Pakistan v West Indies, 3rd Test Day 3: 5 Talking Points

For perhaps the first time in this series, the West Indies have the upper hand in such an advanced time of the Test match. It has been several years since the West Indies chalked out a victory and this time around, it is quite certain that the Windies have a good chance of sealing the win despite all odds. Kraigg Brathwaite and Jason Holder were the ones who stood out as far as the Windies were concerned and Wahab Riaz completed yet another 5-wicket haul as Pakistan remained within touching distance, to say the least.

1. Kraigg Brathwaite makes it past 100 runs

As seen on the previous day of the match, Kraigg Brathwaite and his ability to hold on to the vice-captaincy of the West Indies cricket team was something that not many could hold onto. However, in spite of a recent bad patch with the bat, it seemed clear that the 23-year old was back to defending his solidity with the bat. Having been stranded on 95 on the previous day, Brathwaite reached his ton on the morning of the day. He also batted for perhaps the first time with the tail and also managed to remain unbeaten on 142 at the close of the West Indies innings.

2. Wahab Riaz rips through tail-enders

Wahab Riaz is the big bad wolf as far as Pakistan is concerned. His ability to bowl in excess of 90 miles per hour when it comes to bowling long spells is certainly a bonus. However, on the second day’s play at Riaz did not have the impact he or his skipper desired. The fact of the matter quite simply was that his need for pace simply saw him overstep the umpire’s line on several occasions. However, on the following day, Wahab had seemingly corrected his action and footwork. He blasted out the tail and completed yet another five-wicket haul, something that saw him enter the history books yet again.

3. Jason Holder treats Pakistan to some chin music

Jason Holder is an unlucky man when it comes to captaining the West Indies cricket team. Of course, at the age of 23, the youngster’s commitment is second to none when it comes to donning the West Indies shirt. However, in terms of captaincy, Holder seemingly has not been able to grab a hold of his players and inspire them to perform. However, perhaps some of the players watching Holder would get somewhat of an inspiration from Holder’s performance on the day. He bent his back, banged the ball in short and troubled the batsmen at will. He dismissed Asad Shafiq, Sami Aslam, and Younis Khan; all in quick succession to put his team ahead.

4. Azhar Ali stands tall among the ruins for Pakistan

Azhar Ali is perhaps one of the most solid batsmen when it comes to opening the batting for Pakistan. Of course, he has had his bad days when it comes to opening the batting but when he clicks and gets a few runs under his belt, Azhar Ali is able to stand tall and save the Pakistanis of their blushes. This is something that he did once again in the second innings at Sharjah where he lorded over the bowlers and faced his share of the baptism whilst managing to hold onto his wicket. This, in effect, makes him an undoubted leader and someone who will take on the reins of the Pakistan captaincy when he does decide to do so. He managed 45 runs and held the innings together.

Also read: Twitter Reactions: Kraigg Brathwaite carries his bat as West Indies take first innings lead

5. West Indies come out on top for the first time in series

While many can most certainly agree that the West Indies is perhaps one of the most certainly a quality side, the fact of the matter remains that the Windies have not won a Test match in a long time. This is also coupled with a few horrendous performances in recent weeks and months. This now means that the Caribbean players are most certainly making a name for themselves despite being broke and depleted. Should they claim a victory, it would most certainly be a start of the renaissance apart from a confidence booster.