3rd Test:
Day 1
Pakistan 169/2 (69.0 ov)
West Indies
Pakistan eased into their comfort zone in the evening session of a truncated day's play in Roseau. They played as they like to - slow, solid, unremarkable - scoring at a run rate around 2.50 throughout the day, ending on 169 for 2 in 69 overs. Azhar Ali and Babar Azam looked settled for most parts, much more so than one would have expected after their team was thrust in to bat under gloomy skies. The late wicket of Babar gave West Indies something to cling to on at the end of a long day.
After the brighter evening skies allowed for an extended final session, Azhar and Babar resumed their dominance, but the lengthy break seemed to have taken much of the intensity out of the game. The scoring rate dropped and there was a palpable lull in proceedings as Pakistan inched along in conditions that looked to have improved for batting.
There was a slice of luck for Babar soon after play resumed, a perfect legspinner from Devendra Bishoo taking his outside edge on 28, only for Dowrich to put down a straightforward. Excitement elsewhere was in precious little supply as Azhar brought up his half-century soon after and Pakistan hit cruise control.
There was a massive scare for the West Indies early on in the session, with their ace bowler Shannon Gabriel heading off the field with a niggle. Much to their relief, however, he was able to make his way back soon after, and, despite remaining wicketless, was the pick of the bowlers, wielding an aura of control over proceedings that his fellow bowlers couldn't quite match.
But it was Alzarri Joseph who provided the breakthrough towards the end of the day, with a fifth stump line that Babar couldn't quite decide whether to leave or play. He did neither in the end, and his bat jutted out indecisively. The ball caught the outside edge and carried through to slip, but not before he had scored 55 in a 120-run partnership that had put his side in a position of authority.
That heralded the most memorable moment of the day, as the West Indies players formed a guard of honour to allow Pakistan's next batsmen to pass through. Younis Khan strode in to respectful, almost reverent applause from the Dominica crowd before shaking Jason Holder's hand as a way of thanks, and then drawing him in with a warm embrace. With the niceties out of the way, West Indies brought their best bowler Gabriel back into the attack, knowing Younis' wicket could put an entirely different spin on proceedings. Pakistan's most prolific runscorer, however, stood firm, living to bat yet another day.
The first session, to borrow from a football cliché, was one of two halves with Pakistan scoring freely after the first hour, during which they managed just 19 runs in 13 overs for the loss of Shan Masood. The cloudy weather resembled much of the first Test, and Azhar Ali and Masood, replacing the ill Ahmed Shehzad, started tentatively against the late swing of Gabriel and Joseph. As the pair pounded away at the Pakistan side they had skittled for 81 less than a week earlier, the scoring rate wasn't of as much importance as the wickets column.
With the bowlers on top, it was surprising to see Holder introduce part-time offspinner Roston Chase into the attack as early as the ninth over. What was even more unexpected was the prodigious turn and bounce Chase extracted, beating the left-handed Masood's bat almost every ball. Masood's eventual dismissal was entirely in keeping with the events leading up to it, as he finally edged an offbreak that carried low to Jason Holder at second slip.
The run rate picked up sharply after the drinks interval, with Chase, who didn't concede a run in his first three overs, lofted for two sixes off consecutive overs by Azhar. With the left-hand batsman gone, Chase found himself unable to take advantage of the footmarks created by the fast bowlers, and his potency rapidly decreased.
By the time lunch was called, the tables had been turned almost completely, with the West Indies on the defensive as Pakistan tried to stamp their authority on a session they might have been dreading by the drinks break.
The rest of the day continued in much the same fashion, though with rain expected across the remaining four days of the Test, Pakistan will have to speed up their run rate if they are to prevail in a Test that would give them their first ever series win in the Caribbean.
Day 2
Pakistan 376
West Indies 14/0
West Indies trail by 362 runs with 10 wickets remaining in the 1st innings
West Indies safely negotiated an awkward last half hour to head to stumps without having lost a wicket in response to Pakistan's first innings total of 376. Kraigg Brathwaite and Keiron Powell were circumspect, eager to bat again tomorrow and technically adept enough to deserve it. That only 14 runs came off the 11 overs they faced will bother no one, considering Pakistan had trudged along in much the same way for almost two sessions.
On a day likely to be remembered for the pace, or the lack of it, Azhar Ali got his 14th Test hundred, and was supported by Misbah-ul-Haq and Sarfraz Ahmed as Pakistan looked set to bat through the day. However, West Indies bowlers came back into it in the final session as the last five Pakistan wickets fell for only 65 runs.
All eyes were on Sarfraz after tea, with Pakistan looking to inject some sorely lacking momentum into their innings. However, they were dealt a major setback early on in the session when Jason Holder took two wickets off two balls to send back Mohammad Amir and Yasir Shah.
With the score on 322 for 8, West Indies would have hoped to run through the last two batsmen and make Pakistan pay for their lack of intent earlier on. But Sarfraz maddened them by bringing his street-cricket skills to the fore. The wicketkeeper batsman basically took guard outside leg stump, forcing the bowlers off their lines, and collected 39 of the 45-run partnership between himself and Mohammad Abbas.
Just as Pakistan began to close in on 400, Sarfraz edged one from Devendra Bishoo into first slip's hands. Hasan Ali came in and was good for a pair of lusty boundaries before Bishoo cleaned him up. Pakistan's bowlers may still be favourites with a cushion of 376 runs behind them, but a top team should really aspire for more after batting nearly 150 overs.
In the morning, taking aim at all those criticising them for batting too slowly on the opening day, Pakistan had a simple response. You ain't seen nothing yet.
There were only nine runs in the first 10 overs - and among them were five successive maidens. The run - if you can call not scoring a run - made an early start by half an hour almost needless. Why bother when the game just struggled to move on?
West Indies formed their second guard of honour of the Test as they welcomed Misbah after dismissing Younis Khan lbw for 18 off 75 balls. Then they outdid their generosity by dropping the Pakistan captain, playing his last Test, on 0. Squared up by a ball that shaped away, Misbah looked back to see his outside edge being dropped by Shane Dowrich. It was the wicketkeeper's second drop of the Test, and it left Holder, the bowler, buckling at the knees.
West Indies, for all their struggle to pick up wickets, did keep things quiet with the old ball. Eventually, Shannon Gabriel took the new one in the 89th over, which only provided a fresh signal for Pakistan to retreat further into their shell. Misbah had, at that point, uncoupled batting with scoring runs completely, at one stage having one run off 52 balls. Azhar at the other end finished the morning with 37 runs off 92 balls as Pakistan achieved their objective of not losing too many wickets.
