Published: Apr 26, 2017, 09:58 AM (IST)
Edited: Apr 26, 2017, 09:58 AM (IST)
The first Test between West Indies and Pakistan was quite a dud match when it came to the hosts putting up a fight. Pakistan quite convincingly won the first Test of the three-match series by 7 wickets at the Sabina Park in Kingston on Tuesday. West Indies skipper Jason Holder, in the post-match conference, expressed his disappointment over the loss; in particular their batting. Batting first, West Indies did not put much in their first innings and that caused their downfall. Only Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich and Holder contributed to their saving grace, while rest of the batsmen could not contribute. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Pakistan vs West Indies 2017, 1st Test at Jamaica
Holder said, “We did not get enough runs in the first innings. Never really got a partnership going. Credit must go to Shane Dowrich and Roston Chase, but unfortunately we could not get in excess of 300 runs, which we needed to do.”
It was Pakistan’s batting in their first innings that saw them post an imposing 407, taking a lead of 121 runs. Second time around it was leg-spinner Yasir Shah who spun a web for the hosts, claiming a 6-for. PAK vs WI, 1st Test, Day 5: Yasir’s 8-for guides PAK to a nervy 7-wicket win over WI
“Yasir Shah did bowl well in the second innings but we could have batted a lot better,” Holder added. “From the position we were in last evening, it was always going to be difficult to come out on the fifth day and try to survive Yasir,” he explained.
His counterpart Misbah-ul-Haq, on the other hand, praised his side’s performance. “With tricky weather, the idea was to win the toss and bowl first. We just had one chance to get them out quickly and then play one good innings. Otherwise it wasn’t going to be possible. We knew that it was going to be tough batting on the fifth day,” Misbah said.
He further went on to compliment his bowlers, saying, “I think the bowlers did very well. In the first innings (Mohammad) Aamer, especially, his spell was crucial. In the second innings, again Amir and especially Yasir’s spell was incredible. Getting six wickets this morning in no time was the game changer.”
Misbah who slammed a couple of sixes to guide his team to a win, thanked his teammates for gifting him this win. “If you’re not enjoying yourself, then there’s no point of playing. I’m not the kind of person who would linger on if I wasn’t having fun,” he said. “These wins are special, and this is one more Test match that the team has given to me as a gift.”
Misbah also divulged on how the Pakistan side will look like in the second Test at Bardados. “Our combination will depend on the conditions we get, and especially how the pitch looks before the Test match,” he concluded.
