Pakistan vs West Indies: Babar key to Pakistan hopes of setting West Indies challenging target in Jamaica

An unbeaten half-century from captain Babar Azam helped Pakistan take a 124-run lead over West Indies with five-wickets remaining at stumps on day-three of the first of the two-match ICC World Test Championship series Tests at the Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica on Saturday.

Two hours of play was lost due to rain before the tourists ended the day on 160 for five in 70 overs of their second innings.

Trailing by 36 runs, Pakistan lost opener Imran Butt for naught in the third over. Abid Ali was joined by Azhar Ali and both batsmen took the score to 56 before Azhar (23 off 60, three fours) got bowled out to Kemar Roach in the last over before lunch.

Post lunch, Jayden Seales picked two wickets in the 26^th over of the innings, getting Abid caught in the slips for 34 off 66 balls and Fawad Alam caught behind for zero.

After the departure of both batsmen with 65 runs on the board, Babar and Mohammad Rizwan got together and the pair knitted a 56-run partnership for the fifth wicket.

The wicketkeeper-batsman Rizwan, struck four fours and one six in his 63-ball 30. He got out to Jason Holder in 46^th over of the innings with Pakistan leading by 85.

Babar brought up his 17^th half-century with a boundary off Roston Chase.

At the close of play, Babar was unbeaten on 54 off 139 with seven boundaries, while Faheem Ashraf was on 12 from 79 balls.

Earlier, resuming their first innings on an overnight score of 251 for eight, West Indies were bowled out for 253, adding only two runs with both wickets grabbed by Shaheen Shah Afridi.

The left-arm pacer ended-up taking four for 59, while Mohammad Abbas took three for 43.

Scores in brief:

Pakistan 217 all out, 70.3 overs (Fawad Alam 56, Faheem Ashraf 44, Babar Azam 30; Jason Holder 3-26, Jayden Seales 3-70, Kemar Roach 2-47) and 160-5, 70 overs (Babar Azam 54 not out, Abid Ali 34, Mohammad Rizwan 30; Kemar Roach 2-15, Jayden Seales 2-50)

West Indies 253 all out, 89.4 overs (Kraigg Brathwaite 97, Jason Holder 58, Joshua Da Silva 21; Shaheen Shah Afridi 4-59, Mohammad Abbas 3-43)