PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – There is a growing sense of anticipation and excitement surrounding the West Indies Test team as they conclude an eventful home summer with a two-match series against Pakistan in Trinidad.
The series gets underway on Saturday, July 25, at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, which becomes the 13th venue in the Caribbean to host a Test match.
With an opportunity to climb closer to the top half of the World Test Championship standings, the series also offers the men in maroon the chance to secure consecutive Test series victories for the first time since 2022.
History suggests there is little to separate the two sides. Four of the last seven test series between West Indies and Pakistan have ended in draws, while each team has won two and lost two of their last four meetings. Those encounters include West Indies’ memorable victory in Pakistan in 2021, which ended a 35-year wait for a test win on Pakistani soil.
The opening test also carries added emotional significance, as it will be West Indies’ first since the passing of Sir Garfield Sobers. Head coach Daren Sammy hopes his team can honour the legendary all-rounder’s legacy with a performance befitting one of the game’s greatest cricketers.
“We just lost a great one in Sir Garry. What he contributed to the test game, because of him, we got so many followers, so many lovers of cricket. He contributed so much to that,”
Sammy said.
“So, throughout this series, we’ll be trying to honour his legacy and put in performances that he would be proud of.”
Buoyant off their one-nil series win against Sri Lanka, the first against their opponents in 23 years, the hosts are quietly confident according to coach Sammy.
“We could see some light coming through, especially with the Sri Lanka series. Now we have Pakistan,”
he said.
“My process has always been simple; understand the direction we want to go and put plans in place to achieve that. This is reflected in my conversations with the Director of Cricket, the captain and the players, and that’s how we go about doing it.”
The West Indies are also on an upward trajectory with the bat in tests by producing three consecutive first-innings totals above 450, the first time since 1995 as well as notching nine centuries in the ongoing Test Championship cycle, up from two in the previous round.
The bowling attack will be led by Kemar Roach who recently joined the illustrious group of bowlers to claim 300 test wickets, as well as Jayden Seales who is now the second fastest to 100 test wickets in terms of balls bowled for the regional team.
Captain Roston Chase is eager for the unit to create consistent performances which will propel the team to excellence.
“For this cycle, we initially set out to finish minimum fifth as a realistic goal and we are going in that direction,”
Chase said.
“We want to play a brand of cricket which allows us to improve and take West Indies up the rankings.”
Ahead of the series Chase needs four wickets to reach 100, and 297 runs to get to 3000. If he gets there, he will become the fourth West Indian after Sir Garry Sobers, Carl Hooper and Jason Holder to achieve both milestones.
With confidence growing, milestones within reach and the memory of Sir Garfield Sobers serving as added inspiration, the West Indies enter the series with genuine belief.
A series victory over Pakistan would be the first since 2000 and would not only strengthen their World Test Championship campaign and secure back-to-back Test series wins for the first time in three years but also provide further evidence that the men in maroon are making meaningful strides in their quest to restore the region’s standing in the longest format of the game.
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