The Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad witnessed a Test match dripping with emotion, drama and raw pace bowling. When the dust settled on day four, the West Indies had sealed a 90-run victory over Pakistan — and dedicated it to the late, great Sir Garfield Sobers.
Match Summary: The Scorecard That Tells the Story
Here is how the first Test of the two-match series unfolded:
- West Indies 1st innings: 311 all out (Hope 92; Mohammad Ali 4-50)
- Pakistan 1st innings: 282 all out (Masood 109; Greaves 5-27)
- West Indies 2nd innings: 181 all out (Joseph 38; Abbas 5-22)
- Pakistan 2nd innings: 120 all out (Azam 58*; Seales 5-20)
- Result: West Indies won by 90 runs — they lead the series 1-0
Chasing a modest-looking 211 for victory, Pakistan were reduced to a shambolic 71-9 on a deteriorating surface, and looked destined to be bowled out for their lowest-ever Test total against the West Indies.
Jayden Seales: The Destroyer in Chief
If one man embodied the West Indies’ new pace-bowling identity, it was Jayden Seales. The young quick claimed 5-20 in the second innings — his second-best career figures against Pakistan — ripping through the top order before lunch on the final day.
Seales removed Imam-ul-Haq, Azan Awais and Salman Agha in a devastating pre-lunch spell that effectively ended the contest before it truly began. When he trapped Muhammad Abbas lbw for 23 to seal the win just after tea, the Trinidad crowd — modest in size but enormous in passion — erupted.
The Greaves Miracle: Five Wickets for Zero Runs
One of the most extraordinary spells in recent Test history came on day three from Justin Greaves. In an incredible spell of five consecutive wicket maidens, Greaves took 5-0 — five wickets without conceding a single run, a first in Test history, surpassing Stuart Broad’s four-in-a-row against South Africa in 2016. Pakistan had been cruising at 244-3 before losing their last seven wickets for just 38 runs.
Greaves finished the first innings with 5-27, then added the wickets of Mohammad Rizwan (bowled) and Aamer Jamal (lbw) in the second innings as he tightened the West Indies’ grip.
Shan Masood: Courage in Defeat
Opening batter Shan Masood produced the standout batting performance of the match — a magnificent 109 in the first innings — while playing with a fractured left index finger, fractured by a Seales delivery. His defiance briefly delayed the inevitable in the second innings before he spooned a simple catch to backward point.
Masood’s hundred was the backbone of Pakistan’s 282, but it was a lone hand. The rest of the batting order folded around him, with the visitors suffering their eighth consecutive Test defeat away from home.
Babar Azam: Fighting Alone at the End
At 71-9, with the match seemingly over, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam — reinstated as Test captain on 5 July, replacing Masood — found a partner in No. 11 Muhammad Abbas and the pair added a battling 49-run stand for the last wicket — taking the contest into the evening session and giving Pakistan fans a brief flicker of hope.
The Pakistan skipper finished unbeaten on 58, playing a mature, controlled innings on a pitch offering uneven bounce. But he simply ran out of partners.
“We played good cricket in the last few days but today we were not up to the mark as a batting unit,” Babar admitted afterwards. “There was uneven bounce in the pitch but we should have looked to build partnerships. The basics stay the same, you have to survive the new ball and look to score when it gets a bit old.”
Hope and the Tail: Setting It Up
The West Indies’ first-innings 311 was anchored by Shai Hope’s classy 92. In the second innings, with the pitch misbehaving, it was the tail that made the difference — Shamar Joseph smashed 38 off just 27 balls including four sixes, while veteran Kemar Roach ground out a dogged 18 off 63 deliveries.
For Pakistan, Mohammad Abbas was magnificent with the ball, taking 5-22 in the second innings and finishing as the standout bowler of the match alongside Seales.
Dedicated to Sobers: ‘I Hope He Is Smiling Down on Us’
The emotional heart of this Test lay off the field. The West Indies dedicated the victory to the late Sir Garfield Sobers, the greatest all-round cricketer in history, who died on 17 July aged 89 — and who would have turned 90 on the very day they wrapped up the win.
“We wanted to make him proud and had a chat about it before the match. I hope he is smiling down on us,” said West Indies skipper Roston Chase. “I also want to thank the Trinidad crowd for coming out and supporting us. It was not a big crowd but it gave us enough energy and support to go out there and perform.”
Sir Clive Lloyd also paid a moving tribute to Sobers at his funeral, calling him the “greatest all-round cricketer” the game has ever seen.
What It Means: WTC Context and the Decider Ahead
This two-match series is part of the 2025-2027 ICC World Test Championship cycle, making every point precious. The West Indies entered the series 8th with 12 points; Pakistan 9th with none. The West Indies’ 90-run victory gives them a 1-0 series lead with one match to play.
The second and final Test begins on 2 August at Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain (15:00 BST start), with Pakistan needing a win to level the series and avoid a ninth consecutive away Test defeat. The West Indies, meanwhile, will look to build on the momentum of a pace attack that looks reborn — Seales, Greaves, Joseph and Roach forming a quartet that can trouble any batting line-up in world cricket.
Key Takeaways
- Seales 5-20 and Greaves’ 5-0 spell were the match-defining bowling performances
- Shan Masood’s 109 with a fractured finger was the innings of the match — he is now ruled out of the decider
- Babar Azam’s 58* showed class in a losing cause
- Pakistan’s 8th straight away Test defeat exposes a deep batting fragility outside home conditions
- The win was dedicated to Sir Garfield Sobers, who would have turned 90 on the final day
- The 2nd Test in Port of Spain starts 2 August — Pakistan must win to level the series
Pakistan’s task just got harder: Shan Masood has been ruled out of the second Test with the fractured finger, and is a doubt for the England series that begins at Leeds on 19 August. Abdullah Shafique, Saud Shakeel and uncapped Awais Zafar are the candidates to replace him. For Pakistan, the equation is simple: win in Port of Spain or face another grim away-series defeat. For the West Indies, this felt like more than a victory — it was a tribute, a statement, and a glimpse of a bright new era under the leadership of Roston Chase.
