Pakistan face West Indies in the second Test of the two-match series at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain. The West Indies won the first Test by 90 runs at Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba. Pakistan, under the new captain Babar Azam, are seeking their first away win in over three years.
For the first time in history, Pakistan have lost eight consecutive away Tests. They last won an away Test match in Sri Lanka in July 2023 when they defeated the hosts by an innings and 222 runs.
Story of the Trinidad Test
In the first Test at Trinidad, West Indies won the toss and opted to bat first. Shai Hope and Kavem Hodge’s fifties led West Indies to finish the first innings on 311 runs. In reply, Pakistan were cruising at 244-3 at one stage and looked set to build a huge lead in the first innings. But Pakistan once again did the Pakistan thing and lost the next seven wickets for 38 runs. They were bundled out for 282 runs.
West Indies came out to bat in the second innings on a bouncy Trinidad pitch. Pakistani pacers’ discipline with their line and length provided the Shaheens with consistent breakthroughs. The West Indies were all out for 181 runs. Pakistan were set a target of 211 runs to chase with more than five sessions remaining.
That target proved out of Pakistan’s reach as they were all out for 120 in the fourth innings within 55 overs. Another batting collapse was the main highlight of Pakistan’s innings. Pakistan were 46-3, and then they lost the next 6 wickets for mere 25 runs. In the end, Pakistan fell short by 90 runs.
Pakistan’s Batting Failures in Test Cricket
These batting debacles have been a hallmark of Pakistan Test cricket in recent years. They have lost Test matches from winning positions because of their batting deficiencies. In the 2023 Melbourne Test, Pakistan required 316 runs to win. At one stage they were 216 for 5 and required another 100 runs. They lost the next 5 wickets for 21 runs and lost the second Test by 79 runs. Similar stories recurred during their tours to South Africa and Bangladesh.
Pakistan’s batting average in the fourth innings has also been a major problem. Their fourth-innings average of 19.9 in the current World Test Championship is the lowest among all competing nations. Since the end of July 2024, no Pakistani batter has averaged more than 40 in the fourth innings except Babar Azam. The others nearest to the Pakistan skipper are Salman Ali Agha and Shan Masood with averages of 31.6 and 30.5 respectively.
Over their past fourteen test innings, Pakistan have only surpassed 50 runs for the last five wickets a mere four times. All these stats highlight Pakistan’s batting inconsistencies and point out the problem holding them back.
Plan for the Port of Spain Test
In the Trinidad Test, Pakistan found some consistency with their pace trio of Muhammad Abbas, Muhammad Ali and Khurram Shahzad. They must continue to build on that for future tests. Changes in the batting order are a must after Shan Masood’s injury.
Pakistan have called up Abdullah Shafique and Saud Shakeel to join the team ahead of the second Test. Uncapped middle-order batter Awais Zafar is also part of the squad. It remains to be seen what plan Sarfraz Ahmed and Babar Azam come up with to give Pakistan a much-awaited away Test triumph.
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