Do you ever come across things that are not illegal but seem so? Pakistan’s new winning strategy sounds something like that. The first Test game in Multan ended within three days, thanks to the surface that splashed out wickets gleefully for spinners, with a total of 34 wickets going to their names. With the second Test set to be played in Multan as well, a repeat of the first game can be expected. If it really ends up being the case, should Pakistan worry about the ICC’s perspective on the pitch? And if the ICC does hand out a bad rating for the Multan pitch, would that hurt Pakistan’s seemingly foolproof home Test-winning formula?

As the visiting captain also said, the first game had many positives for the Windies, especially the bowlers. Out of the 34 wickets that went to spinners, 14 were grabbed by the West Indian spinners. This means that even before the ICC steps into the matter, Pakistan’s game plan can suffer a significant hit if they continue to take the visitors’ bowlers too lightly. 

Pakistan’s head coach, Aaqib Javed, said the team will persist with their spin-friendly pitch fad to keep on winning the games. But the situation isn’t as simple. While these surfaces are a major hindrance for the visiting batters and a huge benefit for Pakistan’s spinners, they also do the same job for the opposition. This was evident in the first Test, where Pakistan’s batting lineup collapsed spectacularly in the second innings. If not for the first innings lead and the runs that openers accumulated up top in the second, this could have caused a huge problem for Pakistan. 

Team Overview:

Pakistan, riding high on confidence and as a mind game, have once again announced their playing XI a day before. Khurram Shehzad, the side’s only pacer in the last Test match, will make way for the uncapped, right-arm pacer Kashif Ali. Shan Masood will open with Mohammad Huraira once again with Babar Azam coming in at one down. The form that Babar seemed to have found in South Africa, betrayed him in the first game where he could not even reach double figures in both innings. Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, and Salman Ali Agha will form the middle-order, with the spinning trio coming in as the tail. 

Jayden Seales, the only pacer who was able to extract wickets in the first game, is likely to miss out with a niggle in his leg. To replace him, the Windies might get Kemar Roach in the side. Amir Jangoo could not get his debut cap in the opening Test, with Tevin Imlach getting a go-ahead in his stead, and West Indies would want to keep things as they are. 

Head-to-Head Matches:

Of the 55 Test games both sides have played against each other, Pakistan has won 22, and West Indies has defeated 18. 15 matches ended in a draw. 

Weather and Pitch Report:

Fog delayed the first day of the opening Test by a few hours and such delays can be expected again. With no rain in sight, fog might be more difficult to tackle. The past few days have been sunny in the city and the same can be seen in all five days of the game, which will only accelarate the deterioration of the pitch. The toss-winning captain would look to bat first, put up a decent first-inning total and let the spinning conditions do the rest of the job. 

Where to Watch:

Pakistan: Tapmad, Tamasha, PTV Sports, Geo Super, Ten Sports, Myco App
West Indies: Willow TV
India: Fancode App
UK: Ary Digital
Bangladesh: T Sports
America: Willow TV
South Africa: Super Sport