World Test Championship: Pakistan captain Babar Azam was very delighted after leading his team to a resounding eight-wicket victory over the West Indies in Trinidad, a win that ended a three-year away Test drought and helped them jump to the eighth position in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings.
Chasing a modest target of 75 early on day four of the second Test, Babar fittingly sealed the victory by launching spinner Jomel Warrican for back-to-back sixes, and help Pakistan draw the two-match series 1-1 at the Queen’s Park Oval.
The triumph marks Pakistan's first Test win on foreign soil since July 2023. More importantly, the points earned from the win allowed the visitors to leapfrog the West Indies on the WTC points table ahead of their upcoming Test assignment against England.
Pakistan’s victory was set up by Abdullah Shafique's magnificent, unbeaten first-innings century, and supported by Babar's own solid contribution with the bat. The management's tactical decision to drop senior quick Mohammad Abbas for an extra spinner also proved decisive, as Ali Usman and Sajid Khan bagged four wickets each in the West Indies' second innings.
"When we saw the pitch it looked more similar to how they are in Pakistan. We decided to play an additional spinner and it had an impact on our combinations because of which we had to leave out our senior players.
“Obviously you are satisfied when you win, but most important for us was the way we executed our plans. The way Abdullah (Shafique) played in the first innings and the way the spinners bowled in the second innings really made the difference," Babar was quoted as saying by ICC at the end of the series.
Player of the Match Shafique, who was only added to the touring party as a late replacement for the injured Abdullah Fazal, expressed his joy at seizing the opportunity with both hands.
“Obviously you are satisfied when you win, but most important for us was the way we executed our plans. The way Abdullah (Shafique) played in the first innings and the way the spinners bowled in the second innings really made the difference," Babar was quoted as saying by ICC at the end of the series.
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Pakistan will next travel to England for a three-match Test series, starting at Headingley on August 19, and is followed by matches at Lord’s (August 27-31) and Edgbaston (September 9-13).