Babar Azam Nears First Test Century in Years

Babar Azam’s unbeaten 86 puts Pakistan firmly in control at Queen’s Park Oval.

A Day Of Redemption

Pakistan arrived at Queen’s Park Oval for day two with the air of a team that knew it was due for a turnaround in fortunes in red-ball cricket, and the hosts wasted little time proving it.

West Indies were bowled out in the morning session for 344, and in response, Pakistan avoided the batting disaster they have repeatedly fallen prey to in their tour so far, eventually closing play on day two at 266 for 2, just 78 runs behind.

Tail Wags First

West Indies’ hosts posted a healthy score of 344 for 8, after resuming play from the overnight session at 239 for 5. Justin Greaves and Roston Chase both chipped in with a resilient fifty each to get the hosts past 340 before Sajid Khan cleaned up the tail, picking up 4 for 85.

A Bright Opening

Pakistan’s reply got off to a flyer, with Azan Awais racing to a well-deserved half-century, hitting 9 boundaries in his 50. He and Imam-ul-Haq added 34 for the first wicket before the latter was deceived by a well-delivered back-of-a-length delivery from Shamar Joseph and was lbw on the review, which turned out to be not out.

Awais then added 64 for the third wicket with Abdullah Shafique before falling to Jomel Warrican, after which a review turned down an lbw not out appeal.

Enter The Duo

The fall of the wicket didn’t faze Pakistan, as new batters Babar Azam and Shafique took over where Awais and Imam had left, and the two stitched together a monumental 168-run stand.

Babar and Shafique raced to a century stand with remarkable composure, with the former looking particularly in his element against the short ball. They played with a mix of caution and aggression to move to 100 for the fourth wicket, with only 139 balls faced.

Shafique’s Long Wait

Shafique’s efforts saw him reach his half-century first, with him hitting 4 boundaries and 2 sixes before adding his name to the scoresheet for his sixth century in test cricket, and first in a year and a half, 173 balls faced. He had last scored a century earlier this year, when Pakistan faced England in October.

Babar Closing In

At the other end, Babar looked like his old self as he raced to his 33rd test fifty with 8 fours, and at the close was on 86, with 14 needed for his first century in 4 years. Besides scoring runs, he became the series’ leading run-scorer, bettering West Indies’ Shai Hope, by overtaking him in the run tally.

Babar looked especially good against Shamar Joseph, as he worked the quicker bowler into scoring shots instead of sitting back and defending.

Bowlers Run Dry

The hosts, West Indies, were frustrated as Kemar Roach was on the receiving end of a flurry of boundaries, and had to turn to Warrican inside four overs. Shamar Joseph created pace, touching 150kph, but couldn’t get rid of the new batters.

What Day 3 Holds

Pakistan has a huge opportunity on its hands as it walks into the final day with eight wickets in hand, and a deficit that could be bridged inside the first hour of play. If Shafique and Babar continue their prolific run, Pakistan could have a healthy lead and a realistic chance at levelling the series.