Tea Pakistan 86 for 4 (Shakeel 33*, Rizwan 18*, Seales 3-19) vs. West Indies
After the start was delayed by four hours due to dense fog enveloping the ground, Pakistan won the toss and batted first in foggy conditions, with floodlights on throughout the course of the game. Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie bowled the first ball, an indication of how both sides perceive the pitch, which each played three specialist spinners.
Motie got rid of Pakistan captain Shan Masood early on, pressing him towards debutant wicketkeeper Tevin Imlach on the leg side. But for the rest of the hour, it was the Seales show. He had been sniffing around from the beginning and got his reward when Hurraira hung up his bat and got the outside edge. This was followed by a beauty to remove Ghulam, who had just sent an outswinger to the boundary.
On the delivery after four, Ghulam threw his arms on his shoulders, but the ball hit him wickedly again, hitting his thigh, with HawkEye showing that it would have clipped his top. The big shot arrived shortly after, another glorious use of needlework. Seales hit a long length that Babar tried to stop on the opposite side. But he moved away enough to kiss the outer edge all the way to Imlach. Babar reviewed but, like Ghulam, was not pardoned.
The innings threatened to fall apart at that point but Shakeel, experienced on surfaces like these, restored some order to proceedings for Pakistan. The sting of the rapids was taken away and the spinners were skillfully negotiated. Rizwan, at the other end, kept his concentration levels high as West Indies continued to prowl.
There was still plenty for the visitors to get excited about, but neither batsman offered a chance as they scored the runs, dragging Pakistan into a slightly less dangerous position than they found themselves in after the first hour.
