Pakistan’s spin attack held sway for large stretches of a truncated opening day at the Queen’s Park Oval dominated by turn, yet it was the hosts who walked off with the honours after winning a crucial toss. Justin Greaves’ unbeaten 64 anchored an unbroken 66-run sixth-wicket stand that carried West Indies to 239 for 5 before bad light ended the day’s play prematurely.
Mohammad Abbas’ surprise absence from Pakistan’s XI dominated pre-play chatter, and that decision looked costlier once West Indies added quick runs at the top. They raced to 49 off just 9.5 overs before the skies opened and forced an early Lunch. Pakistan did get one small mercy right before the break, though, as Tagenarine Chanderpaul top-edged a hook off Mohammad Ali straight to fine leg.
The character of the contest shifted the moment play resumed. Ali Usman and Sajid Khan were soon bowling in tandem on a surface already offering considerable purchase for spin on the opening day, and the breakthrough arrived before long. Usman ripped a delivery past Brandon King (46) and the received three reds on a review to get his maiden Test scalp.
Pakistan then squeezed the West Indies innings with the two spinners dominating proceedings. Kavem Hodge retreated into a shell, breaking free every once in a while through a sweep shot. One of those, off Sajid, brushed his glove before looping off the forearm to Mohammad Rizwan, who snapped up a smart catch. Pakistan needed a second review to confirm it, but the wicket stood.
Shai Hope and Amir Jangoo found a better balance between tempo and restraint. Hope struck a crisp six over cover, signalling West Indies’ intent to wrest back momentum, and boundaries started flowing more freely in the following overs. That shift prompted Babar Azam to recall pace, bringing back a wayward Ubaid Shah. As it turned out, Ubaid strayed down leg first ball, and Jangoo’s casual flick found an edge through to the keeper, gifting the debutant his first Test wicket.
But that didn’t dent the hosts’ momentum. Ubaid leaked more boundaries and was withdrawn after three overs, while a second spell from Usman proved equally toothless, going for 17 off three. Greaves, meanwhile, was punishing anything overpitched through the covers, steering a stand that raced past fifty shortly after Tea.
Pakistan sensed a way back into the lower order early in the final session when Hope dragged Ali onto his stumps to fall for 29. Roston Chase walked out with just one more wicket needed to expose the tail, but true to the pattern of the day, the West Indies skipper battened down while Greaves kept the scoreboard moving. Pakistan’s spinners kept probing, though the pitch had calmed and the danger had largely passed.
A second pace change brought no relief either. Ubaid’s rocky Test debut continued as Greaves creamed his first ball through the covers again. His pace dipped further, and the spell lasted only two overs for another 15 runs conceded. Babar went back to spin, but the initiative had already shifted firmly West Indies’ way, who had a strong, even if not daunting, total already on a tricky pitch before bad light ended play with nearly 16 overs unbowled in the day.
Brief scores: West Indies 239/5 (Justin Greaves 64*, Brandon King 46; Mohammad Ali 2-49) vs Pakistan.
