WI stun PAK in Multan to win their first Test in Pakistan since 1990

West Indies also handed Pakistan the wooden spoon in the 2023-25 World Test Championship points table

The West Indies cricket team dealt a huge blow to Pakistan by securing a comfortable 120-run win in Multan, drawing the two-match series 1-1. This is also West Indies’ first Test win on Pakistani soil in over 34 years; they last beat Pakistan at home in November 1990. The visitors improved their standings in the WTC points table, finishing the 2023-25 cycle in eighth position with 28.21 percentage points. The hosts, who have now lost four of their last five Tests, will finish the cycle at the bottom of the table in ninth spot with just 27.98 percentage points.

 

WTC 2023-25: Points Table

 

 

Pos	Team	Matches	Won	Lost	Drawn	NR	Points	PCT
1	South Africa	12	8	3	1	0	100	69.44
2	Australia	17	11	4	2	0	130	63.73
3	India	19	9	8	2	0	114	50
4	New Zealand	14	7	7	0	0	81	48.21
5	Sri Lanka	11	5	6	0	0	60	45.45
6	England	22	11	10	1	0	114	43.18
7	Bangladesh	12	4	8	0	0	45	31.25
8	West Indies	13	3	8	2	0	44	28.21
9	Pakistan	14	5	9	0	0	47	27.98

 

Match summary

 

In the match, West Indies won the toss and opted to bat first. However, they soon regretted their decision as Pakistan’s spin duo of Sajid Khan and Noman Ali ripped apart the West Indian top and middle order, leaving them reeling at 54 for 8 at one point. But the visitors, with the help of a half-century from Gudakesh Motie (55) and handy cameos by Kemar Roach (25) and Jomel Warrican (36 not out), managed to get past the 150-run mark, finishing with 163 on the board before being all out.

 

Pakistan’s reply in the first innings was far from ideal as they lost their top four with just 51 runs on the board. Mohammad Rizwan (49) and Saud Shakeel (32) tried to revive the innings by adding 68 runs for the fifth wicket, but the hosts lost their last six wickets while adding just 34 runs. West Indies bundled them out for 154, taking a crucial nine-run lead in the first innings.

 

West Indies, in their second innings, with contributions from skipper Kraigg Brathwaite (52) and Amir Jangoo (30) at the top, and Tevin Imlach (35) and Kevin Sinclair (28) in the lower order, posted 244 runs to set Pakistan a challenging target of 254 runs on a bowler-friendly pitch.

 

Pakistan’s second innings was almost a mirror image of their first. Apart from Babar Azam (31) and Mohammad Rizwan (25), no other batter managed to breach the 20-run mark. The hosts were eventually bundled out for just 133, handing West Indies an easy 120-run victory, while the series ended in a 1-1 draw.