West Indies reply strongly as spin rules in second Multan Test – Sport

Noman Ali took a hat trick as Pakistan dismissed the West Indies for 163 Saturday in the second Test in Multan, but the visitors replied strongly to have the home side at 70-4 at tea.

At the break, Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan were at the crease on 14 and 13 respectively, with Pakistan trailing by 93 runs.

The Multan Stadium pitch helped spin bowling on the opening day, with the two sessions seeing 14 wickets falling.

Noman took 6-41 — becoming the first Pakistan spinner to register a hat trick — as the tourists were bowled out in 41.1 overs after winning the toss and opting to bat.

West Indian fast bowler Kemar Roach and spinner Gudakesh Motie took two wickets apiece in reply.

It could have been worse for the tourists had Motie, who top scored with a career-best 55, not added an invaluable 68 runs for the last wicket with Jomel Warrican, who scored 36 not out with two sixes.

Motie also added 41 for the ninth wicket with Roach (25) to delay the lunch break before Noman grabbed the last two wickets for his eighth five-wicket haul in an innings.

Pakistan employed the same spin-heavy tactics which earned them a 127-run win in the first Test — also in Multan — with the ball turning from the first over.

Noman came on to bowl as the first change, and trapped West Indian skipper Kraigg Brathwaite leg before for nine to spark a collapse which saw the tourists slump from 32-2 to 38-8 off just 14 deliveries.

Noman dismissed Justin Greaves for one, then Tevin Imlach and Kevin Sinclair off successive deliveries to become the fifth Pakistan bowler to grab a Test hat trick.

Fast bowlers Wasim Akram (two hat tricks against Sri Lanka in 1999), Abdul Razzaq (against Sri Lanka in 2000), Mohammad Sami (also against Sri Lanka, in 2002), and Naseem Shah (against Bangladesh in 2020) achieved the feat for Pakistan previously.

Off-spinner Sajid dismissed debutant Amir Jangoo and Alick Athanaze — both without scoring — while Abrar Ahmed accounted for Kavem Hodge.

Debutant pacer Kashif Ali had Mikyle Louis for four in his first over.

In reply, Roach dismissed openers Muhammad Hurraira (nine) and Shan Masood (15), while Motie sent back Babar Azam (one) and Kamran Ghulam (16).