West Indies | Pakistan

West Indies captain reflects on missed tactical calls and the challenges posed by spin-friendly conditions

Pakistan beat the West Indies by eight wickets on the fourth day of the second and final Test at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad on Wednesday to level the series. Beaten by 90 runs in the first Test the previous week, the visitors were left with a target of only 75 runs after the home side — already in deep trouble overnight at 103 for six in the second innings — were dismissed for 117 half an hour into the start of the day’s play. Abdullah Shafique and captain Babar Azam guided their team to victory after openers Imam-ul-Haq and Azan Awais fell cheaply to pacers Jayden Seales and Shamar Joseph, with Babar hoisting consecutive sixes off spinner Jomel Warrican to seal the result. Babar Azam (L) of Pakistan hits 6 and Shai Hope (R) of West Indies watch during the 4th day of the 2nd Test match between West Indies and Pakistan at Queens Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on August 5, 2026. — AFP It gave Pakistan a share of the series in the same manner as their last campaign in the Caribbean in 2021, wh...

Pakistan’s spinners put their team on course for a series-levelling victory as the West Indies stumbled to 103 for six — a lead of just 60 runs — on an eventful third day of the second and final Test in Trinidad on Tuesday. Abdullah Shafique’s unbeaten 160 ensured the visitors did not completely squander an excellent overnight platform in eventually getting to a first-innings total of 387. Sajid Khan then made his second meaningful contribution of the day in taking four second-innings wickets, while Ali Usman claimed two, including home captain Roston Chase caught-and-bowled off the final ball of the day. First-innings top-scorer Justin Greaves will carry the fight for the West Indies into the fourth morning with uncertainty over the availability to bat of regular opener Brandon King. On a deteriorating pitch offering sharp turn and variable bounce, West Indies left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican was as much in his element as 18 months earlier against these same opponents in Multan. Here, his haul of six for 112,...

Justin Greaves made an unbeaten 64 to steer West Indies to 239-5 at stumps on a rain-shortened opening day of the second and final Test against Pakistan in Trinidad on Sunday. After a match-winning display with the ball in the first Test last week, Greaves displayed what has now become his trademark ease and composure at the crease in a battling knock at Queen’s Park Oval. His only error of judgement came just after reaching the half-century mark when captain Babar Azam put down a straightforward chance at leg-slip off spinner Sajid Khan. Greaves at that time was almost hobbling after a left leg injury sustained while completing a sharp run that necessitated lengthy treatment on the field. His sixth-wicket partnership with Roston Chase (36 not out) was worth 66 runs at the close of play and Greaves will be hoping for a return to his usual athletic mobility when he resumes the innings with his captain on the second morning. He had come to the crease in mid-afternoon at 91 for three as Kavem Hodge became Khan’s...

Pakistan crumbled for the second consecutive day to the West Indies pace attack, losing the first Test of a two-match series by 90 runs on the fourth day in Trinidad on Tuesday. Set a tricky target of 211 on a deteriorating surface, the tourists were never in contention and were all out for 120 off 40.2 overs just after tea. It could have been worse. When they subsided to 71 for nine, Pakistan seemed doomed to their lowest Test innings total against the West Indies. Bowling hero Mohammad Abbas hung around with captain Babar Azam to put on 49 runs for the last wicket before Jayden Seales ended the match by trapping Abbas leg-before for 23, finishing with figures of five for 20. Babar remained unbeaten on 58. Pakistan will go into the second and final Test a few miles away at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain, starting Sunday, on the back of four consecutive defeats and an extended abysmal run of 13 losses in their last 17 Tests. This was also the eighth consecutive Test loss away from home. Their capitulation...

Babar Azam has been named captain of the Test squads for the tours of both West Indies and England, the Pakistan Men’s National Selection Committee announced on Sunday. A 16-member squad has been named for the West Indies series, while a 17-member squad has been announced for the England series. The announcement was made during a press conference at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Sunday, while the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the squad lineup in a press release. Pakistan will play a two-match Test series against the West Indies from July 25 to August 6, followed by a three-match Test series in England from August 19 to September 13. The PCB statement added that left-arm spinner Ali Usman, right-handed batter Muhammad Awais Zafar, right-arm fast bowler Ubaid Shah and wicket-keeper batter Muhammad Ghazi Ghori are the uncapped players in the squad. Previously, sources had reported that several key decision-makers were not in favour of either reinstating Azam as captain or handing the additional r...

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday rejected suggestions of unequal treatment after the West Indies and South Africa squads were stranded in India for more than a week following the T20 World Cup. Airlines have cancelled or rerouted flights because of the war in the Middle East, throwing international travel into chaos. Cricket West Indies said on Tuesday its squad had waited nine days for a charter flight that was “repeatedly delayed”, calling the uncertainty “increasingly distressing”. Former England captain Michael Vaughan also criticised the situation, noting on social media that England departed 36 hours after their semi-final exit last week while the West Indies and South Africa remained in Kolkata more than a week after being knocked out of the tournament. The ICC said it “rejects any suggestion that these decisions have been driven by anything other than safety, feasibility and welfare”. “We understand that players, coaches, support staff and their families who have completed their IC...

