Dramatic win: West Indies 'seales' first Test over Pakistan

KEMAR ROACH and Jayden Seales did the damage with the ball, and combined in the end with the bat as the West Indies sealed a thrilling, but tense one-wicket win over Pakistan, on the fourth day of the first Test match at Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica on Sunday.

Pursuing a victory target of 168, the West Indies were precariously placed at 151 runs for nine wickets, during the final session, when the 19-year-old Seales joined Roach at the crease. Roach survived a pair of dropped catches before cover-driving Pakistan fast bowler Hasan Ali for two runs to complete the successful, but at times topsy-turvy run chase.

Roach finished on 30 and Seales two not out.

Vice-captain Jermaine Blackwood, in typical swashbuckling fashion, topscored with 55 while Roston Chase chipped in with 22. However, the rest of the specialist batsmen offered little resistance, and it was left to the final pair to guide the West Indies past the finish line.

Sharing the wickets for Pakistan were pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi (four wickets for 50 runs), Ali (3/37) and Faheem Ashraf (2/29).

Seales, in his fourth Test, was named as the Man of the Match for his match-tally of eight wickets for 125 runs.

During the morning session, he became the youngest West Indian to claim a five-wicket haul in an innings, when he took 5/55 as Pakistan, resuming on 160/5, were bowled out for 203.

Jamaican left-arm spinner Alfred Valentine, at age 20, previously held the record, when he snapped up 8/104 against England, at Old Trafford, Manchester, on June 1950.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam notched 55, Ali 28 and Ashraf 20, while Seales got support from fellow fast bowler Roach, who grabbed 3/30.

The second and final Test of the series will take place at Sabina, starting this Friday.

Scores:

PAKISTAN 217 (Fawad Alam 56, Faheem Ashraf 44, Babar Azam 30, Mohammad Rizwan 23; Jason Holder 3-26, Jayden Seales 3-70, Kemar Roach 2-47) and 203 (Babar Azam 55, Abid Ali 34, Mohammad Rizwan 30, Azhar Ali 23; Jayden Seales 5-55, Kemar Roach 3-30) vs WEST INDIES 253 (Kraigg Brathwaite 97, Jason Holder 58, Jermaine Blackwood 22, Roston Chase 21; Shaheen Shah Afridi 4-59, Mohammad Abbas 3-43) and 168-9 (Jermaine Blackwood 55, Kemar Roach 30 not out; Shaheen Shah Afridi 4-50, Faheem Ashraf 2-17, Hasan Ali 3-37, Faheem Ashraf 2-29). West Indies won by one wicket. Man of the Match: Jayden Seales.