July 28, 2026 - Kingston, Jamaica - The morning session on Day 3 moved fast. Blink and you might have missed it. Pakistan’s pace attack, spearheaded by the relentless Mohammad Abbas and the fiery Khurram Shahzad, tore through the West Indies batting lineup with pure Test-match aggression. The scoreboard says it all: West Indies, 168 all out; Pakistan, leading by 217 runs with two days to play.
The tourists now hold total control. Sabina Park knows it. This isn’t just a lead - it’s a stranglehold.
Abbas & Khurram Wreck West Indies Batting
Mohammad Abbas - The Silent Assassin Strikes Again
The veteran seamer doesn’t roar. No theatrics. He walks back, marks his run-up, and delivers another jaffa. On a pitch offering early moisture and subtle movement, Abbas proved unplayable. His figures - 4 for 38 - tell only half the story. It was the way he dismantled the top order that left the West Indies dressing room stunned. Kraigg Brathwaite fell in the corridor. Alick Athanaze was squared up. Nightwatchman Kemar Roach edged one that seamed away.
Abbas bowled 14 consecutive overs in the morning, hitting the same area with hypnotic accuracy. Old-school Test bowling at its finest - no fancy variations, just a simple truth: move the ball both ways at 130 kph, and you take wickets anywhere. He did just that.
Khurram Shahzad - Raw Pace Meets Grit
If Abbas is the surgeon, Khurram is the sledgehammer. Bowling with relentless energy and a fire in his belly, the 26-year-old grabbed a five-wicket haul - 5 for 52 from 16 overs - to gut the middle and lower order. His first-innings figures were already strong, but this second-innings burst took his match tally to 8 for 97. Every spell looked like it could produce a wicket.
Khurram targeted the ribs and top of off, using the short ball as a weapon and the full delivery as a trap. Jermaine Blackwood fell to a nasty lifter. Joshua Da Silva edged one that skidded. The West Indies lower order had no answer, caught between attack and defence. Khurram made them pay.
How the Pacers Combined to Dismiss West Indies for 168
One session of carnage. The duo shared 9 of the 10 wickets, reducing the hosts to a modest total and handing Pakistan early control. Only Nkrumah Bonner (42) offered resistance - but once Abbas found his edge, the collapse was inevitable. From 89 for 3 to 168 all out. Sudden, yet utterly predictable.
When the last wicket fell, Pakistan’s players didn’t just celebrate. They knew they had grabbed the match by the throat.
Pakistan’s Batting Response Builds a Commanding Lead
Steady Start After Early Jitters
Pakistan’s batting reply had its nervous moments. Openers Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique survived a testing new-ball spell from Jayden Seales and Alzarri Joseph, who found movement and bounce. Imam was dropped at gully on 14. But the pair weathered the storm, putting on 57 for the first wicket. Not flashy - but exactly what the doctor ordered: time eaten off the clock, sting taken out of the West Indies attack.
Abdullah fell soon after for a gritty 38, but the foundation was laid. Pakistan’s middle order knew they could capitalise.
Lower-Middle Order Adds Crucial Runs
Captain Babar Azam (64) played with characteristic poise, rotating strike and punishing anything loose. Saud Shakeel (41) and the ever-reliable Agha Salman (32) supported well. But the real difference came from the lower order. Mohammad Rizwan (28), Naseem Shah (19), and even Abbas (12 not out) chipped in with runs that stretched Pakistan’s first-innings lead beyond 150 and eventually to 217.
Pakistan made 279 - not a huge total - but in a low-scoring game, that lead feels enormous.
The Lead That Feels Like a Win
With 217 runs in hand and two days left, Pakistan’s pacers are licking their lips at bowling on a deteriorating pitch. Cracks are appearing. Bounce is becoming inconsistent. For Abbas and Khurram, this is paradise. They have a license to attack, and they know even a moderate second-innings target will be beyond West Indies’ chase.
As Rizwan said after play: “We’ve put ourselves in the perfect position. Now it’s up to the bowlers to finish the job.”
