Sajid Khan Stars as Pakistan Defeat West Indies in Multan Test

Pakistan secured a convincing 127-run win over West Indies in the first Test at Multan, thanks to a dominant display by their spinners, led by Sajid Khan.

Pakistan secured a dominant 127-run victory over West Indies in the first Test at Multan, thanks to a remarkable display by their spinners. Sajid Khan (6/35) and Abrar Ahmed (4/60) led the charge, dismissing West Indies for 123 on the third day. This victory marked the shortest completed men's Test match in Pakistan, with 40 wickets falling in just 1064 balls.

The spinners played a crucial role in the match, taking 16 wickets on Sunday alone. Jomel Warrican's impressive seven-wicket haul restricted Pakistan's second innings to 157, setting a target of 251 for West Indies. However, the visitors struggled to build partnerships on the turn-heavy track and ultimately fell short.

Pakistan captain Shan Masood acknowledged the challenges of batting on the track, saying, “It's hard out there. Batting was hard.” He also expressed his team's need for improvement, particularly in their second innings, where they “folded cheaply.” Masood emphasized the importance of staying focused, stating, “When you win, you can go on a happy ride and be happy. But we can't do that.”

Pakistan, with a 93-run lead after the first innings, resumed their second innings at 109-3. However, Jomel Warrican struck early, dismissing Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan in successive overs. Warrican's destructive spell continued, claiming the wicket of Kamran Ghulam (27), who was caught behind. Salman Agha (14) became Gudakesh Motie's only scalp of the innings, as Pakistan collapsed, losing seven wickets for just 48 runs.

West Indies captain Kraigg Braithwaite praised Warrican's bowling, saying, “We'll take a look at how Warrican bowled. As spinners, we should take a look at that. He was bringing the batters forward.” Braithwaite's own batting stint was short-lived, as he fell for 12 while attempting to hit Sajid Khan for a six, only to be caught by Khurram Shahzad at deep mid-wicket.

Keacy Carty (6) tried to sweep Khan but was caught by wicketkeeper Rizwan, and Khan soon dismissed Kavem Hodge (0) and Mikyle Louis (13) with sharp turns, leaving West Indies reeling at 37-4. Alick Athanaze (55) put up a valiant fight, scoring quick runs to put pressure on the bowlers. However, Abrar Ahmed continued to take wickets at the other end, dismissing Tevin Imlach (14) and Kevin Sinclair (10) before they could settle.

Sajid Khan shone with the ball to seal Pakistan’s sizzling victory in Multan 💥👏#PAKvWI pic.twitter.com/VGOaRFEv6l

— ICC (@ICC) January 19, 2025

Athanaze was eventually trapped leg before wicket by Khan, and Jomel Warrican was the last to fall, bowled out for a duck while attempting to reverse sweep Ahmed. Sajid Khan reflected on the match, saying, “The wicket had a lot of turn and bounce... it was our strategy to throttle the runs. If we could do that, wickets would come automatically.” Khan's outstanding performance earned him the player-of-the-match award, with nine wickets in the Test, including five in the second innings.

Pakistan's victory marked their third consecutive home Test win, following their 2-1 series win over England in October, where they secured two victories. The team's impressive performance on home soil sets them up for a confident outing in the second and final Test of the series.

West Indies captain Kraigg Braithwaite emphasized the importance of a positive mindset going into the next Test, saying, “It's important to be positive on these types of pitches.” He encouraged his team to show intent and come together as a unit, stating, “We should show intent... if we can bring it together batting and bowling-wise we can come out on top.” The second Test is scheduled to begin on January 25th at the same venue.