Jayden Seales produced his second-best career figures as West Indies beat Pakistan by 90 runs in the first Test at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad, wrapping up victory after setting the tourists 211 to win.
Pakistan’s chase unravelled on a deteriorating pitch as they slumped to 71-9 in their second innings and looked set for their lowest Test total against West Indies. But captain Babar Azam dug in with an unbeaten 58 and, alongside Muhammad Abbas, added a battling 49-run 10th-wicket partnership that pushed the match into the evening session before Seales finished it.
Seales ended the resistance when Abbas was trapped lbw for 23, completing match-winning figures of 5-20 as West Indies secured an important series-opening victory.
Pakistan collapse, then late defiance from Babar and Abbas
Set 211 for victory, Pakistan were quickly in trouble as West Indies’ bowlers exploited the worsening surface. The chase began to fall apart before lunch when Seales removed Imam-ul-Haq, Azan Awais and Salman Agha, leaving Pakistan in deep trouble and West Indies firmly in control.
Justin Greaves then tightened the squeeze with a decisive spell. He bowled Mohammad Rizwan and later trapped Aamer Jamal lbw as West Indies continued to chip away at the remaining wickets and kept Pakistan pinned down.
Shan Masood, batting with a fractured finger, offered brief resistance but could not stem the slide. His dismissal — spooning a catch to backward point — further underlined how quickly Pakistan’s innings was fading as the hosts closed in on victory.
With Pakistan nine down for 71, the match appeared close to an early finish. Instead, Babar remained defiant and found support from Abbas. Their 49-run stand for the 10th wicket extended the contest into the evening session and ensured Pakistan avoided an even lower total, but it could not change the result.
Seales returned to end the final stand, trapping Abbas lbw for 23 to complete his five-wicket haul and seal the win. Babar was left unbeaten on 58, having run out of partners as Pakistan fell short and suffered their eighth consecutive defeat in Tests away from home.
Earlier in the day, West Indies had given themselves extra breathing room by adding 55 runs for their last three wickets after resuming on 126-7. Shamar Joseph top-scored with 38 from 27 balls, striking four sixes, while Kemar Roach contributed a dogged 18 off 63 balls. For Pakistan, Abbas was the standout bowler with 5-22.
What was said and what comes next
West Indies captain Roston Chase dedicated the victory to the late Sir Garfield Sobers, who would have turned 90 on the day the hosts wrapped up the match. Chase said the team had spoken about making Sobers proud before the Test and also thanked the Trinidad crowd for its support.
Babar acknowledged Pakistan’s failure to deliver with the bat on the final day, pointing to the conditions but stressing the need to build partnerships. He said: “We played good cricket in the last few days but today we were not up to the mark as a batting unit. There was uneven bounce in the pitch but we should have looked to build partnerships. The basics stay the same, you have to survive the new ball and look to score when it gets a bit old.”
The two-match series continues with the second Test in Port of Spain, beginning on 2 August, where Pakistan will attempt to level the series after West Indies took the early advantage in Trinidad.
