Windies six down after Warrican wrecks Pakistan lower-order

Chase falls off last ball after nightwatchman Seales lasted two deliveries 

Stumps, Day 3: West Indies 344 & 103 for six (Hodge 34, Chanderpaul 17; Sajid 4-32) lead Pakistan 387 all out (Abdullah Shafique 160*, Babar Azam 88; Warrican 6-112) by 60 runs 

The West Indies were left reeling at 103 for six at stumps, effectively 60 for six, with two recognised batsmen remaining, setting Pakistan a target in their second innings. Spinners Sajid Khan and Ali Usman ran through the Caribbean side’s top and middle order after a brisk start from Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Kavem Hodge, leaving them with a mountain to climb heading into Day 4.

Jomel Warrican’s 6 for 112 earlier halted Pakistan’s first-innings lead at 43. Chanderpaul and Hodge then shared in a 40-run first-wicket stand in the absence of resident opener Brandon King to eat into that advantage. West Indies must have been optimistic.

However, spells of 4 for 32 from Sajid and Usman’s 2 for 29 quickly tilted the balance back in Pakistan’s favour as Windies finished the day losing three wickets for four runs.

It might not have changed anything if all things had remained equal, but the West Indies entered the second innings with an unsettled batting line-up. King was serving a time penalty due to back spasms, which kept him off the field in their bowling innings. 

Hodge, stepping up as a makeshift opener, top-scored with 34, while Jangoo (13) batted at No. 3. Chase came in at No. 4, as wicketkeeper Shai Hope retained his No. 5 spot, with nightwatchman Jayden Seales coming ahead of Justin Greaves, who is nursing a thigh strain. All, except Greaves, who finished unbeaten on one, fell victim to either Sajid or Usman. 

West Indies’ optimism might have returned during the watchful 25-run (88 balls) partnership between captain Chase and Hope. Yet, that too was ended by Sajid, who trapped Hope LBW for 15 before doing the same to Seales for a two-ball duck.

Usman then pulled off a return catch to end the day with the wicket of Chase (17). While West Indies ended the day by facing 99 consecutive boundary-less balls. 

Warrican’s third Test fifer had momentarily helped the hosts force themselves back into the contest. He grabbed three wickets in four balls to collapse Pakistan's innings.

The visitors, who were eyeing 400, lost their last three wickets without scoring. Ali Usman (10) first holed out to deep cover, opening the gate for Warrican. The left-armer then bowled Ubaid Shah and Mohammad Ali in consecutive deliveries, both without scoring, to wrap up the Pakistan innings without any addition to the total.

The triple-wicket strike was the second for the West Indies on the day. Pakistan, who resumed on 266 for two, gained a first-innings advantage by eking out 84 runs for the sixth and seventh wickets in the midst of the chaos. Before the Warrican wreckage, Abdullah Shafique put on 25 with Mohammad Rizwan, then shared in a 59-run stand with Sajid Khan (30). 

Warrican and Jayden Seales were bang on target to begin proceedings, conceding just 15 runs in 52 deliveries before Babar Azam was superbly run out by a King direct hit.

Babar, 88, added just two runs to his overnight score, prolonging the wait for his first Test century in four years. King, in the meantime, was stretchered off after his fielding exploits. 

One wicket quickly became three for the West Indies as Warrican bowled Awais Zafar for one before Shamar Joseph trapped Salman Agha LBW without scoring to see Pakistan slip from 281 for two to 286 for five.

Rizwan came and looked at home before he too was bowled by Warrican for 18, his wicket being the fourth in a 67-run morning session that belonged to the hosts.

Shafique added 53 to his overnight score, remaining unbeaten on 160*, while Pakistan lost eight wickets for 121 runs on the day.