Pakistan ended a three-year wait for a Test victory outside home soil, beating West Indies by eight wickets in the second Test at Port of Spain on Wednesday. The result squared the two-match series 1-1, after West Indies had taken the opener by 90 runs.
Captain Babar Azam guided the chase with an unbeaten 24, finishing the job alongside Abdullah Shafique, who added an unbeaten 24 after his first-innings century.
Pakistan Chase Down Modest Target With Ease
Pakistan needed just 75 runs to win, and they got there on the fourth morning without much fuss. Azan Awais fell early, edging behind, and Imam-ul-Haq departed cheaply too, nicking off to Jayden Seales. That brought together Shafique and Babar, the two batters who had carried Pakistan’s first innings. They steadied things quickly and never let West Indies build any pressure.
Babar took the game away from the hosts after lunch, stepping out to hit Jomel Warrican for back-to-back sixes and sealing the win in the same over. The victory snapped an eight-match losing run in away Tests and ended a barren stretch stretching back to July 2023, when Pakistan last won on foreign soil, against Sri Lanka, also under Babar’s captaincy.
Spinners Sajid Khan and Ali Usman Do the Damage
The platform for the win was laid earlier in the day, when Pakistan wrapped up the West Indies second innings for just 117, inside the first half hour of play. Off-spinner Sajid Khan picked up 4 for 32, and left-arm spinner Ali Usman took 4 for 39, the pair combining for eight of the ten wickets to fall. West Indies had resumed the day on 106 for 3, holding a lead of 60, but their lower order folded fast.
Usman removed both Kemar Roach and Shamar Joseph in quick succession, and Justin Greaves, the last recognised batter standing, could add only two more runs before dragging one from Mohammad Ali onto his own stumps. West Indies were further hampered by the absence of opener Brandon King, who could not bat in the second innings due to a back injury sustained on the third day, when he ran out Babar with a direct hit from short cover.
Babar’s Second Stint as Captain Gets First Away Win
The win marks a turning point for Babar in his second term as Pakistan captain. His first spell in charge had already produced an away win in Sri Lanka back in 2023, but the years since brought a string of setbacks under different leadership. Under Shan Masood, Pakistan lost 3-0 in Australia, 2-0 in South Africa, and 2-0 in Bangladesh, prompting his removal as captain.
Babar’s return to the role did not start smoothly either, with Pakistan losing the series opener in Tarouba, extending their away losing streak to eight matches before this turnaround in Port of Spain. The result also shifts the World Test Championship table. Pakistan moved up to eighth place with 22.22 percent of points, having won two and lost four of six matches.
West Indies slipped to ninth, holding 20.83 percent of points from two wins in twelve matches. Pakistan now travel to England next, carrying rare momentum into their next assignment after ending a difficult run away from home.
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