West Indies Hold Slight Edge as Pakistan Begin New Era Under Babar Azam

July 24: West Indies enter the opening Test against Pakistan as narrow favourites when the two-match series begins on Saturday at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad. The venue will host its first-ever Test match, though persistent rain forecasts could have a major influence on the contest.

New captain, familiar challenges for Pakistan

Pakistan arrive in the Caribbean looking to revive a struggling Test side after replacing Shan Masood with Babar Azam as captain. The leadership change follows a disappointing 30-month period in which Pakistan managed just four wins from their last 16 Test matches.

Despite the change at the top, the core of the squad remains largely unchanged, leaving questions over whether Pakistan can reverse a prolonged decline in red-ball cricket.

West Indies have also struggled in recent years but find themselves one place above Pakistan in the current World Test Championship standings. The hosts have won only one of their previous ten Tests but will see this home series as a valuable opportunity to collect crucial WTC points.

Home advantage with strong pace attack

Although Alzarri Joseph has made himself unavailable, West Indies still possess a formidable fast-bowling unit.

Veteran Kemar Roach, fresh from reaching 300 Test wickets, will lead the attack alongside Jayden Seales and the express pace of Shamar Joseph. Their recent home victory over Sri Lanka has further boosted confidence, with Amir Jangoo's double century highlighting growing batting depth.

Captain Roston Chase and left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican also provide quality spin options should conditions favour slower bowlers.

Pakistan banking on balance

One of Pakistan's biggest positives is the return of seam-bowling all-rounder Aamer Jamal, whose presence adds valuable depth to both batting and bowling.

With the nature of the Tarouba surface still largely unknown, Pakistan may opt for a flexible bowling attack. Left-arm spinner Ali Usman is in contention for an international debut if conditions appear slow and dry.

Players to watch

Kemar Roach (West Indies)

Roach continues to be the cornerstone of West Indies' pace attack. His record against Pakistan is among his best against any opposition, and he will shoulder even greater responsibility with Alzarri Joseph unavailable.

Azan Awais (Pakistan)

The 21-year-old opener made an immediate impression by scoring a century on Test debut against Bangladesh earlier this year and followed it with another hundred in Pakistan's warm-up match. A strong showing against a high-quality West Indies pace attack would further establish him as Pakistan's long-term opening option.

Team news

West Indies have been forced into changes after John Campbell was ruled out with a hamstring injury, while Alzarri Joseph opted out of selection. Tagenarine Chanderpaul is expected to return after impressing in the warm-up fixture, and left-arm spinner Joshua Bishop has been added as an extra spin option.

Possible XIs

West Indies: Tagenarine Chanderpaul/Kirk McKenzie, Brandon King, Kavem Hodge, Shai Hope, Amir Jangoo, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Roston Chase (capt), Jomel Warrican, Shamar Joseph/Joshua Bishop, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales.

Pakistan: Azan Awais, Abdullah Fazal, Shan Masood, Babar Azam (capt), Awais Zafar, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Aamer Jamal, Sajid Khan, Mohammad Ali/Ali Usman, Mohammad Abbas.

Pitch and weather

The Brian Lara Cricket Academy becomes the 13th venue in the Caribbean to stage a men's Test match. While pitches in Trinidad have generally been slow and batting-friendly in recent years, this surface remains something of an unknown.

Rain is likely to interrupt play during the match, with showers forecast throughout the Test and the opening afternoon expected to be the wettest period.

Key statistics

• West Indies have failed to win any of their last eight Test series against Pakistan. Four were drawn, while Pakistan won the remaining four.
• The Caribbean side's most recent Test series victory over Pakistan came in 2000.
• Captain Roston Chase is four wickets away from reaching 100 Test wickets and needs 297 runs to complete 3,000 Test runs. Achieving both milestones would make him only the fourth West Indian after Garry Sobers, Carl Hooper, and Jason Holder to do so.

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