After lunch, however, Azhar was undone attempting a rare attacking stroke, a slog sweep over midwicket. He missed the ball by some distance it spun back into his stumps, bringing to an end a grinding hundred that had looked like hard work. Flickering signs of aggression emerged from Asad Shafiq, as he looked to go over the top in a bid to improve his side's desperately poor run rate. However, he picked out long-on to give offspinner Roston Chase the third of his four wickets.
A better side than West Indies would probably have punished Pakistan for their approach on Thursday, and West Indies themselves may yet do so. But, Misbah has made an art of being a contrarian, and as he leaves the Test arena, don't bet against him proving everyone wrong one final time.
Day 3
Pakistan 376
West Indies 218/5
West Indies trail by 158 runs with 5 wickets remaining in the 1st innings
Jason Holder and Shane Dowrich kept West Indies from disintegrating in the last hour of an engrossing but slow-moving day, finishing up at 218 for five, still trailing Pakistan by 158 runs. Things had looked bleak for Holder's men when their best batsman Roston Chase walked off midway after being struck on the elbow by a Mohammad Amir bouncer, but the others pulled their weight stoically enough to ensure they could claim a share of the spoils.
West Indies didn't lose any of their grit with Hope's dismissal at the stroke of tea. For little over an hour after the break, they frustrated Pakistan before Vishaul Singh, who has had a torrid first series, probably went a little too deep into his shell, especially against the faster bowlers. Even so, it was admirable to see the rookie fight it out on the pitch under considerable pressure although Misbah-ul-Haq was perhaps guilty of making it a little too easy for him, carrying on with the part-time of Azhar Ali from one end.
With the hosts fighting so gamely, the moment that turned the session against them was an exceptionally cruel twist of fate. The new ball was just three overs old When Mohammad Amir hurried Roston Chase into a pull shot, the ball striking him flush on the elbow. After lengthy treatment on the field, the series' highest run-scorer was forced to retire hurt.
For a Pakistan team that had been unable to penetrate in the session up till then, it would have seemed like a wicket. Vishaul succumbed two overs later to - predictably enough - pace. Mohammad Abbas swung the new ball in sharply to trap him plumb in front. Suddenly the West Indies looked vulnerable again, trailing as they did by 200 runs.
Fortunately for the West Indies, Holder and Dowrich showed the same determination to ensure they didn't go in to stumps having suffered any other blows in the face of a masterclass in discipline from the Pakistan pacers. Amir, in particular, continued to carry menace with the sort of short delivery that had injured Chase, striking Holder in the chest area once, and cramping both batsmen with the bouncer time and again.
West Indies started the day in the sort of sedate fashion that has characterised much of this Test match, meandering along at a scoring rate well below two per over; only one boundary came in the first 25 overs. The day only came to life when Powell decided to take the attack to Yasir, but after shuffling across and sweeping him to the vacant square leg boundary once, he dragged a lofted hit to Azhar Ali at deep midwicket.
Shimron Hetmyer came out with the same plan of not allowing Yasir to settle. He drove Yasir for a boundary in the first over he faced him, and soon after, dispatched a short delivery for six over deep midwicket. But the wily legspinner had the last laugh again, getting one to turn in sharply from the rough, kissing Hetmyer's gloves with Sarfraz Ahmed taking a sharp catch. Pakistan may have not had the wicket had Sarfraz not confidently signalled for a review almost the moment umpire Bruce Oxenford adjudged not out.
Even so, West Indies still looked for scoring opportunities off Yasir, who ended the day having conceded nearly half the runs of the entire innings. It wasn't that he was bowling poorly - a lot of his balls were perfect legspinners with sharp turn - but his consistency deserted him, prompting a rare reprimand from Misbah. Yet, it didn't seem like he was far away from a wicket either.
That duly arrived in the last over before lunch when Brathwaite, who looked fairly comfortable up until then, jabbed at a delivery that spun away sharply to take the edge through to the wicketkeeper. The deadlock of the first hour was well and truly broken by then.
As in the first session, it was impossible to ignore the feeling that that the game was moving on only while Yasir was bowling. Ironically, it was Azhar Ali who pulled things back for Pakistan during the afternoon, taking the only wicket in the session off its last ball, with Hope slicing to Misbah at short cover.
It was a game that could have been snatched away from the West Indies in every session today. That they managed to hold Pakistan off and ensure they go in to day four still able to claim parity must feel like a small win in itself.
Day 4
Pakistan 376 & 174/8d
West Indies 249 & 7/1
West Indies require 297 runs with 9 wickets remaining in the 2nd innings
On the first three days in Roseau, a total of 15 wickets fell. On the fourth, fourteen batsmen succumbed as the deciding Test between West Indies and Pakistan burst into life. With the hosts needing 304 to win, all three results are just about possible, in the game, and by extension, the series.
The start of the evening saw West Indies strike the perfect notes, Alzarri Joseph getting rid of the last two recognised batsmen, Sarfraz Ahmed and Asad Shafiq. With Pakistan 90 for 7, the lead just over 200 but well below what would make Misbah-ul-Haq feel comfortable, Jason Holder's men might have sniffed the possibility of a sensational win.
But that was before Mohammad Amir and Yasir Shah put together a gutsy 61-run stand that steered Pakistan out of troubled waters and could well have batted West Indies out of the contest. Yasir continued haunting his opposition as he picked up a wicket off what became the last ball of the day.
Misbah and Younis Khan would be quietly confident that they can retire from Test cricket with the honour spearheading Pakistan to their first series win in the Caribbean. Finishing their careers with scores of 2 and 35 respectively in exchange for that seems like a pretty good trade off. Both men were welcomed back to the pavilion one last time by a set of grateful team-mates lined up in a guard of honour.
All that emotion had to be kept aside, however, during the last hour and a half of play. Pakistan did so and as a result enjoyed complete domination. Yasir, who was caught off a no-ball, and Amir, who was drawn into a few verbal arguments, swung merrily during the final five overs of the innings to ransack 47 runs. Then came the declaration.
The West Indies openers were left with the unenviable task of batting out the day's last 25 minutes against the new ball. They hung in bravely right till the final over, but Yasir had one final blow to land and Shan Masood helped out by staying low at silly point and diving to his right to pull off a remarkable catch to dismiss Kieron Powell.
The day began with Pakistan skittling West Indies' last five wickets out within the first hour. Mohammad Abbas was chiefly responsible for the damage, taking his first five-wicket haul to give Pakistan a seemingly impregnable lead of 129. There was still time for Pakistan to bat seven overs before lunch would be taken but they were rather tentative during that period, scoring just eight runs, while losing two wickets.
