Warrican, Motie help West Indies dominate Pakistan on opening day

West Indies spinner Jomel Warrican continued his momentum, bagging four wickets to help West Indies bundle out Pakistan for 154 on the opening day of the second Test at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Saturday. 

After being bundled out for 163, the West Indies' morale remained high, with their bowlers once again not disappointing their captain, Kraigg Brathwaite. The West Indies had brought back seasoned campaigner Kemar Roach, who took two quick wickets, removing Shan Masood (15) and Muhammad Hurraira (9). 

Babar Azam once again could not deliver with the bat and was removed by Motie on his fifth ball for 1. Kamran Ghulam looked good at the start but could not stay long at the crease, scoring 16.

Pakistan were four down for 51 when Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan looked to rebuild Pakistan's innings.

The pair added 68 runs off 105 balls before Warrican broke the stand by removing Shakeel (32). Rizwan was on the verge of scoring fifty but was removed by Warrican for 49. 

Salman Ali Agha, Noman Ali, Abrar Ahmed and debutant Kashif Ali all failed to show any significant resistance. 

For the West Indies, Jomel Warrican (4-42) spearheaded the bowling attack and picked up four crucial wickets. Gudakesh Motie (3-49) took three wickets, while Kemar Roach (2-15) took two wickets.

Kevin Sinclair (0-42) and Kraigg Brathwaite (0-1) did not take any wickets.

The West Indies started their second innings with a lead of nine runs from their first innings.

Earlier, West Indies were dismissed for just 163 in 42 overs after a sensational bowling display by Pakistan’s Noman Ali, who took six wickets on the opening day of the second Test.

According to details, West Indies' innings, which had shown signs of recovery, crumbled under Ali’s spell. The lower order provided brief resistance through a 68-run stand between Gudakesh Motie and Jomel Warrican, taking the score past 150. However, their efforts were overshadowed by the brilliance of Noman Ali.

Sajid Khan, a key part of Pakistan's bowling attack, took two wickets for 64 runs, while Kashif Ali (1-16) and Abrar Ahmed (1-24) each claimed a wicket. Salman Ali Agha went wicketless on the day, with figures of 0-10 from just two overs.

Motie, who had fought valiantly for 55 runs off 87 balls, became Noman's last victim, dismissed by a delivery that left the batter stranded. The real highlight of Ali’s performance came with a stunning hat-trick. 

The left-arm spinner turned the game in Pakistan's favour when he dismissed Justin Greaves, Tevin Imlach, and Kevin Sinclair in consecutive balls. Ali's flight and line variations were too much for the West Indian batters to handle. 

Greaves was caught behind at gully, Imlach was trapped leg-before by a fuller delivery, and Sinclair edged a flighted ball to the slip cordon where Babar Azam took a comfortable catch.

West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite had earlier reviewed his own leg-before dismissal off Noman but the decision stood after ball tracking confirmed the delivery would have hit the stumps. Brathwaite’s departure for nine runs left his team vulnerable.

Sajid Khan supported Noman's heroics by claiming the wicket of Alick Athanaze, who was trapped in front while attempting a reverse sweep. Kashif, in his debut match, made an immediate impact by removing Mikyle Louis in his opening over, as the batter edged to slip. 

Sajid continued applying pressure with precise lines and variations in pace, dismissing debutant Amir Jangoo for a duck after trapping him in front of the stumps. Despite a review, the decision stood. 

Kashif’s second spell was equally challenging, as he tested the defensive technique of Brathwaite and Kavem Hodge with sharp movement. Hodge, however, managed to score the first boundary of the innings, capitalising on a loose delivery from Kashif.

By the close of the fifth over, West Indies were at a precarious 17 for 2, with Brathwaite and Hodge struggling to find form.