Babar, Shafique End Pakistan’s Away Test Wins Drought

Pakistan arrived in Port of Spain with another overseas series slipping away and an eight-match losing streak weighing on a team already short of confidence. Four days later, Babar Azam launched consecutive sixes into the stands and walked off with the series level.

The captain’s emphatic finish completed an eight-wicket victory over West Indies at Queen’s Park Oval. More importantly, it delivered Pakistan’s first away Test win since Babar led them to victory in Sri Lanka in July 2023.

Abdullah Shafique built the result with a superb unbeaten 160 on his return to the side. Sajid Khan and Ali Usman then took four wickets each as West Indies collapsed for 117 in their second innings, leaving Pakistan only 75 to win.

TL;DR

• Pakistan defeated West Indies by eight wickets and drew the two-Test series 1-1.
• Abdullah Shafique earned Player of the Match for an unbeaten 160 in Pakistan’s first innings.
• Shafique and Babar Azam shared a match-shaping 183-run partnership.
• Sajid Khan and Ali Usman claimed four wickets each as West Indies fell for 117.
• Babar completed the chase with consecutive sixes off Jomel Warrican.
• Pakistan ended an eight-match overseas Test losing streak, but neither side has a realistic path to the 2027 World Test Championship final.

Pakistan vs West Indies Second Test Scorecard

Detail	Information
Match	West Indies vs Pakistan, Second Test
Result	Pakistan won by eight wickets
Venue	Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad
Dates	August 2-5, 2026
West Indies	344 and 117
Pakistan	387 and 77/2
Top batters	Abdullah Shafique 160*, Babar Azam 88
Leading bowlers	Sajid Khan 4/85 and 4/32; Ali Usman 4/39
Player of the Match	Abdullah Shafique
Players of the Series	Babar Azam and Justin Greaves
Series result	Drawn 1-1
Turning point	Shafique and Babar’s 183-run partnership
What it means	Pakistan ended eight straight away Test defeats

Four Changes Transform Pakistan’s Balance

Babar’s captaincy faced an immediate test after the 90-run defeat at Tarouba. Pakistan responded by making four changes, reshaping the side for conditions that offered far more assistance to spin than the seam-friendly surface used in the opening Test.

The gamble worked.

Sajid returned to give Pakistan an attacking off-spinner who could threaten both edges. Ali Usman supplied control and variation from the other end. Mohammad Ali continued to build pressure even when wickets did not arrive immediately.

It was the kind of decisive selection call Pakistan had often lacked during its recent red-ball decline. Readers who followed Babar Azam’s return as Pakistan Test captain will recognize why this win matters. His second captaincy tenure needed evidence of clearer thinking, not simply a change of voice.

West Indies took the opposite approach. They retained an unchanged XI despite the significant change in conditions. Captain Roston Chase later conceded that an extra spinner would probably have improved the balance of his side.

Shafique Makes His Return Count

West Indies’ first-innings total of 344 gave the hosts a competitive position. Justin Greaves scored 73, Roston Chase added 70, and the lower order forced Pakistan’s bowlers to work for every breakthrough.

Pakistan could easily have allowed the match to drift after losing early wickets. Shafique refused to let that happen.

Back in the Test side and carrying the pressure created by Pakistan’s recent batting failures, the opener played with patience rather than desperation. He left well, defended late and waited for scoring opportunities instead of chasing them.

Babar joined him with Pakistan needing stability. Their 183-run partnership shifted control of the Test. Babar’s 88 brought authority to the middle order, while Shafique continued for an unbeaten 160 from 323 deliveries, including 15 fours and three sixes.

Azan Awais contributed 55 and Sajid added a valuable 30 as Pakistan reached 387, securing a 43-run lead. Warrican’s 6/112 kept West Indies alive, but Shafique had already forced the home side to spend too long in the field.

His innings was an important reminder for a Pakistan setup still searching for a stable batting core. The wider uncertainty around the red-ball team, including Shaheen Afridi’s changing Test status, has made every successful recall feel significant.

Sajid and Ali Usman Break West Indies

The decisive passage came in West Indies’ second innings.

Sajid attacked the stumps and challenged batters to score against the turn. Ali Usman maintained a disciplined length from the opposite end. Together, they reduced the hosts to 117, with Kavem Hodge’s 34 the only meaningful resistance.

Sajid finished with 4/32 and Ali Usman claimed 4/39. Mohammad Ali added another wicket after taking two in the first innings, ending the series as its leading wicket-taker.

West Indies also felt the impact of injuries. Greaves, one of their most effective bowlers in Tarouba, could not bowl in the second Test. Brandon King was absent hurt in the second innings. Those setbacks reduced Chase’s options, but they did not fully explain a collapse built on uncertain footwork and poor shot selection against spin.

For a country shaped by generations of great all-rounders, a tradition captured in The Sports Encounter’s tribute to Sir Garfield Sobers, West Indies’ lack of balance proved especially costly.

Babar Finishes the Chase in Style

A target of 75 offered little room for a West Indies comeback, although the dismissals of Imam-ul-Haq and Azan briefly delayed Pakistan.

Shafique remained unbeaten on 24 before Babar closed the match with two consecutive sixes off Warrican. Pakistan finished on 77/2, turning a potentially tense chase into a confident statement.

The result ended the country’s longest sequence of away Test defeats. Babar had captained Pakistan in its previous overseas win in Sri Lanka in 2023, and he was there again to finish this one.

Series Draw Extends West Indies’ Wait

The 1-1 result means West Indies still have not won a home Test series against Pakistan since 2000. The teams drew 1-1 in 2000, 2005, 2011, 2021 and now 2026, while Pakistan won 2-1 in 2017.

Greaves and Babar shared Player of the Series honors. Babar finished as the leading run-scorer, while Greaves contributed with both bat and ball before injury restricted him in Port of Spain.

The series showed both teams’ limitations. West Indies produced an outstanding pace-bowling performance in Tarouba but failed to adapt their selection and batting methods in Port of Spain. Pakistan recovered impressively, though one victory cannot erase the instability that preceded it.

Neither side has a realistic route to the 2025-27 World Test Championship final. Their position makes development, selection clarity and consistent overseas performance the more practical goals.

Pakistan can now approach its next assignment with some belief. As recent Test cricket upheaval in England has shown, even established teams can lose their shape quickly.

Port of Spain did not solve every Pakistan problem. It supplied something the side had gone three years without finding overseas: a complete Test performance, built on a brave selection call, one commanding innings and bowlers who understood the surface before their opponents did.

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