Kavem Hodge remained unbeaten on 83 as West Indies closed the first day of the opening Test on 194 for 3, gaining the advantage after rain interrupted play for large parts of the day in Tarouba. Hodge and Shai Hope, unbeaten on 39, took their fourth-wicket stand to 88 by the close, having come together after West Indies slipped to 106 for 3.
West Indies won the toss and batted first at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, which staged its first Test match. Players from both sides wore black armbands and observed a minute’s silence before the start of play, marking the death of Sir Garfield Sobers last week.
Rain Limits Pakistan’s Early Advantage
Mohammad Abbas set the tone in the morning session, bowling five maidens in his first seven overs with a consistent fourth-stump line. West Indies managed only 23 runs before rain arrived, having faced just 14.1 overs. Brandon King fell in that period, chopping a ball onto his stumps while attempting to cut, and was dismissed for 12 off 29 balls.
The rain intensified once players left the field, and match officials brought lunch forward as a result. Only 14.1 overs were possible in the entire morning session.
Hodge and Hope Rebuild After Middle-Order Losses
Pakistan continued to trouble the batters through the middle session, with added moisture in the pitch giving the seamers extra assistance. Hodge scored 14 runs off Abbas’s first two overs after the resumption and kept the innings moving as his partnership with Tagenarine Chanderpaul passed 50 runs in 98 balls. Aamer Jamal struck in his first over, with Chanderpaul edging behind for 21 to give Salman Agha a catch at second slip.
Mohammad Rizwan then moved up to the stumps against Amir Jangoo, and the change unsettled the batter. Jangoo missed a straight delivery and was given not out on the field, but Pakistan’s review overturned the decision for lbw.
Jangoo was out for 21 off 32 balls, with the wicket falling at 106 in the 36th over. Hodge reached his fifty off 86 balls, striking nine boundaries along the way, with the milestone runs coming from a boundary through the covers off spinner Ali Usman, who was playing his first Test.
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Pakistan’s Bowlers Fade in Final Session
The final session produced no boundaries from either batter, as Pakistan’s bowling threat reduced once the pitch dried out. Abbas and Mohammad Ali continued to bowl accurately, finishing with combined figures of 31 overs for 65 runs and two wickets between them, while Ali Usman and Aamer Jamal went wicketless across their spells.
Play ended after 67 overs due to fading light, with Hodge on 83 and Hope on 39. West Indies’ bowling attack, led by Roston Chase, will resume its innings on day two with Hodge and Hope both set at the crease. Pakistan’s playing XI included debutant Ali Usman, who bowled 12 overs without taking a wicket on his first day of Test cricket. The match continues on July 26 at the same venue.
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