Pakistan v West Indies - First Test

National Stadium, Karachi

Pakistan: Hanif Mohammad, Saeed Anwar, Majid Khan, Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, Asif Iqbal, *Imran Khan, +Moin Khan, Wasim Akram, Iqbal Qasim, Waqar Younis.
West Indies: CG Greenidge, DL Haynes, GA Headley, EdeC Weekes, IVA Richards, *CH Lloyd, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, MA Holding, LR Gibbs, CA Walsh.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: VK Ramaswamy (IND) & LP Rowan (AUS)
Toss: Pakistan

West Indies' chances of recording their first ATG victory over Pakistan were dealt a huge blow before a ball was even bowled in Karachi, with skipper Garry Sobers forced to withdraw with a shoulder injury that ended a run of 49 consecutive appearances, and by the end of the first day matters were even worse for the tourists after they had been bowled out for just 228, having been inserted on an unusually green wicket at the National Stadium.

Greenidge fell to the very first ball of the series, caught by Zaheer off Akram, Headley also departed for a duck to leave West Indies 4-2, and although partnerships of 79 between Haynes and Weekes and 67 between Lloyd and Dujon threatened to restore some equilibrium, Imran's astute captaincy ensured that Pakistan never lost their grip on proceedings. Lloyd's soft dismissal for 54 to a miscued cover drive off Majid was a key moment, and from 197-5 the innings folded to 228 all out, with the unlikely figure of Asif Iqbal the main destroyer. Asif had nibbled the ball around all day in conditions that suited his medium pace, and he finished off the innings by becoming the first player in ATG history to claim three wickets in an over, sending back Dujon, Gibbs and Walsh in a spell that read .2W4WW, finishing with his best analysis in ATG Tests.

Day two was topped and tailed by stoppages for bad light and rain, but in the play that was possible Hanif's 74 laid a solid foundation for Pakistan, and with West Indies' pacemen finding no movement at all, day three belonged completely to the hosts as Javed Miandad took centre stage. After scores of 214*, a national record 248 and 177 in the recent series in the Caribbean, Javed batted all day for another double century as Pakistan's total swelled from 183-3 overnight to 487-5 by the close, with 236 runs coming in partnership with Zaheer, Pakistan's highest stand for any wicket. Both batsmen used their feet well against the spin of Gibbs, who sent down 75 overs over the course of the innings as West Indies struggled without the option of Sobers' bowling, and although Zaheer eventually fell four short of a deserved century, Javed powered on into the fourth day, now in the company of skipper Imran.

Pakistan soon passed their previous highest ATG total of 555, and shortly after lunch on day 4 Javed broke his own national record of 248 before finally falling to Marshall for 284, having added 197 with Imran, a Pakistan record for the sixth wicket. Imran was on 88* at the time but unselfishly declared upon the fall of Javed, and Pakistan's gargantuan total of 648-6 gave them a lead of 420 with four and a half sessions still to play. After over 13 hours in the field West Indies could have been forgiven for a repeat of their first innings ineptitude, but they lost only Greenidge on their way to an overnight total of 123-1, and escaping with a draw was still very much a possibility.

Wickets fell at regular intervals on the final day however, including that of Haynes for a well-crafted 78, and although Richards - who took 22 off one over from Asif - and Lloyd both contributed half centuries at better than a run a ball, it was graft that was needed and unfortunately none was forthcoming. Pakistan fans were made to sweat after tea as first rain and then a stubborn late stand between Marshall (24) and Holding (26) threatened to spoil the party, but Imran brought himself back to clean up the tail, and with seven overs left he completed a pair for Courtney Walsh to hand Pakistan victory by an innings and 90 runs. Imran's team thoroughly deserved to take the spoils, and with the attack that decimated South Africa seemingly rendered impotent on the subcontinent, West Indies suddenly find themselves in a real contest. Garry Sobers' absence left their team unbalanced, and a remedy needs to be found ahead of the second Test in Faisalabad.

Scores
WI 1st Inns 228 (Lloyd 54, Dujon 51, Weekes 48; Asif Iqbal 5-43)
PAK 1st Inns 648-6 dec. (Javed Miandad 284, Zaheer Abbas 96, Imran Khan 88*, Hanif Mohammad 74)
WI 2nd Inns 330 (Haynes 78, Richards 55, Lloyd 54; Imran Khan 4-52)

PAKISTAN WON BY AN INNINGS & 90 RUNS


Man of the Match: Javed Miandad