NEW DELHI: Kavem Hodge scored an unbeaten 83 to guide West Indies to 194/3 at stumps on a rain-affected opening day of the first Test against Pakistan at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad on Saturday.Only 67 overs were possible on Day 1 as rain and bad light reduced play. Hodge stayed at the crease throughout the day and was joined by Shai Hope, who remained unbeaten on 39. The pair added an unbroken 88-run partnership for the fourth wicket to put West Indies in a strong position.
Pakistan strike early
Pakistan made an early breakthrough when fast bowler Mohammad Abbas dismissed Brandon King for 12 in the ninth over. West Indies were struggling at 13/1 as runs came slowly in the opening session.
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After lunch, the home side recovered with Hodge leading the fightback despite the pitch becoming more challenging after the rain.Tagenarine Chanderpaul scored 21 before falling to Aamer Jamal, who returned to Pakistan’s Test side after an 18-month break. Amir Jangoo also made 21 before Abbas trapped him lbw.
Hodge survives review, reaches fifty
Hodge remained calm throughout his innings and completed his fourth Test half-century off 86 balls with eight fours.He also survived a big scare when Abbas struck him on the pads. The on-field umpire gave him out lbw, but Pakistan’s decision was overturned after replays showed the ball was bouncing over the stumps.Hope gave him solid support, facing 91 deliveries before stumps.
Abbas impresses with the ball
Abbas was Pakistan’s best bowler, finishing the day with figures of 2/44 from 19 overs.Left-arm spinner Usman Ali made his Test debut at the age of 33 and showed promising signs by getting sharp turn from the surface.
Chase chooses to bat first
West Indies captain Roston Chase won the toss and decided to bat. The decision looked risky early as Pakistan’s bowlers kept the scoring under control during the first session.The hosts, however, recovered well in the second and third sessions thanks to Hodge’s patient innings.
Team changes for both sides
Pakistan are playing under the leadership of Babar Azam, who returned as captain after Shan Masood was removed from the role following 12 defeats in 16 Tests. Pakistan are also searching for their first away Test win since beating Sri Lanka in 2023.The visitors were without opener Abdullah Fazal, who was ruled out of this series and the upcoming England tour with a lower back injury. Imam-ul-Haq returned to partner Azan Awais at the top of the order.West Indies fielded three fast bowlers — Kemar Roach, Shamar Joseph and Jayden Seales — after Alzarri Joseph made himself unavailable for the series. Jomel Warrican is the team’s specialist spinner.Both teams entered the series at the bottom of the World Test Championship standings with one win each.
Tribute to Garfield Sobers
Before the start of play, players from both teams and the match officials observed a minute’s silence in memory of West Indies legend Sir Garfield Sobers, who passed away earlier this month at the age of 89.West Indies players and match officials also wore black armbands as a mark of respect.