Azhar Ali slashed a short, wide delivery to point and Babar Azam followed him off the last ball of the session, edging to short leg. The third umpire was called in to check if the ball had carried to the close-in fielder and though there were visuals that seemed to indicate the ball had kissed the ground before going into Shimron Hetmyer's hands, Richard Kettleborough went with the on-field official's soft signal of out.
The second session brought Misbah and Younis - the most prolific batting partnership in Pakistan's Test history - together at the crease for one final time. It wasn't the fairytale ending - 8 runs off 28 balls - and the team was back in trouble again but nothing could divert attention away from Misbah as he walked off the field one last time with bat in hand.
Younis appeared in good form, moving his feet adeptly, rotating the strike without any trouble even on a slow pitch. Aside from that, he ushered his protégé Shan Masood through some tough times early in the innings but after struggling to cope with his weakness outside the off stump, Masood was trapped lbw by Shannon Gabriel for 21 off 68 balls.
That brought Misbah to the crease and there was hope that the pair could combine for one last hurrah, a flourish to remember them by, one for the road, whatever you wished to call it. However, while imaginations took off, the run-rate did not.
Misbah probably felt it too, and tried to rectify it the way he knew best. Devendra Bishoo flighted one up to him, and he couldn't resist one final slog sweep over long-on. It was poorly miscued, flying straight up in the air, and Shane Dowrich took a comfortable catch. Pakistan's longest-serving captain's innings was played. Younis fell off the last ball before tea, top-edging a full toss to Kieron Powell at short fine leg, who ran to his left and secured a tumbling, one-handed catch. And so ended a grand era.
Day 5
Pakistan 376 & 174/8d
West Indies 247 & 202
Pakistan won by 101 runs
Dominica bid farewell to two legends of the game in a most fitting manner, giving Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq the most heart-stopping send-off possible.
History beckoned time and again, torturing and teasing them. It made them wait, it made them wonder, it made them despair. But, with six balls left in the game, the series, and their careers, came perhaps its most satisfying moment.
Shannon Gabriel, West Indies' No. 11, had spent just over half an hour at the crease, and had seen out 21 balls. See out one more, and it would leave Roston Chase, who was batting on 101, to face the last over of the match, the last over of the series, and dramatically raise West Indies' chances of saving the Test.
Gabriel had kept out those 21 balls by trusting his defence, but now, in one of the most inexplicable moments in Test cricket's history, he swung wildly, madly at Yasir Shah. The ball took his inside edge and rattled into off stump, sealing one of the greatest days in Pakistan's cricket history.
This side - Misbah's side - had done what Hanif Mohammad couldn't do, what Javed Miandad couldn't do, what Imran Khan couldn't do. He had led his side to its first ever series victory in the Caribbean, a 101-run win sealing his - and Younis' - careers with aplomb. Test cricket certainly has a way of rewarding its own.
Pakistan looked like they would make short work of the final session when, three overs in, Hasan Ali brought an end to Jason Holder's obdurate resistance. It left West Indies seven down with only the tail to give Roston Chase company.
With the pitch playing extremely slowly, what Hasan did to dismiss him might even have been an intentional ploy. He took the surface out of the equation, hurling a fierce inswinger that made a beeline for leg stump on the full. Holder made a mess of trying to keep it out, and was plumb in front.
But just as Pakistan began to envisage victory, Bishoo and Chase had designs on a grand resistance. They split the work brilliantly, with Bishoo keeping out Yasir Shah and Chase negotiating the faster bowlers, and Pakistan struggled to break that pattern. Ultimately Misbah resorted to pace from both ends, and Bishoo's discomfort against the seamers eventually cost him his wicket, as he fended a Mohammad Abbas bouncer to silly point.
Chase had been sensational all series, and it would be churlish to take any credit away from him. But he led a charmed life in the last session and you couldn't help wondering if he was destined to save the game. On two occasions, Hasan Ali dropped him off his own bowling, and when Abbas had him caught in the slips, replays showed he had just overstepped. When Chase drove Mohammad Amir down the ground for an exquisite boundary to bring up his hundred, you could sense the stadium felt it too.
Whenever a wicket fell, there was a sense that the resistance had finally ended. But Alzarri Joseph picked up from where Bishoo left off, and then Gabriel took over from Joseph. Between them, West Indies' Nos. 9, 10 and 11 spent 99 balls at the crease, while scoring 12 runs. Runs had simply ceased to matter by then.
The morning session had been dominated by Pakistan, who made significant inroads towards a series win, dismissing Kraigg Brathwaite, Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope, and exposing the hosts' middle order in the first hour.
Brathwaite was the first to fall, playing an unseemly shot after getting caught in two minds over what to do with a short Yasir delivery. The ball stuck in the pitch, and Brathwaite spooned it to point.
But the hammer blow was yet to come, with Hetmyer's bête noire coming back to snare him one final time. Mohammad Amir got one to tail in to Hetmyer, just as he has done all series. The youngster looked to drive on the up, missing the ball completely. He must now be sick of the sight of his off stump sent cartwheeling.
Hasan pushed West Indies further back against the wall with a dream delivery to capture his first Test wicket. Having maintained a disciplined, good length all Test, he changed it up in the most unexpected way, hurling an inswinging yorker destined for Hope's toes. The batsman was unable to get his bat down in time, and the lbw call was so obvious Chase told Hope not to bother with a review.
Two overs into the afternoon, Vishaul Singh - the closest thing to a walking wicket this series - succumbed to a classic Yasir Shah trap. The legspinner pitched the ball into the rough, and the left-hander failed to judge the turn. His inside edge flicked the pad, popping up to Babar Azam at short leg for a simple catch.
Shane Dowrich fell to the same bowler, and the same fielder, although his wicket was altogether more controversial. His attempt to flick Yasir against the turn looped up to short leg off pad - before which there may or may not have been a tickle of inside edge - and the umpire Bruce Oxenford adjudged him out. Dowrich reviewed immediately, but lengthy replays turned up no conclusive evidence either way, and the decision was upheld. It was a piece of misfortune the West Indies could have done without, in truth.
But despite all that, West Indies had it in control. Then came Gabriel's moment of madness, and Misbah went beserk. Cool and calm? What are you on about?
2nd Test:
Day 1
West Indies 286/6 (89.0 ov)
Pakistan
A day that started with ominous familiarity for the West Indies ended in unexpected success as the hosts recovered from a middle order meltdown to post 286 for 6 at stumps. Roston Chase was primarily responsible for the turnaround, an unbeaten 131 - just his second century - dominating the day, while Jason Holder's unbeaten fifty helped run Pakistan ragged in a final session off which they scored 120.
