All-rounder shared in a superb unbroken 132-run partnership with Jason Holder (58*) as hosts finished at 286/6 after Pakistan took early wickets.

By Abdullah Ansari (30th April, 2017)

Toss: West Indies won the toss, Jason Holder chose to bat first.

Teams

West Indies: KC Brathwaite, KOA Powell, SO Hetmyer, SD Hope, VA Singh, SO Dowrich†, RL Chase, JO Holder*, D Bishoo, AS Joseph, ST Gabriel

Pakistan: Azhar Ali, Ahmed Shehzad, Babar Azam, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq*, Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed†, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Abbas

Holder won the toss and opted to bat first with West Indies unchanged while Shadab debuted for Pakistan, replacing Wahab. Amir and Abbas started well, bowling in probing areas. Amir created a chance in his third over as Brathwaite tried to drive and scooped it to Shehzad at short cover but the fielder put down the straightforward catch. However, it wasn't to be costly as a fantastic delivery two balls later had Brathwaite caught behind. Not to be outdone, Abbas struck in the next over as he angled one away from Hetmyer who took the bait, drove and was caught at slip. Both the bowlers continued testing the batsmen in their spells. Yasir soon came into the attack and brought Hope's testy stay at the wicket to an end as the batsman edged a turning, bouncing leg-break to the wicket-keeper. Shadab eventually came into the attack as well but Chase was unflinching, playing both the spinners well despite a healthy amount of turn on offer. Just before Lunch, Yasir showed some signs of discomfort in his back as the session ended with West Indies 72/3.

Chase continued where he had left off after the break, crunching a couple of boundaries off Shadab as he soon overtook Powell. Amir in the meantime, bowled another threatening spell, setting up Powell and getting him dismissed with a full delivery at the stumps. The opener missed it after falling over but the umpire didn't budge - Pakistan took the review and it was successful as the batsman fell for 38. Yasir replaced Shadab in the attack as Pakistan looked to regain some control of the run-rate. Amir bowled another couple of excellent yorkers but it was the returning Abbas who took the wicket as he slanted a ball across Singh who poked at it, edging to Younis at slip. Chase soon brought up his fifty, off just 67 balls as a partnership began to form with Dowrich. The wicket-keeper looked to be the aggressor, getting boundaries away regularly. Pakistan took a review for LBW against Dowrich, but the ball was missing the stumps. It was Shadab who got Dowrich, his maiden Test wicket with a perfect leg-break that the batsman edged behind to slip where Younis grabbed a superb, low catch. Holder joined Chase in the middle as West Indies went to Tea at 166/6.

Holder was shaky to start with an edged four off Shadab and a few plays and misses off Abbas. Chase motored along as he neared a hundred while Holder played conservatively thereafter as the partnership stabilised. Shadab struggled as he bowled an extended spell with the batsmen going after him in the latter stages as he delivered a few loose deliveries. Chase got to his second Test hundred off 165 balls with a boundary while Holder also opened up a bit, getting a few drives away through the off-side for boundaries. The second new ball was soon available and Pakistn took it straight away but the bowlers didn't find it as useful as earlier in the day. Amir was still threatening as he beat the bat a few times but just couldn't deliver the killer blow as the partnership surpassed hundred. The batsmen went for their shots against the tired bowlers late in the day and finished with the partnership standing at an unbroken 132 with West Indies at 286/6.

Summary: An even day of Test cricket on paper but West Indies will be the happier team to have staged a great recovery after being 107/5 and 154/6. The pacers bowled excellent spells at the start to get the initial wickets but the spinners couldn't quite continue the good work with Yasir struggling a bit with an injury while Shadab bowled good spells in patches. Chase and Holder stuck together and then took advantage later in the day as the partnership blossomed and the bowlers failed to create any late breakthroughs.

Fall of wickets: 

1-12 (Brathwaite, 4.5 ov)
2-13 (Hetmyer, 5.3 ov)
3-37 (Hope, 16.1 ov)
4-102 (Powell, 32.4 ov)
5-107 (Singh, 35.4 ov)
6-154 (Dowrich, 49.6 ov)

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