Athanaze’s 99 lifts West Indies against Shaheens

WEST INDIES batter Alick Athanaze plays a shot past close-in Pakistan Shaheens fielder Saad Khan as wicket-keeper Ghazi Ghori looks on during their warm-up at the Islamabad Club ground on Friday.—Tanveer Shahzad/White Star
WEST INDIES batter Alick Athanaze plays a shot past close-in Pakistan Shaheens fielder Saad Khan as wicket-keeper Ghazi Ghori looks on during their warm-up at the Islamabad Club ground on Friday.—Tanveer Shahzad/White Star

ISLAMABAD: West Indies closed the opening day of the three-day warm-up match against Pakistan Shaheens with 273-7 in 74 overs on the back of Alick Athanaze’s 99 at the Islamabad Club Ground here on Friday.

The toss was uncontested as the teams mutually decided for the West Indies to bat first in this non-first-class match.

Left hander Athanaze, batting at number, faced 142 balls, which included 15 fours and one six. He was dismissed by Ahmed Safi Abdullah one shy of century.

Earlier in the day, opening batters Kraigg Brathwaite (34 off 39, five fours and a six) and Mikyle Louis (34 off 63, four fours and a six) stitched a 47-run opening partnership before the former fell to Ahmed Safi.

Louis, Keacy Carty (22 off 46, three fours) and Kavem Hodge (17 off 22, two fours) became Mohammad Rameez Jr’s preys, as the right-arm leg-spinner returned figures of 3-40 in 13 overs.

Amir Jangoo (29 off 42, two fours and six) and Joshua Da Silva (11 not out off 28) will resume batting for West Indies on day two with 16 overs remaining in the first innings as the first dig for both the teams has been restricted to 90 overs for maximum practice.

Apart from Rameez Jr and Ahmed, Hussain Talat was the other wicket-taker for Shaheens as he dismissed Tevin Imlach (13 off 36, one four).

Scores in brief:

WEST INDIES 273-7 in 74 overs (Alick Athanaze 99, Kraigg Brathwaite 34, Mikyle Louis 34, Amir Jangoo 29 not out, Keacy Carty 22; Mohammad Rameez Jr 3-40, Ahmed Safi Abdullah 2-91).

Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2025

Opinion

Editorial

A new chokepoint
Updated 24 Jul, 2026

A new chokepoint

WITH free transit of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz blocked due to the US-Iran conflict, a new chokepoint has...
Improved rating
24 Jul, 2026

Improved rating

S&P GLOBAL’S decision to upgrade Pakistan’s long-term sovereign credit rating to ‘B’ with a stable...
More firetraps
24 Jul, 2026

More firetraps

WHILE it was already apparent that death traps dot Karachi, a safety audit by the Sindh government has thrown up...
De-escalation efforts
23 Jul, 2026

De-escalation efforts

WHILE the exchange of fire across the Gulf — and the wider Middle East — continues between the US and Iran,...
Time to integrate
23 Jul, 2026

Time to integrate

PAKISTAN remains one of the least regionally integrated economies in Asia. The trade figures for the last fiscal ...
Modi unnerved
23 Jul, 2026

Modi unnerved

DISCONTENT is visible in India. Delhi has been on the boil since last month. As thousands took to the streets ...