Series in the bag: Yasir a thorn in West Indies’ side

Spinner claims a total of 10 wickets to guide Pakistan to 133-run win

KARACHI: A ten-wicket haul by leg-spinner Yasir Shah guided Pakistan to a 133-run victory over the West Indies in the second Test at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi yesterday.

The victory, which gave Pakistan their tenth consecutive win in international matches, also gave Misbahul Haq’s men an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match Test series.

Pakistan have been on winning run since they defeated England in the fifth and final ODI earlier this summer and followed that up with a resounding win in the one-off T20I against the same opposition. Subsequently, Pakistan whitewashed the West Indies in three-match ODI and T20I series before registering wins in the first two Tests of the ongoing UAE tour.

Meanwhile, man of the match Yasir, who grabbed four wickets in the first innings, claimed six wickets in the second as Pakistan confined the West Indies to 322 on the final day, having given a 456-run target.





West Indies middle-order batsman Jermaine Blackwood gave Pakistan a run for their money before being bowled out by Yasir in the 84th over, five runs short of his century. The hosts did not face much resistance from rest of the batsmen.

Misbah, who equalled great Imran Khan’s record of leading the side for the 48th time in Tests, was ecstatic on the team’s winning form.

“It’s an honour [to equal Imran’s record], but the most important thing for me is that the team won,” said Misbah after the victory.

He further added, “The conditions weren’t easy out there. We were expecting a turning track but that wasn’t the case. The wicket was flat and bowling the West Indies out twice was never an easy task. The bowlers, particularly Yasir, put in a lot of effort to secure win and the credit goes to them.”

The Pakistan captain said the winning streak will help the youngsters gain confidence. “In Tests you try to grab the maximum number of wins which is important for the younger players. They learn a lot from it.”



‘Winning third Test priority, not NZ, Australia tours’

Pakistan will tour New Zealand and Australia after the current series but Misbah said his team’s focus will be on the third Test against the West Indies.

“We are taking one assignment at a time. West Indies gave us a tough time in both matches and we will be focusing on the third Test,” he said. “They may be a weak side as compared to their past outfits, but they have some talented players who have a great future. We must be wary.”



A huge achievement, says selector Tauseef

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selector Tauseef Ahmed hailed the team’s series-clinching win over the West Indies.

“The series win is a big achievement. West Indies fought really well, especially in the first Test and overcoming them was a big challenge,” the former Test cricketer told The Express Tribune.

While the bowlers were clinical in steering Pakistan to an emphatic win, Tauseef felt the batsmen also deserved some praise.

“In the past we were struggling because of the batsman. Now our batsmen have started to perform which is giving bowlers something to fight for. The way Azhar Ali, Younus Khan and Asad Shafiq played is phenomenal,” he said.

Unchanged squad announced for third Test

The PCB retained the same squad, which played in the second Test, for the third and final Test against the West Indies which will commence from October 30 in Sharjah. 

Squad: Sami Aslam, Azhar Ali, Younus Khan, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Misbahul Haq (c), Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Khan, Imran Khan, Rahat Ali.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 26^th, 2016.

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.