ROSEAU: Pakistan negotiated a potentially tricky first session, reaching 70 for one on the first day of the third and final Test against the West Indies at Windsor Park in Dominica on Wednesday.

After they were put in to bat, Shan Masood was the tourists’ only casualty of the morning, falling to off-spinner Roston Chase after an hour’s play.

Opening partner Azhar Ali (36 not out) was set to resume after the interval alongside Babar Azam (24 not out), their partnership having already produced 51 runs for the second wicket.

West Indies’ faster bowlers failed to make the inroads that captain Jason Holder would have hoped for after he won the toss and had no hesitation in putting the opposition in to bat in heavy, overcast conditions.

While Shannon Gabriel, the destroyer of the Pakistanis on the final day of the second Test, used the new ball with accuracy and economy, Alzarri Joseph lacked control, forcing the captain to introduce himself and then Chase in the quest for the breakthrough.

It came when Shan, playing his first match of the series in place of the unwell Ahmed Shehzad, reached nine off 30 deliveries and prodded indecisively at a delivery from Chase for Holder to take the straightforward catch at second slip.

Having failed to score in both innings of the second Test, new batsman Babar found the bowling to be much less challenging than at Kensington Oval and settled into the promising partnership with Azhar.

Despite an effort dominated so far by caution, Azhar latched on to two loose deliveries from Chase, hoisting them for sixes to highlight an otherwise quiet morning.

With a 106-run win in Barbados levelling the series, the home side named an unchanged eleven in pursuit of a first Test series win for five years against a team ranked higher than themselves.

Apart from the recall of Shan, fast-medium bowler Hasan Ali is making his debut at the expense of leg-spinner Shadab Khan, who struggled in his first appearance in the second Test.

The significance of the fixture has been magnified by the fact that Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq and senior batsman Younis Khan are playing their final international matches.

But despite being routed for 81 on the final day of the second Test in Barbados, Pakistan are still in with a chance of pulling off their first-ever Test series triumph in the Caribbean.

“It’s a special game for us because we have a chance to make history,” said Misbah, focusing instead on the importance of the result for the team.

Still, the fact that both himself and Younis will be retiring from international cricket after the match is a reality that could not be avoided.

“It gives us additional motivation and I hope it’s the same for the team as well,” he explained. “Sometimes the emotion will come in when you have an occasion like this but it’s important for us to just focus on our jobs and score runs for the team.”

After scoring 58 to become the first Pakistani to go past 10,000 Test runs in the first innings of the series in Jamaica, Younis has tallied just 11 runs in the next three innings.

In contrast, Misbah was unbeaten on 99 in setting up the first Test win before falling for 99 in the first innings of the second Test, a disappointment he was quick to put in perspective.

“Ninety-nine is far better than zero, which is what I got in the second innings,” he noted. “If we perform up to our potential we can beat any side. We have to get our disciplines right and be at the top of our game.”

Scoreboard

PAKISTAN (1st Innings):

Azhar Ali not out 36 Shan Masood c Holder b Chase 9 Babar Azam not out 24

EXTRAS (W-1) 1

TOTAL (for one wkt, 26 overs) 70

FALL OF WKT: 1-19.

TO BAT: Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed, Mohammad Amir, Yasir Shah, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas.

BOWLING (to-date): Gabriel 7-3-8-0; Joseph 7-0-27-0; Chase 6-3-17-1; Holder 5-1-11-0 (1w); Bishoo 1-0-7-0.

WEST INDIES: K.C. Brathwaite, K.O.A. Powell, S.O. Hetmyer, S.D. Hope, R.L. Chase, V.A. Singh, S.O. Dowrich, J.O. Holder, D. Bishoo, A.S. Joseph, S.T. Gabriel.

UMPIRES: R.K. Illingworth (England) and B.N.J. Oxenford (Australia).

TV UMPIRE: R.A. Kettleborough (England).

MATCH REFEREE: B.C. Broad (England).

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2017