Srinagar: Sajid Khan starred with the ball in both innings as Pakistan registered 127 run vs West Indies in the first Test in Multan on Sunday.
West Indies were dismissed for 123 runs in pursuit of a 251-run target in the series opener.
The visitors started cautiously but suffered early blows when skipper Kraigg Brathwaite fell to Sajid Khan for 12 at 16/1. Sajid struck again two overs later, removing Keacy Carty for six, leaving the side at 26/2.
Kavem Hodge was dismissed for a duck, Sajid’s third victim, as the West Indies stumbled to 32/3. Mikyle Louis added 13 before becoming Sajid’s fourth scalp. Noman Ali then dismissed Greaves for nine, reducing the visitors to 63/5.
Athanaze and Imlach resisted with a 41-run partnership, but Abrar Ahmed dismissed Imlach and later Sinclair to further trouble the Caribbean side.
Abrar claimed his third wicket by dismissing Gudakesh Motie for a golden duck, and Sajid sealed his five-wicket haul by removing Athanaze for 55.
Abrar wrapped up the innings with his fourth wicket, bundling out the visitors for 123.
Pakistan leads the series 1-0, with the second Test scheduled from January 25-29.
Speaking at the post-match conference, Shan Masood expressed satisfaction with his team’s all-round performance, emphasizing the importance of taking 20 wickets to secure a win.
“As long as we get 20 wickets and are able to put in good performances, we’ll be happy,” said Masood.
“It also helped that we added Abrar. He bowled well along with Sajid and Noman. We didn’t know if it was going to turn from ball one in this weather. We were quite surprised,” he added.
Reflecting on the team’s batting performance, the skipper highlighted the crucial contributions from openers Rizwan and Saud, who both played pivotal innings to ensure a strong total.
“A day before the game, we spoke about how once a batter gets in, they have to go big. Rizwan and Saud did that,” he said.
However, the captain was quick to point out that despite the win, there is always room for improvement.
“If we want to be one of the best sides in the world, there are a lot of things we can improve,” Masood noted.
“When you win, it’s easy to get on the happy high and be satisfied with it. But you’re never satisfied,” he added.