Chase's awareness around the crease was excellent, knowing exactly when to leave the ball. He was equally effective at adjusting his feet when facing the spinners, and was in position to take advantage when they dropped the ball either short or bowled full. The stroke that brought up his century was a fitting snapshot of how he had played: a delightful cover drive off an overpitched delivery from legpinner Shadab Khan, who had a particularly harsh introduction to the longest format. In the absence of Yasir Shah for most parts of the final session, he was summoned but failed to ring in any sort of consistency.
The evening session began, somewhat familiarly, with Holder joining Chase to play his part in yet another rearguard. With the West Indies top and middle order disappointing so regularly, Holder's runs in the lower order have become essential to his side, rather than just an added bonus. To his credit, he delivers more often than not, and he gave Chase stellar support.
With Yasir clearly hampered by a back niggle and unable to bowl at full tilt, Pakistan were at times reduced to being a three-man attack. Chase and Holder were wise to the situation, ensuring they didn't give a wicket away easily and waited for the bowlers to tire. As they did, their intensity invariably dropped and for the first time all day, Pakistan looked like they were waiting for a wicket to fall instead of actively hunting for one.
West Indies had perhaps expected an easier ride after winning the toss and choosing to bat in favourable conditions, but a splendid new ball spell from both Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Abbas put them on the back foot straightaway. The wicket of Kraigg Brathwaite, when it came, had a sense of inevitability to it, the right-hander edging an Amir delivery that held its line. When Shimron Hetmyer fell flashing at a ball outside off stump soon after, the lack of experience was telling.
With the pitch seen as conducive to spin bowling, Misbah-ul-Haq turned to Yasir as early as the eleventh over. There was sharp turn on offer for the legspinner right away, hardly a ringing endorsement of the wicket, what with this being the first morning of the Test. But with the under-fire Shai Hope having gone into his shell, Yasir pitched one on a length around middle stump. Hope failed to get on the front foot in time, and the ball took the edge through to Sarfraz Ahmed as West Indies slumped to 37 for 3.
Amir provided Pakistan the next breakthrough, ripping a yorker into Powell's toes that tailed in at serious pace, taking the slow pitch out of the equation. The umpire turned down the appeal, but Amir was sure, and Hawk-Eye agreed with him. Wickets continued to fall as West Indies threatened to fold for a sub-200 total, as the hosts were reduced to 154 for 6. The players went in for tea soon after; the fans will probably have needed something stronger.
What they couldn't have known was Chase and Holder would concoct the perfect tonic to soothe their disappointment in the final session, as the West Indies improbably finished the day on even terms. With the partnership standing at 132, and still unbeaten, the fans had better turn up tomorrow, too. They certainly haven't seen this before.
Day 2
West Indies 312
Pakistan 172/3 (69.0 ov)
Pakistan trail by 140 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the 1st innings
There was no knockout punch today, more gradual asphyxiation. As genuine moments of excitement and drama came few and far between, Pakistan, quietly and ruthlessly, wrapped the West Indies in a bear-hug and slowly squeezed the life out of them. There was some exceptionally generous bowling - Ahmed Shehzad made 70, having been gifted three lives - but Pakistan were efficient enough to capitalise on those mistakes, and end day two in a commanding position.
West Indies eventually perked up halfway into final session, taking three wickets for six runs to send Azhar Ali and Misbah-ul-Haq back into their shell. But with an opening batsman not out on 81, alongside a captain who loves a firefight, there was a lot of work left to do for Jason Holder's men.
For now, though, they can be relieved that they were even able to take wickets. Devendra Bishoo extracted an outside edge from Shehzad to have him caught at slip with the score at 155. The Pakistan batsman had enjoyed a charmed life at the crease; he had a catch dropped as early as the third over, and was dismissed twice off deliveries that turned out to be no-balls. Shannon Gabriel was the first culprit, Roston Chase was the other. Shehzad made the most of it, but the question of whether he has returned to form is very much up for debate. He went through periods in his innings where run-scoring almost screeched to a halt; at one point, he made three off 59 balls.
West Indies were buoyant when they followed up Shehzad's wicket with those of Babar Azam and Younis Khan, the heir-apparent and the master. You would have to search far and wide to find a Younis dismissal off a poorer delivery than the one that felled him for a duck in Bridgetown. Bishoo bowled a classic long hop, and the batsman gave it the whack it was begging for, only he picked out short midwicket. Azhar and Misbah then went into power down mode, scoring 11 runs off their 58-ball partnership, ensuring there was no further damage.
The day began with a couple of wickets that were mirror images of each other. Holder attempted leave when a shot should have been played, and Chase attempted a shot when the ball was better off being left. But the effect of their dismissals was the same; it wrenched all the momentum the home side had built up over a painstaking 132-run partnership, putting them back to the place they are so dreadfully familiar with: square one.
A breezy partnership between Alzarri Joseph and Bishoo ensured the West Indies made it past 300 but the optimism with which they had begun the day had long since evaporated. Mohammad Abbas - the most successful bowler today - got rid of Bishoo soon after. Yasir Shah cleaned up Joseph next over, and West Indies found themselves shot out for 312.
The Pakistan openers then consolidated their position of strength, although the cricket they played to get there fell some way short of attractive. Azhar and Shehzad combined for a century partnership, buying themselves precious time after coming in for sharp criticism for their lack of runs in the first Test. Some of their watchfulness was down to disciplined bowling from the West Indian quicks, although it was noteworthy that the sustained pressure never really felt like spilling over into a wicket.
The pitch showed signs of wear and tear, and the resulting variable bounce meant the batsmen could never completely get their eye in. There were balls that the openers found themselves having to dig out from ankle length, while the footmarks outside the off stump gave wings to the offbreaks pitching into them. The abrasiveness of the surface impacted the ball too, scuffing it up so badly that it had to be changed twice. Even so, Azhar and Shehzad found ways to hang on, and though it wasn't always pretty, it certainly was pretty effective.
The three wickets late in the day might have given the hosts some hope, but unless they can continue where they left off tomorrow, they might find themselves toiling in the field yet again.
Day 3
West Indies 312 & 40/1
Pakistan 393
West Indies trail by 41 runs with 9 wickets remaining
A slow but steady hundred from Azhar Ali, and Misbah-ul-Haq's 99, ensured Pakistan tightened their grip on the Bridgetown Test. After they secured a lead of 81 in response to West Indies' 312 on a deteriorating pitch, fast bowler Mohammad Abbas had Kieran Powell caught behind. West Indies ended the day trailing by 41.
The hosts had built up some momentum before tea, when they claimed three wickets for 13 runs, but they squandered it by allowing Pakistan's tailenders to make sizeable contributions in a game where batting in the second innings is expected to get significantly harder.
