled time.

 

The opening pair, Shan Masood and Muhammad Huraira, started the innings for Pakistan. The first wicket fell at 16 runs in 5.5 overs when Muhammad Huraira was dismissed after scoring 6 runs. Soon after, in the 9th over, Shan Masood was out for 11 runs, leaving the team at 20 runs.

 

In the 10th over, Kamran Ghulam was dismissed for 5 runs, with the team’s score at 31. The fourth and crucial wicket was of Babar Azam, who was caught out after scoring just 8 runs, leaving Pakistan at 46.

 

Following these setbacks, Saud Shakeel and Muhammad Rizwan built a strong partnership of 97 unbeaten runs for the fifth wicket. Both players reached their half-centuries, providing much-needed stability to the innings.

 

By the end of the day, Saud Shakeel remained not out on 56, while Muhammad Rizwan was unbeaten on 51. For West Indies, Jayden Seales took 3 wickets, and Gudakesh Motie claimed 1.

 

Earlier, after winning the toss, Pakistan’s Test team captain Shan Masood expressed the intention to post a good score in the first innings to put pressure on West Indies in the final innings.

 

The toss was scheduled for 9 AM, and the match was supposed to start at 9:30 AM, but due to fog, the game started late.

 

Pakistan Team for the First Test

Shan Masood (Captain)
Babar Azam
Kamran Ghulam
Saud Shakeel
Muhammad Rizwan
Salman Ali Agha
Sajid Khan
Nauman Ali
Khurram Shehzad
Abrar Ahmed
Muhammad Huraira

Muhammad Huraira, the debutant opener, expressed his pride in representing Pakistan, saying it’s a great honor and he aims to follow in his uncle Shoaib Malik’s footsteps to make the country proud.

 

This Test series marks the first time West Indies has toured Pakistan for a Test series since December 2006.