West Indies’ pace attack was ruthless, bowling Pakistan out for 120 to seal a 90-run win at Tarouba on July 28, 2026. Every wicket in the match fell to fast bowlers, a first for a Caribbean Test and only the sixth in history. Jayden Seales sealed the chase with 5 for 20, his fourth Test five-wicket haul against Pakistan. Justin Greaves added 5 for 27 and 2 for 12 to win Player of the Match, while Mohammad Abbas replied with 5 for 22 for Pakistan.
Fast Bowlers Seize Total Control
Samuel Badree pointed out during the Test that Tarouba had produced something no Caribbean ground had witnessed before: all 40 wickets falling to seam and fast bowling. Only five previous Tests in history had gone the same way. Spin never got a look in as quick bowlers from both sides ran through four innings.
Three spells stood above the rest. Mohammad Abbas took 5 for 22 as Pakistan hit back in West Indies’ second innings, Justin Greaves claimed 5 for 27 to rip through Pakistan’s first innings, and Jayden Seales shut the game down with 5 for 20 in the run chase. Both attacks bowled well enough to win most Tests. Only one team actually did.
Five Wicket Hauls Define the Contest
The scorecard tells the story of the match in a single glance. Five-wicket hauls came from three different bowlers across four innings, and even the smaller efforts mattered.
Bowler | Team | Match Innings | Figures | Exact Economy |
Jayden Seales | West Indies | 4th (PAK Chase) | 5/20 (14.2 ov) | 1.40 RPO |
Justin Greaves | West Indies | 2nd (PAK 1st Innings) | 5/27 (11.0 ov) | 2.45 RPO |
Mohammad Abbas | Pakistan | 3rd (WI 2nd Innings) | 5/22 (15.5 ov) | 1.39 RPO |
Mohammad Ali | Pakistan | 1st (WI 1st Innings) | 4/50 (21.5 ov) | 2.29 RPO |
Justin Greaves | West Indies | 4th (PAK Chase) | 2/12 (5.0 ov) | 2.40 RPO |
Economy rates estimated from available scorecard data.
Seales’ economy of 1.40 runs an over was the tightest of the lot, with Abbas close behind at 1.39. Greaves added a second spell of 2 for 12 in the chase on top of his first-innings haul, giving him ten wickets for the match and the eventual Player of the Match award.
Seales Delivers the Contest-Ending Spell
Pakistan’s chase of 211 fell apart in stages. They were 28 for 3 at lunch and 53 for 6 by the drinks break, leaving Babar Azam fighting on alone. By the time the total reached 71 for 9, he was effectively batting with the tail for company.
Seales struck with his second ball after the tea interval, trapping Mohammad Abbas in front to spark the finish. His 5 for 20 was his fourth Test five-wicket haul, and remarkably all four have come against Pakistan alone. Few bowlers anywhere build a rivalry with one opponent quite like that.
West Indies vs Pakistan pace attack 1st Test
Pakistan’s bowlers were not the problem in this Test. Mohammad Abbas finished with 8 wickets in the match, and Mohammad Ali added 4 more in the first innings, figures that would win most contests on their own. The issue sat entirely with the bat.
Abbas’ own 23 with the bat ended up as the joint-fourth-highest score for Pakistan in the entire Test, showing how thin the batting ran. Shan Masood’s 109 and Babar Azam’s 58 not out produced the only two substantial innings across four attempts. The other eighteen wickets between them barely troubled the scorers.
Depth Remains the Missing Piece
No bowler in Pakistan’s current set-up has played more Tests than Alzarri Joseph’s 42, and Joseph ruled himself out of this series. West Indies, by contrast, rolled out Seales, Greaves and Kemar Roach, who reached his 301st Test wicket during the match. Nearly a fifth of Seales’ career Test wickets have now come against Pakistan alone, across just four matches.
This defeat was Pakistan’s eighth in a row away from home, spread across four continents, and it leaves West Indies 1-0 up in the two-match series with all the momentum. Everything the West Indies vs Pakistan pace attack 1st Test produced points to the same gap: Pakistan can find bowlers, but finding batting partners for Babar Azam is the harder task. Whether the second Test changes that picture is the one question still open.
Which bowler do you think was the difference-maker in Tarouba, Seales’ chase-ending burst or Greaves’ match tally? Drop your pick in the comments before the second Test begins.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How many wickets did Jayden Seales take in the 1st Test?
Seales took 5 wickets for 20 runs in Pakistan’s fourth-innings chase of 211. It was his fourth Test five-wicket haul, and all four have come against Pakistan.
What was Pakistan’s score in their fourth-innings chase?
Pakistan were bowled out for 120 while chasing a target of 211. They slipped to 71 for 9 before Babar Azam’s unbeaten 58 briefly delayed the finish.
Who won the 1st Test between West Indies and Pakistan?
West Indies won by 90 runs at the Brian Lara Academy Stadium in Tarouba. Justin Greaves was named Player of the Match after taking 5 for 27 and 2 for 12.
When is the 2nd Test between West Indies and Pakistan scheduled?
The second Test follows this two-match series opener, which ran from July 25 to 28. Exact dates for the return fixture had not been confirmed at the time of publication.
Is Abdullah Fazal part of the West Indies tour squad?
Yes, Abdullah Fazal was selected for the tour after debuting against Bangladesh in May 2026. The trip marks his second international assignment within three months of that debut.
Disclaimer: This blog post reflects the author’s personal insights and analysis. Readers are encouraged to consider the perspectives shared and draw their own conclusions.