Jason Holder bowled an incisive spell, and along with Shannon Gabriel, had Pakistan seven down at tea for a lead of 17. Any hope of bowling them out swiftly, however, were dismissed by wayward bowling at the start of the final session. West Indies gave away three sets of byes that went for four down leg side. They were runs that, in this context, were such a gift they might as well have had a bow on them.
In all Pakistan added 64 runs, of which Yasir Shah scored 24. With Gabriel and Holder chipping away, Pakistan's lead had not become unassailable but the early loss of Powell meant West Indies would begin day four on the back foot.
The third day had begun with Misbah and Azhar in survival mode, scoring 54 runs in 26 overs on a pitch too slow to offer encouragement to the quicks. The likeliest route to a breakthrough was through the cracks spread across a misbehaving surface with variable bounce.
The second session was more lively, as if the teams had an epiphany over lunch that Test cricket in 2017 was supposed to be different to the kind they had displayed in the morning. Misbah was responsible for the injection of pace into the innings as Pakistan's batsmen looked more comfortable against spin at both ends.
Misbah broke the shackles when he swung freely for a six over long-on. The Pakistan captain looked good for a hundred, after being stranded on 99 in Kingston. However, he fell agonisingly on the same score again when a Holder delivery reared up to smash his gloves and loop to gully. What followed was a manic 20 minutes in which Pakistan went from 316 for 4 to 329 for 7.
Azhar brought up his 13th Test hundred shortly after, with a cut past backward point for four. However, Devendra Bishoo was beginning to find his range, and beat Azhar's bat from around the wicket on more than one occasion. Eight overs in, he found the outside edge with a sharp legbreak, breaking a 98-run partnership that took over 42 overs.
Misbah, though, continued to play in a liberated mood, sweeping well and even bringing out the reverse sweep to neutralise the spinners' leg-stump line. As a result, the runs began to flow, with 67 runs coming off 15 overs of spin. By then, Pakistan were ticking off milestones: the 300, the 50-partnership between Asad Shafiq and Misbah, and then going past West Indies' first-innings total.
However, it will be the one that got away - by one run yet again - that will likely remain memorable, as Misbah became the first man in Test cricket to have three scores of 99.
The mini-collapse that followed Misbah's dismissal was West Indies' best spell of the game so far. If they are to fight back once again during this Test, they will have to produce a better one with the bat on the fourth day.
Day 4
West Indies 312 & 264/9 (102.0 ov)
Pakistan 393
West Indies lead by 183 runs with 1 wicket remaining
It was a memorable day of Test cricket at the Kensington Oval, but for West Indies, it was a cruel finish. After all, West Indies - led by a resolute 90 from Shai Hope that lasted over five hours - made Pakistan's bowlers graft and toil for the majority of the day, but the defining period will be five minutes of chaos that saw his side lose three wickets in eight balls for one run. It might yet lose them a game they have grated their way back into on more than one occasion, but with the lead already 183 with one wicket in hand, the Test is still alive. Yasir Shah claimed another six-wicket haul to lead Pakistan's fightback in the final hour.
With West Indies leading by 154 runs with six wickets still in hand, thoughts may already have been turning to an early declaration on the final day. But all of a sudden, Hope sought to cover drive a flighted Yasir delivery through the air, perfectly picking out Azhar Ali at cover. The next ball saw Vishaul Singh, the other set batsman, drag an inswinging delivery from Mohammad Abbas onto his stumps. Six deliveries on, Jason Holder poked at one from Yasir, and even as the light eroded, Younis Khan was never going to drop that.
There was still enough time for West Indies' last recognised batsman - Shane Dowrich - to edge one that ballooned up for an easy catch to second slip. Yasir dismissed Alzarri Joseph soon after to take his innings tally to six, and West Indies' hard work crumbled.
They had begun the final session with the resoluteness that characterised their batting all day. The runs, which had begun to flow a little too freely, dried up after tea as Misbah operated spin from both ends, waiting for the new ball. The likelihood of a wicket seemed to recede with both Vishaul and Hope looking increasingly comfortable, and West Indies began to take hold of the game. Shadab came closest to a breakthrough with an lbw shout against Vishaul that Pakistan decided to review, only to be thwarted by the on-field umpire's call. As a result, the breakthrough Yasir provided through Hope's moment of ill-judgment will seem even more fateful, coming as it did at a time when the hosts were looking to bat Pakistan out of the game.
Momentum in the first session had fluctuated, a half-century partnership between Kraigg Brathwaite and Hope steering West Indies into the lead. West Indies got off to a terrible start, having added only one run to their overnight score when Shimron Hetmyer, who had looked convincing on the third evening, was dismissed by Mohammad Amir. The manner of the wicket was identical to his dismissal in Jamaica, the ball seaming back in sharply to crash into the stumps.
Hope and Brathwaite batted more positively after coming together, but just as it looked like West Indies might creep into the ascendancy once more, Brathwaite was undone by a combination of vicious spin from Yasir and staggering reflexes from Younis. Yasir pitched one well outside leg stump from around the wicket, which spun sharply across and clipped the shoulder of his bat. Younis dived to his right with agility and reflexes that belied his age, holding on to a splendid one-handed catch that could end up being as crucial as any runs he scores this game.
The afternoon session was a cagey affair as Yasir resumed the session by bowling around the wicket again to exploit the rough, while Roston Chase and Hope kept him at bay. Mohammad Abbas and Mohammad Amir kept chipping away laboriously from the other end, as Misbah appeared reluctant to trust a misfiring Shadab with runs at a premium. But it was Yasir's persistence from around the wicket that finally paid off for Pakistan when he drew Chase into driving him on the up. Chase hadn't been able to get to the pitch of the ball, and the drive came straight back to Yasir for an easy catch, giving Pakistan a breakthrough they needed badly.
Day 5
West Indies 312 & 268
Pakistan 393 & 81 (34.4 ov)
West Indies won by 106 runs
Twenty years ago, a West Indies side, led by Brian Lara, set India 120 for victory at the Kensington Oval. They had never lost a Test in Bridgetown to a subcontinental side, but that record looked in serious threat against the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Mohammad Azharuddin, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. West Indies took just 35.5 overs to skittle the visitors out for 81 to extend a glorious run at their stronghold.
Fast forward to 2017 and a completely different West Indies side, both in personnel and prestige, took on another subcontinental powerhouse, Pakistan, at the same venue. West Indies were dominated for most parts of four days, but Shai Hope's 90 that set a 188-run target helped script a remarkable turnaround.
On the final day, Shannon Gabriel took five wickets in a hostile spell as a Pakistan were skittled for that cursed score of 81. This Barbadian fortress might have creaked, but it certainly did not tumble as the hosts put in an inspired bowling performance to level the series.
