Tarouba, July 26, 2026: Shai Hope and Shamar Joseph led a spirited West Indies recovery after Pakistan struck four times during the opening session on the second day of the first Test at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Sunday.
Resuming the day at 194-3, the hosts overcame early setbacks through an unbeaten innings from Hope and an aggressive late cameo from Joseph to reach 303-7 at lunch.
Pakistan made an immediate breakthrough when pacer Khurram Shahzad dismissed overnight batter Kavem Hodge for a well-crafted 84 off 183 deliveries, an innings featuring nine boundaries.
Hope then joined Justin Greaves to stabilize the innings with a composed partnership, rotating the strike effectively and taking West Indies beyond the 200-run mark.
The experienced batter anchored the innings with a patient knock, registering his seventh Test half-century while holding one end firm.
Pakistan struck again when Mohammad Ali claimed his first wicket of the innings, removing Greaves for 15 off 31 balls, including three fours, to leave the hosts on 231-5 in the 79th over.
West Indies captain Roston Chase failed to make a significant contribution as Mohammad Abbas continued his impressive spell, dismissing him for 10 off 19 deliveries with two boundaries.
Khurram Shahzad then removed Kemar Roach for three off 29 balls, reducing the hosts to 274-7 in 92.5 overs.
Shamar Joseph responded with an entertaining counter-attack, smashing 23 off just 12 deliveries, including four boundaries and a six, to lift the scoring rate before the interval.
Hope remained unbeaten on 89 from 174 balls as West Indies reached 303-7 at lunch after 96 overs.
On the opening day, Pakistan’s disciplined bowling attack kept the West Indies under pressure after the hosts elected to bat first.
Openers Brandon King and Tagenarine Chanderpaul added just 13 runs before Mohammad Abbas struck in the ninth over, forcing King to chop the ball onto his stumps. King was dismissed for 12 off 29 balls.
Kavem Hodge then joined Chanderpaul, but the pair also found scoring difficult before rain interrupted play with West Indies on 23-1.
After play resumed, Hodge settled into his innings and completed his fourth Test half-century while adding a valuable 51-run partnership with Chanderpaul for the second wicket.
Aamir Jamal broke the stand by dismissing Chanderpaul for 21 off 77 deliveries, leaving the hosts at 64-2.
Amir Jangoo then supported Hodge in taking West Indies past the 100-run mark before Abbas claimed his second wicket by removing Jangoo for 21 off 32 balls, an innings that included two fours and a six.
West Indies reached tea on the opening day at 127-3, with Hodge unbeaten on 56 and Hope on 11. The pair extended their partnership in the final session to guide the hosts to 194-3 at stumps before Pakistan regained the initiative with four wickets in the opening session on day two.