West Indies players are leaving India on commercial flights in batches after their departure was delayed due to international airspace closures amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the Caribbean side’s governing body CWI said on Tuesday. Indian media reported that a charter flight for the West Indies and South Africa Twenty20 World Cup teams scheduled to fly to Johannesburg before continuing on to Antigua was cancelled earlier on Tuesday. Some players and staff have departed and others are scheduled to leave on different flights on Tuesday and Wednesday, CWI said in a statement. West Indies were eliminated from the tournament’s Super Eight stage on March 1, but remained in India as their charter flight organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) was repeatedly delayed. “As is customary for both men’s and women’s ICC World Cups, all travel and accommodation arrangements for participating teams are coordinated and managed by the ICC,” CWI said. “Ongoing uncertainty surrounding the ICC-organised ch...

India revived their T20 World Cup campaign with their “fearless” brand of cricket ahead of a winner-takes-all decider against the West Indies for the last semi-final berth. Hot favourites to defend their title on home soil, India thrashed Zimbabwe by 72 runs in Chennai on Thursday to bounce back from their heavy defeat against South Africa in their Super Eights opener. India’s batting, led by opener Abhishek Sharma’s blistering 55 and an unbeaten 50 by Hardik Pandya, piled up 256-4, the second-highest total in the history of the tournament. In a brutal show of power hitting, the Indian batters demolished the opposition bowling with 17 sixes and 17 fours at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. India face the West Indies, who went down to South Africa by nine wickets, in Kolkata on Sunday to decide the second semi-finalist from Group 1. “We want to play fearless cricket, the brand of cricket we played today and we played since last year,” batter Tilak Varma said. “The same intent we want to keep in the next game as we...

South Africa captain Aiden Markram led from the front with an unbeaten 82 as South Africa all but secured a T20 World Cup semi-final berth with a brutal nine-wicket thrashing of the West Indies in Ahmedabad on Thursday. After the West Indies fought back from deep trouble at 83-7 to post 176-8, Markram and Quinton de Kock put on 95 for the first wicket to set the platform for a thumping victory. South Africa raced to their target with 23 balls to spare, scoring 177-1. Ryan Rickleton was not out on 45 at the end. They are the only unbeaten side in the tournament, having also dismantled pre-tournament favourite India by 76 runs in the Super Eights. An India win against Zimbabwe in Chennai later on Thursday will guarantee South Africa’s progress to the last four. It will also make India’s clash against the West Indies in Kolkata on Sunday a winner-takes-all decider for the final semi-final berth. Markram reached fifty off 27 balls and hit four sixes and seven fours. De Kock scored 47 off 24 balls, with four sixes...

The West Indies blew away T20 World Cup surprise package Zimbabwe by a colossal 107 runs in Mumbai on Monday as Shai Hope’s team opened their Super Eights campaign with a dominant victory. Shimron Hetmyer blasted 85 off 34 balls as the West Indies piled up 254-6, the second-highest total in the history of the tournament. Zimbabwe, who stunned Australia and Sri Lanka to reach the Super Eights, got off to an awful start chasing a monumental 255. They were reduced to 20-3 in the third over when two wickets fell to Akeal Hosein’s left-arm spin and never threatened to get close. They were all out for 147 in 17.4 overs with Brad Evans hitting some lusty late blows before being last man out for 43 off 21 balls with five sixes. Left-armer Gudakesh Motie was the pick of the West Indies bowlers with 4-28 as he found some sharp turn. Hosein took 3-28. Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza won the toss and opted to bowl, then saw his bowlers flogged to all parts of the Wankhede stadium. Only Sri Lanka, who made 260-6 against Ke...

Red-hot Mohammed Siraj returned figures of 4-40 as India dismissed the West Indies for 162 and then turned the screw with the bat on day one of the first Test on Thursday. The hosts were 121-2 at stumps with KL Rahul unbeaten on 53 in front of a sparse crowd at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad. Rahul reached his 20th Test fifty and stood firm along with skipper Shubman Gill, on 18, at close of play. A depleted West Indies won the toss but the Indian attack struck regular blows to bowl out the visitors in 44.1 overs in the second session. Siraj drew first blood with the wicket of Tagenarine Chanderpaul for a duck and extended his tally of Test wickets to 27 this year, having played a key role in India’s 2-2 draw in England. “The England series gave me a lot of confidence,” Siraj said. “It was a competitive cricket series in England against a strong side, so to perform there gives you added confidence.” On the comparatively inexperienced West Indies batting line-up, Siraj said: “I had to work ha...