Pakistan found their legs turning to jelly in a chase of 188 on a pitch that had shown signs of deterioration from very early in the Test. They played for the fear of demons on the pitch, and paid the price. Azhar Ali and Ahmed Shehzad's conservative approach - they scored six in the first six overs of the chase - set the tone.
Azhar was the first to fall, attempting to pull a short delivery from Gabriel over midwicket, unwisely trusting the bounce. He mistimed the shot horribly, sending it straight down midwicket's throat. Babar nicked down leg two deliveries later to record his first pair in Tests. That one of Pakistan's brightest prospect was undone by an innocuous delivery could arguably be seen as the wicket that opened the floodgates.
More misery awaited Pakistan as Younis was consumed shortly after. Jason Holder banged one in slightly short of a good length, well outside off stump. As Younis shaped up, it darted back in, kept low and made a beeline for his pads. The hapless Younis could only watch as it struck him dead in front of middle.
Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq both came and went within minutes of each other, their wickets brought about by Gabriels' brilliance. Misbah got a thick inside edge that lobbed to gully, but West Indies may have not had the wicket if they didn't review, for the original appeal was for lbw. Two balls later, Asad Shafiq's poke was taken on the third attempt by Kieran Powell, who earlier reprieved Ahmed Shehzad, at first slip.
The procession continued after lunch as Shehzad and debutant Shadab Khan fell within three overs of the resumption. Shehzad was unfortunate, falling to a delivery from Joseph that was almost a replica of the ball that accounted for Younis, but Shadab - whose introduction to Test cricket has been less spectacular than his limited overs debuts - was removed by a delivery that held its classical off stump line. Shadab could only nick to the wicketkeeper.
Sarfraz and Mohammad Amir then counter-attacked to take Pakistan past their lowest ever score of 49. But even an optimist couldn't have been so blind to notice that the pair were riding their luck, and when Amir sliced a drive into the hands of point, it was a wicket that had been coming all along.
There was still time for Shannon Gabriel to clinch a richly deserved five wicket haul with the perfect fast bowler's delivery. It pitched on off stump and clipped the top of off, and batsmen better than Yasir Shah would have done well to keep that out. The knockout blow came next over as Sarfraz lofted the opposition skipper Holder to wide long-on, with Roston Chase stationed there for precisely that shot.
The man who had got West Indies' fightback started with a first innings century made no mistake, but Pakistan, dazed and shell-shocked after a remarkable morning's cricket from the hosts, had plenty of theirs to rue.
Day 1
West Indies 244/7 (81.0 ov)
Pakistan
West Indies' middle and lower order came to their rescue in a big way as they recovered from a precarious 71 for 5 to end the opening day in Jamaica on 244 for 7. Roston Chase and Shane Dowrich added 118 for the sixth wicket after Mohammad Amir had made three breakthroughs either side of lunch as Pakistan threatened to take a firm hold on the match.
Play was called off nine overs early, as the clouds that hovered above for much of the day finally impacted the light enough to convince the umpires to lead the players off after just one over with the new ball, but the final session had not been short of action. Chase and Dowrich, whose partnership started in the first over after lunch, took their stand to three figures but just as it looked like Pakistan were running out of ideas the breakthrough came via a miraculous diving catch on the boundary to dismiss Chase, with Wahab Riaz taking a stunning grab running towards the long-on boundary.
The next ball, Dowrich was bowled by Yasir Shah as the visitors wrestled the advantage again, but some gutsy late hitting by Jason Holder and Devendra Bishoo ensured West Indies finished the day with some momentum, and a total to defend.
Pakistan were on top for much of the first day, but West Indies produced a heartening response after looking as though they could unravel when Amir and debutant Mohammad Abbas were operating with the new ball. Abbas claimed a wicket with his second delivery in Test cricket as Kraigg Brathwaite edged to second slip where Younis Khan snared another catch, reminding Pakistan it wasn't just his runs they were going to miss when he hangs up his bat at the end of this Test series.
However, Abbas' senior bowling partner was the man of the morning. Showing exquisite control, Amir produced one to dart back into the left-handed Shimron Hetmyer, one of two West Indians on debut. Hetmyer, who had for much of his short stay at the crease been chiefly concerned with Amir's outswinger, was clearly unprepared for the change-up; Pakistan had almost begun celebrating by the time the his bat came down. Four overs later, Amir castled Shai Hope with his stock delivery, swinging into the right-hander and sending his off stump cartwheeling.
When Wahab came on, the runs flowed a little more freely, the batsmen taking advantage of his slightly erratic length and relative lack of movement. Even so, he claimed the scalp of Vishaul Singh, also in his first outing, owing to a sharp catch at square leg from Azhar Ali, the batsman falling over to a ball drifting on to leg stump.
When Kieran Powell fell two deliveries after lunch, chasing a wide swinging delivery from Amir he would have been better off leaving alone, Pakistan would have harboured realistic hopes of dismissing West Indies for under 150, but Chase and Dowrich took control of the innings with a sense of grit and determination that supposedly better batsmen had been devoid of. They were excellent in trying circumstances, taking advantage whenever Yasir - who was inconsistent - missed his length, and punished Wahab when his line wavered. They did not panic when the runs dried up, but didn't go back into their shells so much they couldn't pounce on the poor deliveries.
Chase and Dowrich snapped back into a more aggressive mindset soon after tea, the latter rubber-stamping that fact by slashing Abbas for a pair of stylish square cuts and bringing up the 100-run stand moments later. It was then that the absence of a fifth bowling option began to hurt the visitors as they turned to Amir again, who they would ideally have wanted to rest until the new ball.
However, when this Test match has long been forgotten, all people will probably remember is how the sixth-wicket stand was broken. In a moment of play that almost defied belief, Chase struck a lofted drive off Yasir, looking for all the world like it would fetch him a boundary, despite Wahab, hardly a world-beating fielder, scampering back from mid-off. Wahab threw himself at the ball - even the technique looked all wrong - and somehow emerged with it in hand. The umpires asked for TV confirmation - perhaps they were just as astonished as everyone else.
The next ball, Dowrich was beaten for spin as he tried to drive Yasir along the ground, the ball thudding into his stumps: 189 for 5 had become 189 for 7 and, just like that, Pakistan again sensed a swift end to the innings.
However, no one appeared to have told Holder and Bishoo, who set upon Yasir in a display of counter-attacking hitting, not afraid to loft him in the air, earning multiple boundaries in return. They raced to a fifty-partnership at almost a run-a-ball, and continued to frustrate Pakistan as the new ball was taken.
