Seales, Roach rock Pakistan after Abbas’ five-for

E-Paper | July 29, 2026

TAROUBA: Pakistan captain Babar Azam negotiates a delivery during the first Test against West Indies at the Brian Lara Stadium on Tuesday.—AFP

TAROUBA (Trinidad): Pakistan’s hopes of sealing their first away Test victory in more than three years were left hanging by a thread after West Indies pacers Kemar Roach and Jayden Seales ripped through the tourists’ top order to leave them reeling at 28-3 at lunch on the fourth day of the opening Test at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Tuesday.

Set 211 for victory after Mohammad Abbas claimed a five-wicket haul to dismiss West Indies for 181, Pakistan lost Imam-ul-Haq, Azan Awais and Salman Ali Agha inside the first 43 deliveries as the home side exploited lively seam movement, steep bounce and occasional uneven lift.

At the break, Pakistan still required 183 runs with seven wickets in hand, with Babar Azam unbeaten on 16 and Mohammad Rizwan on one.

Pakistan entered the final day needing to complete what would be their first away Test victory since July 2023 after a dramatic third day in which 14 wickets fell and momentum swung repeatedly between the two sides.

Although Pakistan’s bowlers fought back impressively in the final session on Monday, they were first left to rue an astonishing collapse with the bat after surrendering a commanding position.

The tourists had resumed the third day well placed before captain Shan Masood’s seventh Test century put them in complete control at 244-3. But the innings unravelled spectacularly after lunch as Pakistan lost their remaining seven wickets for just 38 runs to concede a crucial first-innings lead of 29.

The collapse was engineered by all-rounder Justin Greaves, whose disciplined seam bowling earned career-best figures of 5-27. After Shamar Joseph bowled Salman, Greaves struck repeatedly, dismissing Masood for a painstaking 109 before cutting through the middle and lower order with relentless accuracy.

Only a stubborn last-wicket stand delayed the inevitable before veteran pacer Roach returned with the second new ball to dismiss Khurram Shahzad and bowl Pakistan out for 282.

With the cricketing world mourning the death of Garfield Sobers, Greaves’ all-round contribution proved decisive. The right-hander later made 20 in West Indies’ second innings before producing another key moment when he was eventually dismissed by Abbas after being brilliantly caught by diving Pakistan captain Babar Azam at cover.

“We didn’t execute our plans the way we should have on the first day but for the second day and the second innings our bowlers hit the right areas and bowled a bit up (fuller),” Pakistan bowling coach Umar Gul said after Monday’s play.

“He is so experienced. He’s played a lot of red-ball cricket and is not only leading from the front but is helping the younger bowlers as well,” Gul added of Abbas.

Abbas justified that praise as Pakistan hit back strongly in the final session on Monday, reducing West Indies to 126-7 despite an enterprising counter-attack from Joseph. However, the home side’s lower order frustrated Pakistan once again on Tuesday morning.

Resuming with only three wickets in hand, West Indies added another 55 valuable runs. Abbas removed Roach before completing his seventh Test five-wicket haul by bowling Jomel Warrican for 14 to finish with outstanding figures of 5-22.

The damage, however, had already been inflicted by the eighth-wicket partnership between Roach and Shamar late on Monday, while Warrican and Jayden Seales eked out a few more precious runs to stretch the target to 211. Shamar’s aggressive 38 and Roach’s patient 18 assumed |ven greater significance as the surface continued to assist the seamers.

Pakistan’s chase never settled.

Roach opened with a probing maiden before striking in his third over when Imam, attempting to cut a lifting delivery, gloved behind to wicketkeeper Shai Hope after the ball climbed awkwardly from a back-of-a-length.

Babar weathered the early storm and gradually found his rhythm, clipping Roach through square leg before unfurling a series of trademark straight drives that briefly eased the pressure.

But Seales ensured West Indies retained complete control.

After repeatedly beating Azan outside off stump, Seales finally tempted the opener into edging a half-volley behind, reducing Pakistan to 21-2.

Any hopes of recovery disappeared in the next over when Salman was trapped lbw by a delivery that jagged back from a probing length. Pakistan reviewed the decision in vain, leaving Seales with remarkable figures of 2-3 from four overs after his wicket maiden.

Babar continued to offer resistance with some elegant strokeplay and successfully negotiated a testing spell from Shamar Joseph, while Rizwan survived a searching examination before getting off the mark.

But with Seales extracting movement and Roach finding both swing and variable bounce, Pakistan headed into the lunch interval staring at another collapse.

Scoreboard

WEST INDIES (1st Innings) 311 (S. Hope 92; Mohammad Ali 4-50)

PAKISTAN (1st Innings):

Azan Awais b Roach0

Imam-ul-Haq c Greaves b Joseph63

Shan Masood b Greaves109

Babar Azam c Hope b Seales23

Salman Ali Agha b Joseph20

Mohammad Rizwan c Hope b Greaves 12

Aamer Jamal b Greaves3

Ali Usman lbw b Greaves0

Khurram Shahzad c Hope b Roach19

Mohammad Abbas c Hope b Greaves0

Mohammad Ali not out2

EXTRAS (B-4, LB-17, NB-10)31

TOTAL (all out, 80.1 overs)282

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-1 (Azan), 2-156 (Imam), 3-197 (Babar), 4-244 (Salman), 5-244 (Shan), 6-248 (Aamer), 7-256 (Usman), 8-259 (Rizwan), 9-267 (Abbas)

BOWLING: Roach 15.1-2-53-2 (4nb), Seales 22-5-73-1 (1nb), Joseph 16-2-58-2 (2nb), Greaves 11-6-27-5 (3nb), Warrican 16-1-50-0

WEST INDIES (2nd Innings, overnight 126-7):

T. Chanderpaul c Usman b Aamer35

B. King c Rizwan b Abbas5

K. Hodge c Rizwan b Abbas0

A. Jangoo c&b Ali4

S. Hope b Khurram10

J. Greaves c Babar b Abbas20

R. Chase c Rizwan b Khurram8

K. Roach c Babar b Abbas18

S. Joseph b Ali38

J. Warrican b Abbas14

J. Seales not out6

EXTRAS (B-8, LB-6, NB-8, W-1)23

TOTAL (all out, 54.5 overs)181

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-7 (King), 2-7 (Hodge), 3-28 (Jangoo), 4-43 (Hope), 5-80 (Chanderpaul), 6-85 (Greaves), 7-93 (Chase), 8-154 (Joseph), 9-169 (Roach)

BOWLING: Abbas 15.5-6-22-5 (2nb), Khurram 15-2-54-2 (5nb), Ali 14-1-52-2 (1nb), Aamer 10-2-39-1 (1w)

PAKISTAN (2nd Innings):

Azan Awais c Hope b Seales3

Imam-ul-Haq c Hope b Roach3

Babar Azam not out16

Salman Ali Agha lbw b Seales0

Mohammad Rizwan not out1

EXTRAS (LB-3, NB-2)5

TOTAL (for three wickets, 10 overs)28

STILL TO BAT: Shan Masood, Aamer Jamal, Ali Usman, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Abbas

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-5 (Imam), 2-21 (Azan), 3-25 (Salman)

BOWLING: Roach 4-1-19-1 (2nb), Seales 5-3-4-2, Joseph 1-0-2-0