Hey friends, peace! The first day of the Multan Test between Pakistan and West Indies was all about the fog, with Rizwan and South Shakeel shining, while the West Indies bowlers had their moments too. Overall, it was a pretty balanced day, even though not much cricket happened. But honestly, we expected the fog; playing cricket in this season, especially in South Punjab, you’re bound to run into it. By the time the Champions Trophy kicks off, the weather should be sorted out—not too cold, not too hot, just nice outside. But today, it really felt like Pakistan was stuck in its own web.
"I'm getting stuck here because, if I'm not mistaken, Pakistan was already four wickets down, almost at 40 runs, and then the debutant Harera got out after just 16 runs. Then, at over 20, captain Shan Masood got out. I feel like he gets a bit shaky against spinners; he tends to struggle a bit. Kamran Ghulam looked good but got out for 31 at third. And Babar Azam was out for 46 in the fourth wicket; he even took a review, but I think it was probably just clipping the outer line, which is why he was given out."
You wouldn’t believe it, but he got out after making just eight runs, and Kamran Ghulam only managed five. You might wonder what kind of form you see in just those five runs; he did hit one good four and seemed to be in touch. Anyway, he came back from South Africa with some form, but at the start today, it looked like the West Indies would do better on this spin-friendly pitch. However, three wickets fell to the fast bowlers. I honestly expected that, in Multan, the fast bowlers would have an advantage, and that's exactly what happened.
There was something special about the pitch, especially with the new ball. They took out three key players from Pakistan. There was a catch behind the stumps, but then Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan played some amazing cricket. They put together a partnership of almost 100 runs off 169 balls, with Rizwan batting at a strike rate of 63. Rizwan played really well, scoring over 30 runs, and there was one moment where he almost got out to a silly catch, but the ball went a bit higher, otherwise he could have been in trouble. Then he hit a few boundaries, like three fours.
When they stepped out to play, they realized that with the amount of turn, they had to play more down the track. Rizwan batted accordingly, even though Saud Shakeel scored 50, he was a bit stuck, especially against the off-spinner. Rizwan was guiding him a bit, but you'll find that most cricketers from the south or Karachi play spin well. However, a left-arm orthodox spinner can definitely trouble them. Saud Shakeel was trying to sweep a lot but was getting caught up. Still, he put up a great innings with that solid 50.
"With a strike rate of 56, he hit four fours and scored 56 runs. Meanwhile, Mohammad Rizwan managed to score only 51 runs with seven fours. The difference in boundaries clearly shows that Rizwan plays spin bowlers really well. I do believe that Shaheen plays well too, but the way Rizwan was going after the spinners, even stepping down the track against the left-arm spinner, was impressive. He seemed to have figured out the turning ball perfectly and was really successful. Now, Pakistan has these two batsmen in their lineup."
They're in a good position, but it’ll be interesting to see how long they can keep playing tomorrow. Salman has come in from the bottom, and Sajid Khan can bat pretty well too. Then we have Numan Ali, Khurram Shehzad, and Abrar Ahmed, but none of them are really reliable batsmen. Sadat can manage a bit of batting as well. So, Salman Ali is in, and there are two players standing on our pitch. I guess if we can make 100 or even 150 runs, that would be great. Even if we get to 100, that’s not bad at all.
"With the fog rolling in and the conditions as they are, the Pakistani spinners are definitely going to get a lot of support. If you watched the match, you would have seen Sajid Khan standing outside the pavilion, peering in with this eager look, as if he couldn't wait to bowl on this pitch, especially against the West Indies batters. Anything could happen, but the way the pitch is behaving, I think the West Indies are going to face a lot of trouble. Sure, we’re in a tough spot ourselves, being 46 for 4, but it's going to be a real challenge for the West Indies."
They tend to get a bit nervous against spinners, especially on a spinning track. If Pakistan manages to score around 250 runs, I think the West Indies could struggle. They still have to play their first innings, and we need to see how their batsmen handle the spinners. Overall, if you look at their track record, even their top batsmen haven't been too comfortable against spinners. On a pitch like this, we didn't give England a chance, and the West Indies are a bit of a weaker team compared to them. So, Pakistan's start today is crucial.
The bowlers have been amazing, really putting the Pakistani batsmen under pressure. The commentators were saying that Pakistan seems to be getting stuck in their own game. But thanks to Saud Shakeel and Rizwan, they've batted brilliantly.
Now Pakistan is at 143 for 4 after 41.3 overs. It’s expected that tomorrow’s match will start a bit late too, just like today did, because of the fog. Especially in the South, there’s a lot of fog, though the East Punjab side isn’t as bad. When you wake up in the morning around 6:00 AM, there’s some fog, but after 8 or 9, it clears up a bit.
You get sunny days, but on the South Punjab side, like in Multan, there's still fog. It used to be on the Lahore side, but now it's over there. I think maybe by the second Test match, the weather might clear up a bit. There’s fog, so it’s possible you could see a sunny day tomorrow, but the expectation is that fog will stick around for the next three to four days. That said, it’s not like the match will end in a draw, thanks to the pitch supporting spinners—at least it’s helping the bowlers—and there will be a result.
It looks like the pitch is behaving a bit tricky, and I think, like I said yesterday, this match might stretch over three days. Considering the West Indies spinners aren’t really that great, but since we’re not getting 90 overs in a day—only 41 overs have been bowled so far—this match could definitely go into the fourth day. It might even last until the fifth day, especially with the fog playing a role. It’s kind of like half a day’s play, but it was a decent day overall for both teams. However, it’s not great for cricket since we've still got 40 overs left due to the fog.
The reason is that, for Pakistan, the good news is that both Shaquille and Mohammad Rizwan are still out on the pitch, each having scored 50 runs. They've put together a partnership of 97 runs. Let's see how many more runs they can add. But I think they should definitely aim to extend their lead to 100, meaning they should try to get to 250 runs this time. Make sure to share your thoughts in the comments, friends. That's all from me for now. Take care!
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