Fortune came to their aid thereafter, as the new ball was only one Amir over old when the umpires decided this was no time of day to be facing fast bowling. Holder and Bishoo didn't need to be told twice, sprinting off to the dressing room after living to fight another day.
Day 2
West Indies 278/9 (92.3 ov)
Pakistan
Mohammad Amir claimed his first five-wicket haul since that fateful Lord's Test in 2010 to leave West Indies at 278 for 9 before rain put an end to a wet, miserable day in which only 11.3 overs were possible. After the morning session was wiped out owing to covers that leaked moisture on to the pitch - leaving the outfield so wet it had to be dried by lighting a fire over it - the players finally took the field more than four hours after they were scheduled to.
Jason Holder and Devendra Bishoo, carrying over a flamboyant partnership from the first day, were much more sedate now that Amir and Mohammad Abbas were in the attack. However, despite the heavy cloud cover, the new ball wasn't nearly as lively as Pakistan might have hoped, and the batsmen looked fairly comfortable for the first half hour. But soon after, Bishoo perished reaching for a delivery from Amir that was well wide of off stump, getting a faint edge that carried comfortably through to Sarfraz Ahmed.
Holder, sensing he was running out of partners, took the attack to Abbas, walking down the track to launch him over mid-off for six, bringing up a brisk half-century. Next ball, he shifted gears from destructive to delicate as he opened the face of his bat to guide the ball through the slips, taking his side closer to 300.
Amir then had a whole over to bowl at Alzarri Joseph, and that was never going to end well for the No. 10 batsman. If Bishoo's dismissal was scrappy, the one to dismiss Joseph and complete his five-wicket haul was all class. Class of 2009-10, to be precise. Not getting swing from over the wicket, Amir came around to Joseph, pitching the ball up at pace. It tailed in slightly, and crashed into Joseph's off stump, who could perhaps find some solace in the knowledge that that delivery would have done for many of his team-mates batting higher up the order.
There was just enough time left for No. 11 Shannon Gabriel to play the shot of the day, driving Amir sweetly down the ground for four to take the West Indies total to 278. Two balls on, the heavens opened once more, forcing the players off the field for good. It might have felt like a wasted day, but you try telling Amir that.
Day 3
West Indies 286
Pakistan 201/4 (78.2 ov)
Pakistan trail by 85 runs with 6 wickets remaining in the 1st innings
It sometimes felt as if the sole purpose for playing this Test match was to provide Younis Khan a platform to score the 23 runs he has needed to become the first Pakistan cricketer to score 10,000 runs. If that was indeed the case, then the purpose had been served. Younis swept - of course he swept - to the fine-leg boundary to reach the milestone, and the wait was over.
It happened two balls after the tea interval. Younis had, of course, left us all hanging at the break with his career runs tally reading 9999, and for perhaps 15 minutes, it was a figure almost as famous in cricket as 99.94. But then after two balls (although really after 70 years), it happened. The newest addition to the 10,000-run club took off his helmet and set off for the tiny cluster of Pakistan fans huddled together. He raised his bat, pointed at the Pakistan crest on his shirt and set to work on what he knew best: batting in Test match cricket.
There was almost a palpable sense that a burden had been lifted, and Pakistan's scoring rate picked up sharply after that. The West Indies pacemen had tired themselves out, and the spin bowlers - Devendra Bishoo excepted - were child's play for the pair to handle. Having come through a cagey second session, Younis and Babar Azam tucked into Roston Chase and Kraigg Brathwaite, during a stand of 131 for the third wicket, a six into the second tier by Younis the shot of the day.
Jason Holder was forced to return to the quicks once again, and called upon Shannon Gabriel to do something about a match that was slipping away from his side. The move paid off almost immediately. In just Gabriel's second over back, Younis, who had perhaps relaxed a bit too much, failed to keep an attempted cover drive along the ground, spooning it straight to Brathwaite at short extra cover. It wasn't before Younis had scored a valuable 58, though, putting his side in control of an innings that had been quivering at 54 for 2 when he came in.
Gabriel wasn't done, however, accounting for Babar in his next over, the young batsman playing on to his stumps after making a composed 72 off 201 deliveries as a seesawing Test began to even up again. The new batsmen, Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq, simply shut up shop thereafter as the quicks continued to push for another wicket in fading light. But the pair, nothing if not defensively resolute, held on till the close of play, Misbah surviving a review off what turned out to be the last ball of the day, setting the game up for an intriguing last couple of days.
The day had started with Mohammad Amir wrapping up the home side's innings, which had stretched on interminably owing to a combination of uncooperative weather and a wagging tail. They came out nine wickets down, and Amir needed just nine deliveries to account for Gabriel. It was almost a replica of the ball that did for Alzarri Joseph yesterday, angling in to Gabriel from around the wicket to crash into the middle stump and giving Amir his career-best bowling figures of 6 for 44.
Pakistan were dealt an early blow when Azhar Ali, indisputably their best batsmen of late, fell to a short wide delivery from Joseph that he will rue flashing at. It caught the edge and Shane Dowrich took a smart catch behind the wicket, but from Pakistan's point of view it will have felt like a wicket gifted. Ahmed Shahzad struck some confident boundaries on his return to the Test side but fell soon after, as a Holder delivery nipped in late to strike him on the back leg, bringing Younis and Babar together.
The pair hung around gamely in the face of a disciplined West Indian attack, ensuring they went in to tea having suffered no more setbacks. It took Younis 48 minutes and ten overs across two sessions to so much as get off the mark as the pace bowlers employed a consistent off-stump line and good length in otherwise unhelpful bowling conditions. Babar and Younis were equal to it, not about to throw their wickets away playing false shots, and consequently the session took on the feel of a stalemate. However, with Gabriel's late intervention taking the advantage away from Pakistan, the crowning glory is still very much up for grabs.
Day 4
West Indies 286 & 93/4 (28.0 ov)
Pakistan 407
West Indies trail by 28 runs with 6 wickets remaining
Pakistan ended the fourth day well in control of the first Test, thanks to an unbeaten 99 from Misbah-ul-Haq and four wickets from Yasir Shah, leaving West Indies at 93 for 4 and still 28 runs short of making Pakistan bat again.
After the drama of Misbah becoming the first Pakistan batsman to be stranded on 99 - Mohammad Abbas failing in an attempt to review a marginal lbw decision - West Indies began their reply solidly after tea. But just as the session was drifting off, Misbah turned to Yasir. The ball had spun considerably earlier in the day for his West Indies counterpart Devendra Bishoo, and with the cracks on the pitch beginning to open up, it was a natural decision.
