Babar Azam's return to Test captaincy encountered immediate headwinds as Pakistan suffered a 90-run defeat against West Indies in the first Test at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba.
Reappointed as red-ball captain prior to the tour, Babar watched as his side fell behind 1-0 in the two-match ICC World Test Championship series.
How the Match Unfolded
West Indies posted 311 in their first innings before Justin Greaves produced a record-breaking spell (5/27) that limited Pakistan to 282. Setting Pakistan a 211-run target in the fourth innings, fast bowler Jayden Seales tore through the batting line-up with figures of 5 for 20.
Pakistan collapsed to 71 for 9 before Babar Azam fought on with an unbeaten 58 alongside Mohammad Abbas (23), putting on 49 for the final wicket before Pakistan were bowled out for 120.
Post-Match Assessment
Reflecting on the match, Babar addressed the batting unit's performance:
"The result is not in our hands. We played good cricket in the last few days but today we were not up to the mark as a batting unit. We lost back-to-back wickets," Babar noted after the match.
Looking Ahead to the Second Test
The series now moves to Port of Spain for the second Test beginning August 2, with Pakistan needing a victory to level the series.