Hosts rack up 279/1 after 215-run opening partnership as Sami Aslam scored 90.

By Abdullah Ansari (13th October, 2016)

Toss: Pakistan won the toss, Misbah-ul-Haq chose to bat first.

Teams

Pakistan: Sami Aslam, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Misbah-ul-Haq (c), Mohammad Nawaz, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Yasir Shah, Mohammad Amir, Sohail Khan, Wahab Riaz.

West Indies: KC Brathwaite, LR Johnson, DM Bravo, MN Samuels, J Blackwood, RL Chase, SO Dowrich (wk), JO Holder (c), D Bishoo, ML Cummins, ST Gabriel

Pakistan won the toss in their historic 400th Test match, also just the second ever day-night Test and opted to bat. Babar Azam and Mohammad Nawaz, as expected, made their debuts. All eyes were on the pink ball to see how it would behave - anyone expecting to see a large amount of swing would have been left disappointed. The lack of grass on the pitch probably didn't help in that matter, as Azhar and Sami looked at ease though the latter struggled with run-scoring at the beginning. Barring an edge from Azhar that fell short of the slips, there were no real opportunities created by the bowlers. There were signs of spin once the spinners came on but the openers negotiated it well, finishing the first session at 81/0.

Sami was the first to bring up his half-century in the post-tea session as the openers raised a rare hundred partnership for Pakistan. Azhar soon joined him and batted more fluently thereafter as the bowlers erred on length many a time. There was a mix-up once, but the fielders failed to take advantage. A four by Sami took Pakistan beyond the previous highest opening stand in Dubai as the bowlers toiled away without success. Pakistan went to the second 30-minute break, dinner, at 172/0.

Soon after the start of the third session, there was another mix-up with West Indies unable to take advantage as the runs continued to come at a decent pace. Azhar got to his hundred off 184 balls, becoming the first batsman ever to score a hundred in a day-night Test match. They also brought up the 200 partnership, only the 4th ever 200 opening partnership for the hosts. Sami, however, could not join Azhar as a century maker as he was bowled via an edge as tried to sweep Chase, getting dismissed for 90. Shafiq came next as the designated #3. Azhar suffered a short bout of cramps but continued after some treatment as the two batsmen settled down to form another partnership. West Indies took the second new-ball as soon as it was available, with the first one looking rather dis-coloured. There was a tiny bit of movement for the pacers in the closing stages of the day but the batsmen managed it well as Pakistan ended the day at 279/1, Azhar on 146 and Shafiq on 33.

Summary: An excellent day for Pakistan to start the series. The openers played very well for their 215-run partnership. The only blip on the performance was Sami Aslam's failure to reach a hundred but the hosts are well on their way to a massive score. West Indies will need to perform at a far higher standard to provide competition and come back into the match - as it stands, Pakistan are well in control.

Fall of wickets:

1-215 (Sami Aslam, 67.5 ov)

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