What wasn't quite as natural was the speed with which the bowling change paid off. Yasir pitched the first ball of his spell on an off-stump line. The length was perfect for a legspinner, and Kraigg Brathwaite appeared to have no choice but to get on the back foot and watch for the turn. The ball skidded on, however, at flipper-like pace, and the attempt to cut was doomed. Two balls later, Yasir found the debutant Shimron Hetmyer's glove, who was fortunate to see it drop short of slip. Suddenly, new life was breathed into Pakistan's efforts.
Wahab Riaz was also introduced soon after, but he served as a pressure release valve for the West Indies batsmen, if anything. All the action was happening at the other end, and as the shadows lengthened, every single Yasir delivery became a must-watch event. When Hetmyer smashed Yasir impressively, dismissively down the ground for six, you almost expected Yasir to come back with a vengeance. The legspinner didn't disappoint, getting Shane Warne-esque turn the very next ball as Hetmyer went back and attempted to keep it out, only to end up dragging it on to his stumps.
Yasir wasn't nearly done yet, as four overs later he trapped Shai Hope plumb in front with a quicker delivery that skidded on to his front pad. There was still time for one final blow to the solar plexus of the West Indies line-up, as opener Kieran Powell, who had watched all the carnage unfold from the other end, edged to first slip on 49. Younis Khan was standing there to complete the dismissal, as West Indies headed for stumps dazed, dispirited, and, in all likelihood, defeated.
West Indies' second innings had started off uneventfully, as the openers came out looking like they had made survival their priority, at least for the session. Mohammad Amir generated a bit of swing while Abbas was his usual disciplined self, but Powell and Brathwaite were intent on not allowing Pakistan to make early inroads this time, and looked to see off the new ball with as little fuss as possible. The only chance for the faster bowlers came in Abbas's first over, as Powell chipped straight back to the bowler's left, who couldn't hang on despite getting a good hand to the ball.
Pakistan had earlier posted 407, thanks to a quickfire half-century from Sarfraz Ahmed to go with Misbah's efforts. Even though West Indies struck back in the afternoon session with regular wickets, a 10th-wicket partnership of 34 between Misbah and Abbas dashed their hopes of keeping Pakistan's lead to under 100, and therefore keeping alive the possibility - however remote - of the hosts charting a course to victory.
The Pakistan batsmen had looked wobbly in the opening session, but poor fielding by West Indies - a catch and a stumping were missed - ensured they were able to establish a position of dominance and stretch their lead.
Shannon Gabriel and Alzarri Joseph extracted sharp bounce off the surface, clearly discomfiting both Asad Shafiq and Misbah, neither of whom looked confident in dealing with the shorter length. Shafiq's eventual dismissal brought Sarfraz to the crease, and along with him came a sense of urgency to an innings that had stalled somewhat.
He was particularly severe on Bishoo, striking a four and six off his first two overs, and picking off the loose deliveries to ensure the spinner could never get into his rhythm and start building pressure on the batsmen as Pakistan edged closer to West Indies' total. His strike rate of 138 against the legspinner was indicative of his intentions, and he scored a half-century, as well as bringing up 2000 Tests runs, in a productive session.
Misbah, meanwhile, ticked along at the other end, looking curiously reticent to even attempt scoring shots at a juncture of the game when his side could be expected to drive home their advantage. He gradually found fluency as the innings went on and looked to set for an 11th Test hundred when Abbas, who had hung around for more than ten overs to keep his captain company, was struck on the pads by Roston Chase; Richard Illingworth's lbw decision upheld by the ball-tracker, despite the suggestion of a possible outside edge.
A win to break six successive losses in a row would likely take some of the edge off Misbah's disappointment and, to that end, Yasir appears to have his captain, and indeed his country, covered.
Day 5
West Indies 286 & 152
Pakistan 407 & 36/3 (10.5 ov)
Pakistan won by 7 wickets
Pakistan took a giant stride towards winning their first-ever Test series in the Caribbean, after an efficient bowling performance helped ease to seven-wicket win in Kingston. After Yasir Shah's six-for in the second innings left Pakistan chasing 32, Misbah-ul-Haq, who walked in at the fall of Younis Khan's wicket with the side needing eight, hit two successive sixes to complete the formalities.
Pakistan, emboldened by pushing West Indies to a tight corner last evening, spent the morning session closing in. They picked up six wickets for 59 as West Indies, resuming 93 for 4, were bowled out for 152.
Misbah was in no mood to experiment, getting his two best bowlers - Mohammad Amir and Yasir Shah - into the attack straight away. At perhaps no stage of the Test did a wicket look as imminent as it did in the first 10 overs. Amir tormented nightwatchman Devendra Bishoo with an unwavering line outside off stump. Or perhaps it was the other way round, as Bishoo kept missing, somehow managing to keep his outside edge from making contact with the ball.
Lesser bowlers - or indeed, Amir with lower levels of confidence - may have been frustrated, but Amir kept plugging away, and was duly rewarded. Vishaul Singh had just cut a rare poor Amir delivery away for four, but the bowler's comeback was destructive. He went slightly wide of the crease to the left-hander, the ball shaping in sharply from the moment it pitched, destination: top of off. Singh, who had seen Amir move the ball the other way all morning, shouldered arms, and was every bit as much a spectator as everyone else when the off stump cartwheeled.
Yasir was menacing from the other end, getting sharp turn off what was beginning to look like a standard day-five pitch, but it was Mohamamd Abbas who struck the next damaging blows with two wickets off three balls. Bishoo was the first to go, flashing at a short and wide delivery with Younis Khan pouching it in the slips. Two balls later, Shane Dowrich played across a straight ball that struck his pads in front of middle stump.
Wahab, who has had a slightly disappointing Test with the ball, then got into the act, removing Jason Holder, West Indies' highest scorer in the first innings. Yasir came in to clean up the lower order, just like he had the top order, removing Alzarri Joseph and Shannon Gabriel within four balls of each other to take six wickets this Test match, bolstering his ever-burgeoning credentials as a lethal second-innings bowler. This was the fifth time two Pakistan bowlers had taken six wickets in a Test innings of a Test, and the first since 2002.
The chase of 32 was one perhaps not even Pakistan could stuff up, but they can't be accused of not trying to make things interesting. Ahmed Shehzad tentatively pushed at the Gabriel delivery outside off stump for a simple catch to the wicketkeeper in the third over. Three balls later, Azhar Ali was making the walk back, having made a mess of trying to leave a ball from Joseph, only to somehow end up dragging it onto his stumps.
After lunch, Younis fell trying to work Bishoo to the leg side with the side two boundaries away. But Misbah needed just three balls to put West Indies out of their misery. Thirty six for three may not look too clinical, but, as is so often the case, their bowlers had left the batsmen ample room for error.
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