Abu Dhabi: Whether it is the white ball or the pink, the fact remains that West Indies aren’t picking any colour well enough to somehow steal a positive result on this gruelling tour against Pakistan in the UAE.
The pink ball will be replaced by the traditional red in the second Test starting Friday at the Shaikh Zayed Stadium but can the Windies give not just a strong but a match winning response to keep the series alive? That is the big question.
There is no doubt that the tourists gave an exceptional fight in the first Test and came close to pulling off a remarkable comeback win in Dubai. The resilient Darren Bravo with his 406 minutes vigil gave Pakistan a scare, scoring a belligerent 116 and taking the game deep into the fourth innings.
It did ignite West Indies hopes of an upset before ultimately losing by 56 runs in the last hour on the fifth and final day.
Despite ending in defeat, there was certainly plenty of positives for the Windies as they came into the match after Pakistan had amassed 579 for three before declaring in their first innings, with opener Azhar Ali smashing 302 not out.
Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo’s 8-49 was an exceptional effort to bundle out the hosts for a mere 123 in the second innings. It not only allowed Windies to claw their way back into the Test, just the second ever day-night Test played with a pink ball, but for the first time they looked like a team on a mission.
Bishoo had single-handedly turned the game on its head and the intensity he built allowed the batsmen to follow suit. Bravo and Leon Johnson played with extraordinary calm for a 60-run stand. Though Marlon Samuels perished on the first ball of the crucial day five, he made Pakistan’s frontline wily-leg spinner Yasir Shah look ineffective on day 4.
Windies had a strong middle-order with the likes of Jermaine Blackwood, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich and Jason Holder but had they shown a bit more spine, the team would have got across the line.
The visitors have lacked depth in their fast bowling as their new ball bowlers Shannon Gabriel and Miguel Cummins have looked ordinary. If together they end up with just one wicket in two innings, then results aren’t going to be favourable. The duo have to pull up their socks in this outing and get something out of the wicket to inspire their team as you can’t just be relying on Bishoo to do the job all the time.
It would have been a worry for coach Mickey Arthur to see Pakistan’s total batting collapse in the second innings. For almost three and a half days, Pakistan had dominated proceedings but in one session to hand the advantage to the opposition was certainly unacceptable and a matter of concern.
Arthur would have definitely warned his wards from not lowering their guard going into the second Test having ceased the edge.
The unbeaten knock from Ali in the first innings was a huge assurance that he not only has the technique but the endurance to last that far. All his critics wouldn’t have just looked for cover but would have gone into hiding by now. The fans will be expecting a repeat from Ali here. Pakistan skipper Misbah Ul Haq’s assessment for being stretched so far in the first Test was ‘dew’ reducing the effectiveness of his bowling attack. This being a day match under the bright energy-sapping sun, one can expect Yasir to spit venom straight away. The medium pacers like Mohammed Amir, who gave evidence of regaining his form with his 3 for 63 in the second innings, can make good use of reverse swing here. However, the Pakistan think tank will be inclined to try Rahat Ali as a part of the rotation policy. Zulfiqar Babar, who Misbah described as match winner after the Dubai Test, will certainly be in place of pacer Sohail Khan. Veteran batsman Younis Khan having fully recovered from dengue, will take the place of Babar Azam, who had impressed with 69 in the first innings but managed only 27 in the second.
The mantra for success on these slow desert tracks is simple — win the toss and bat big. And both captains — Holder and Misbah will be keeping their fingers crossed hoping that the spin of coin goes their way on Friday.
