Pakistan Vs West Indies 1st Test 2016 Day 1 Shahid Afridi Analysis 1

Pakistan Vs West Indies 1st Test 2016 Day 1 Shahid Afridi Analysis
After winning the toss in their 400th Test, Pakistan opted to bat and made steady, assured progress on a typical, flat Dubai surface. In theory, both teams were in unchartered territory, playing their first day-night Test - and the second overall - at a time when the concept was still new and the behaviour of the pink ball under scrutiny. In practice, the ball did not do much in the afternoon heat and Pakistan's openers looked very much at home while accumulating 81 runs in a first session devoid of much encouragement for the bowlers.

That West Indies were not able to extract more from the new ball was perhaps partly down to the lengths their seamers bowled. Both Shannon Gabriel and Jason Holder were a bit too short to give the ball a chance to swing. Miguel Cummins bowled fuller, but even he managed to swing only the odd ball here and there.

It was Gabriel who generated the first of two half-chances in the session. In his second over, he seamed one away from Azhar Ali to induce an outside edge, but the ball fell short of Kraigg Brathwaite at second slip. Cummins generated the other in his second spell when Azhar slashed a short and wide delivery towards Leon Johnson at gully; the ball burst through Johnson's hands and raced away to third man for four.

Otherwise, it was normal service in the UAE, where Pakistan's sole series defeat came in 2002. Azhar and Sami Aslam grew in confidence as the session wore on, finding the boundary more regularly when the bowlers erred. When Devendra Bishoo, introduced in the 21st over, dropped short in his fourth ball, Azhar cut it past a diving backward point for four. Bishoo and Roston Chase regained a measure of control thereafter, but, going into tea without the loss of a wicket, it was Pakistan that had the better of the early exchanges.