Pakistan spinner Ali takes a hat-trick as West Indies scores 163 on tricky wicket in 2nd test

By Canadian Press on January 25, 2025.

MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) — Noman Ali became the first Pakistan spinner to take a test hat-trick but tailender Gudakesh Motie’s resilient half century carried the West Indies to 163 all out in the second and final test on Saturday.

Left-arm spinner Ali, who masterminded Pakistan’s 127-run win in the first test with Sajid Khan, had the wickets of Justin Greaves, Tevin Imlach and Kevin Sinclair to achieve a hat-trick to finish with 6-41.

Motie should have been out for 18 to Ali’s another sharp turner had Pakistan gone for a lbw TV review, and also survived another chance when Salman Ali Agha dropped him in the first slip before he was the last batter to get dismissed when Ali had him clean bowled.

Just like in the first test when West Indies got bowled out for 137 and 123 to lose inside three days against the spin, the tourists’ top-order batters had little clue how to combat the three spinners on another raked wicket as they slipped to 54-8.

But Motie frustrated Pakistan by raising his maiden test half century as he combined in a gritty 41-run stand with Kemar Roach (25) and then compiled another 68 runs with No. 11 Jomel Warrican, who stayed unbeaten on 36.

Debutant fast bowler Kashif Ali had the wicket of his fifth legitimate ball in test match when he found the outside edge of Mikyle Louis’ bat after captain Kraigg Brathwaite had won the toss and elected to bat.

Off-spinner Sajid Khan had debutant Amir Jangoo trapped leg before wicket for a four-ball duck and Ali made an immediate impact by pinning Brathwaite lbw of an armed ball as the replays showed the ball would have clipped the top of leg stump.

Ali then bowled a dream triple wicket maiden over to achieve the hat-trick when he had Greaves got caught close to the wicket by Babar Azam; Imlach didn’t go for a lbw television review when he missed Ali’s full pitched delivery and Babar grabbed another stunning low catch of Sinclair’s bat in the gully to the much delight of the left-arm spinner.

Four Pakistan fast bowlers — Wasim Akram, Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Sami and Naseem Shah — had previously achieved hat-tricks in test matches with left-arm fast bowler Akram doing it twice against Sri Lanka in 1999.

Razzaq and Sami also performed hat-tricks against Sri Lanka in 2000 and 2002 respectively while Naseem was the last Pakistani bowler to do so against Bangladesh at Rawalpindi in 2020.

West Indies made two changes and brought in fast bowler Roach in place of injured paceman Jayden Seals. No. 3 batter Jangoo, who scored a century in his debut ODI against Sri Lanka last month, made his test debut and replaced struggling Keacy Carty.

It is the last series for both teams in the World Test Championship with Pakistan at No. 8 and West Indies at No. 9. Australia and South Africa have already qualified for the WTC final at Lord’s in June.

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

The Associated Press