TRINIDAD: Shai Hope scored an unbeaten ton as West Indies set a 259-run target for Pakistan in the third and final Pakistan vs West Indies ODI on Tuesday at the Brian Lara Stadium. The West Indies captain remained unbeaten on 120 alongside Justin Greaves (43)* to help the hosts post 294/6 in 50 overs. After […]

Jayden Seales' six-wicket haul leads West Indies to 202-run victory in final ODI

Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan acknowledged a dilemma over the fifth bowler and said they would take a late decision on their team combination for Tuesday’s series decider following their defeat in the second one-day international on Sunday. Pakistan, who won the opening ODI by five wickets, posted a competitive 171-7 in 37 overs in a rain-truncated match but West Indies prevailed by five wickets to draw level in the three-match series. Pakistan’s part-time duo of Saim Ayub and Salman Agha conceded a combined 66 runs in seven wicketless overs as West Indies cruised home. “You could say our fifth bowler gave away too many runs but in recent years, Salman Agha and Saim Ayub have both bowled well for us,” Rizwan said after the match. “Saim didn’t have the best day today, but he performed well in the T20Is. That’s just part of the game.” Rizwan said they could not read the conditions and several rain delays did not help their cause. “Honestly, the weather forecast has been completely different from expectations...

TRINIDAD: Pakistan set a revised 181-run target for West Indies in the rain-affected second Pakistan vs West Indies ODI at the Brian Lara Stadium on Sunday. Multiple rain interruptions reduced the tourists’ innings to 37 overs. Hasan Nawaz remained unbeaten on 36 as Pakistan finished at 171 for seven in 37 overs. As per the […]

Hasan Nawaz made a triumphant one-day international (ODI) debut, going 63 not out on Friday to power Pakistan over the West Indies by five wickets in their ODI series opener. Nawaz and Hussain Talat formed a sixth-wicket partnership of 104 not out to rally the visitors in the day-night affair, with game two on Sunday and the final ODI on Tuesday. West Indies went 280 all out with Evin Lewis leading the way on 60 from 62 balls with three sixes and five fours, while Shai Hope added 55 and Roston Chase contributed 53. Needing 281 to win, Pakistan got 53 runs from Mohammad Rizwan before he was bowled lbw by Shamar Joseph in the 38th over with the visitors still 101 runs shy of victory, setting the stage for heroics by Nawaz and Talat. Nawaz struck for six on the second ball of the 49th over and blasted the winning shot to the boundary off the final delivery by Joseph, giving Pakistan the victory with seven balls to spare. In all, Nawaz reached 63 on 54 balls with three sixes and five fours while Talat finished on...

Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub combined for a 138 opening partnership and Pakistan defeated the West Indies by 13 runs on Sunday to capture their T20 International Series. Pakistan won the series opener by 14 runs but dropped the second match by two wickets to set up a Sunday night decider at Lauderhill, Florida. After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, Pakistan were rewarded with a powerhouse performance by Farhan and Ayub. Pakistan went 189 for four as Farhan hammered the hosts for 74 runs on 53 balls, smashing five sixes and three fours, while Ayub lasted 19 overs, finishing on 66 from 49 balls with two sixes and four fours. Farhan was caught by West Indies captain Shai Hope at long off from a delivery by Shamar Joseph on the second ball of the 17th over. Hasan Nawaz entered but was retired after only 15 runs, caught by Romario Shepherd at long off from a delivery by Roston Chase on the penultimate ball of the 18th over. Mohammad Haris was run out for only two runs by Gudakesh Motie to start the 1...

Jason Holder smashed a four on the final ball to give West Indies a dramatic two-wicket victory over Pakistan on Saturday, lifting the hosts level in their T20 international series. On the same night he took four wickets to reach a West Indies T20I record 81 for his career — breaking Dwayne Bravo’s old mark of 78 — Holder went 16 not out and West Indies ended a horrid losing streak with zero balls to spare. Pakistan, which won Thursday’s opener by 14 runs, will try to bounce back in Sunday’s series-deciding T20 match under the lights at Lauderhill, Florida. West Indies, set 134 to win, was on the brink of a seventh consecutive T20 defeat after having been swept 5-0 last month by visiting Australia. Gudakesh Motie led West Indies with 28 runs but went down on the first ball of the 17th over, run out by Mohammed Haris with the hosts on 96 for six. Haris caught Keacy Carty for a duck three balls later but Holder swatted a six to end the 18th over, West Indies still needing 24 to win. Romario Shepherd smashed a s...

West Indies announced their squad on Thursday for the upcoming Pakistan vs West Indies T20I series, scheduled to begin August 1. Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Brandon King and Shimron Hetmyer, who were part of the squad for recently concluded series against Australia, have been excluded for the upcoming home series against Pakistan. “Alzarri Joseph has […]