West Indies vs Pakistan: Brathwaite steadies hosts after early setbacks

Aug 14, 2021

West Indies vs Pakistan: Brathwaite steadies hosts after early setbacks Image

Kraigg Brathwaite led the fightback as West Indies recovered from a precarious position of 2/2 to finish the day on 251/8, accruing a lead worth of 34 runs. Unfortunately, he was run out three short of a hundred.

In what was a tumultuous morning session for the batters, Brathwaite and Roston Chase did well to keep Pakistan's bowlers at bay. They showed composure and discipline to ensure no wicket falls for almost 20 overs.

A loss of concentration from Chase finally led to his downfall. Attempting to drive, he edged an innocuous delivery to Mohammad Rizwan behind the stumps off Hasan Ali.

Jermaine Blackwood started well before falling to Shaheen Shah Afridi on 22. Afridi struck again, next ball, to send Kyle Mayers back. The hosts were 100/5 at this stage.

Jason Holder then joined Brathwaite out in the middle, and the duo launched a rearback effort to bring their team back into the game. They added 96 for the sixth wicket. Holder (58) notched his half-century but soon fell to Faheem Ashraf.

Brathwaite carried on and reached very close to his 10th century. A decision to go for a risky second run proved costly. Hasan Ali, stationed in the deep, threw exactly to the wicketkeeper’s gloves to put an end to Brathwaite's valiant knock.

Joshua da Silva is batting on 20, with Jomel Warrican at the other end. For Pakistan, Mohammad Abbas has claimed three wickets so far, while Afridi has two.

Brief scores: Pakistan 217 (Fawad Alam 56; Jason Holder 3-26) trail West Indies 251/8 (Kraigg Brathwaite 97; Mohammad Abbas 3-42) by 34 runs.