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Sunday, January 26, 2025
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20 wickets fall on opening day as Windies takes 9-run lead against Pakistan

publish time

25/01/2025

publish time

25/01/2025

West Indies Jomel Warrican, center, plays a shot as Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan, right, watches during the day one of the second cricket test match between Pakistan and West Indies, in Multan, Pakistan. (AP )

MULTAN, Pakistan, Jan 25, (AP): Gudakesh Motie and Jomel Warrican’s brilliant all-round performances earned West Indies a nine-run, first-innings lead against Pakistan as 20 wickets fell on the opening day of the second cricket test on Saturday.

Motie scored 55 and his first test half-century lifted the tourists from a precarious 54-8 to 163 all out. The left-arm spinner then picked up 3-49 to skittle out the home team for 154 on another tricky turner at Multan Cricket Stadium.

Motie’s all-round show overshadowed Noman Ali’s hat trick for Pakistan and 6-41 as Pakistan's batters fell in their spin-pitch trap with Warrican, who earlier made an unbeaten 36 at No. 11, picking up 4-43.

Mohammad Rizwan (49) and Saud Shakeel (32) revived Pakistan with a 68-run fifth-wicket stand. Both fell to Warrican in the final session while going for ambitious shots and Pakistan's tail folded quickly just before stumps.

Motie had claimed the prize wicket of Babar Azam (1), who was bowled while going for a cut shot on the back foot, and Kamran Ghulam (16) to leave Pakistan reeling at 51-4. Kemar Roach struck with the new ball and had Muhammad Hurraira's leg before the wicket and then uprooted the off stump of captain Shan Masood.

Earlier, No. 9 Motie added 109 runs with the last two batters before West Indies got bowled out in an extended three-hour first session after Ali had flattened the top-order with his left-arm spin.

Ali, who masterminded Pakistan’s 127-run win in the first test with Sajid Khan, had the wickets of Justin Greaves, Tevin Imlach, and Kevin Sinclair in the 12th over to become the first Pakistan spinner to achieve a hat trick in test matches.

Just like in the first test when West Indies got bowled out for 137 and 123 to lose inside three days against spin, its top-order batters had little clue how to combat the three spinners on another raked wicket.

But Motie frustrated Pakistan in his 11th test match as he combined in a gritty 41-run stand with Roach (25) and then compiled another 68 runs with Warrican.