Pakistan vs West Indies, day-night Test, Day 4, Predictions and Preview: West Indies look to avoid follow-on; inch closer to hosts’ total

PAK vs WI, day-night Test, Day 4, Predictions and Preview: WI look to avoid follow-on; inch closer to hosts’ total

After a decent batting performance on Day Three, West Indies will look to avoid the follow-on and inch closer to Pakistan’s first innings total of 579 in the ongoing Test at United Arab Emirates (UAE). At stumps, West Indies were 315 for the loss of six wickets with Jermaine Blackwood and skipper Jason Holder at the crease. They need 64 more runs to avoid the follow-on, which will undoubtedly be their primary target when they come out to bat on Day Four. This day is without doubt the most important day in the Test and will certainly decide the fate of the game. With the conditions favouring the batsmen, West Indies were right on the money till the third session, where they lost couple of wickets in quick succession. LIVE CRICKET SCORECARD: Pakistan vs West Indies, 1st Test at Dubai

Darren Bravo nurtured the West Indies’ fight back while Marlon Samuels powered it with their resistive batting. The duo stitched a much-needed partnership of 113 runs between them and bailed the team out of crisis. Samuels attacked the loose deliveries and played the dominant Yasir Shah with unrivalled confidence; he often went down the track and got the spin out of equation. It was some valiant bating performance by him to help his side make a comeback. Bravo on the other hand, played a contrasting innings and spent a lot of time at the crease. He looked determined and didn’t cut anything loose.

There were few hiccups as few edges went down the slips with couple of mix-up between the two but they didn’t have to pay any price as Pakistani fielding was rather ordinary. They dropped both the batsmen in the slips while few edges didn’t carry. Samuels smashed a tenacious fifty and eventually fell for a well made 76. Sohail Khan got the better of him while Bravo played a vital knock of 87 runs before falling prey to Mohammad Nawaz’s persistence. Both the players did a commendable job and helped their side to rebuild.

Wahab Riaz produced a brilliant spell and scalped couple of important wickets in the final session. He removed a well set Jermaine Blackwood and sent Roston Chase to the pavilion. Shane Dowrich looked good out in the middle while Holder has the ability to bat. There was not enough assistance for the seamers but there was definitely a lot of turn for the spinners. One can expect the track to get difficult for batting as the game progresses and help the spinners.

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Pakistan have the game in the favour and will look to bundle up West Indies at the earliest. They need to get four West Indies wickets and if they are able to do so within the first session then they would certainly find themselves in the driver’s seat. Pakistan will hope Yasir to deliver and pick early wickets as he did on Day Three. Wahab looked in good rhythm and has made good use of the short pitched deliveries.

West Indies, on the other hand, will look to get those 60 odd runs primarily after which they will try to get closer to Pakistan’s total. They have done a decent job so far and if they manage to bat out a session or two, they will surely save the Test. Dowrich is playing well whereas Holder can bat. These two have to shoulder the responsibility of avoiding the follow-on initially. With the surface being conducive enough for batting, one can expect them to deliver. The first two sessions will be of utmost importance for both the teams. If West Indies manage to avoid the follow-on, it will certainly give them some breathing space and reduce the trail margin further, which means that Pakistan have to bat longer to set a challenging target. This will elongate the game; hence a draw is pretty much achievable.

The crowd once again has not turned up in huge number, which is a bit discouraging for the day-night Test initiative. With the fourth day’s play being Sunday, one can expect people to pour in and witness some action from the first of the three-Test series.

(Suraj Choudhari is a reporter with Criclife and CricketCountry. He is an avid follower of the game, and plays the sport at club level. He has a radical understanding about the subtle nuances and intricacies of cricket, and tries to express it through paper and pen.)