Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat first against the West Indies in Multan. Heavy fog delayed the start by four hours, pushing the scheduled 9:30 AM start to 1:30 PM. On a dry-looking pitch, Pakistan opted for a spin-heavy lineup, including three specialist spinners, while debutant Muhammad Hurraira will open the batting.
Skipper Shan Masood emphasized the importance of leveraging home conditions. “We need to develop pitches that make us tough to beat at home. Unfortunately, that hasn’t always been the case,” Masood remarked.
The West Indies made key changes, with vice-captain Joshua da Silva dropped and Kemar Roach unavailable due to illness. They handed a debut to batter Tevin Imlach and also fielded three spinners: Gudakesh Motie, Jomel Warrican, and Kevin Sinclair.
This series marks the final outing in the current World Test Championship cycle for both teams.
Pakistan Playing XI: Shan Masood (capt), Muhammad Hurraira, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Agha, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Khurram Shahzad.
West Indies Playing XI: Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), Mikyle Louis, Keacy Carty, Kavem Hodge, Alick Athanaze, Justin Greaves, Tevin Imlach (wk), Gudakesh Motie, Kevin Sinclair, Jomel Warrican, Jayden Seales.
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