West Indies and Pakistan begin Test series at Brian Lara Stadium

PORT OF SPAIN: West Indies and Pakistan will open their two-match Test series on Saturday at Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad, which is staging its first Test match.

The venue, situated in the south of the island, has previously been used for one-day internationals, T20 internationals and regional first-class games. It now becomes Trinidad and Tobago’s second Test ground and the 13th across the West Indies. The second Test of the series is scheduled a week later at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain.

West Indies head into the series after a strong showing against Sri Lanka three weeks ago, when they secured Roston Chase’s first match and series victories as Test captain. The Caribbean side won the first Test in Antigua by an innings and 217 runs before the second and final match ended in a draw. That success marked their first home Test series win since they swept Bangladesh 2-0 in 2022. That Bangladesh whitewash also formed part of their last run of successive series victories anywhere, following a 1-0 home win over England in a three-Test series.

Chase missed the recent ODI series defeat to New Zealand because of an injury to his right index finger, but West Indies head coach Daren Sammy indicated optimism over his availability for the series opener.

“Roston is a fighter. I know he’s not going to want to miss any Test cricket,” West Indies head coach Daren Sammy said.

Sammy added, "I’m pretty sure Dr. Byam (team physio Denis Byam) has a way of keeping guys on the park, so I’m pretty sure Roston will be ready for the first Test."

West Indies are not expected to make major changes to the side that faced Sri Lanka. However, left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican could come into the XI in place of fast-medium bowler Anderson Phillip because the pitch is expected to assist spin as the match progresses.

Pakistan reshuffle after Bangladesh defeat

Pakistan, by contrast, arrive after another overhaul following their 2-0 series defeat in Bangladesh two months ago. Babar Azam has returned as captain in place of Shan Masood as Pakistan look to improve their Test results.

Babar and opening batter Azan Awais both made hundreds in the tourists’ only warm-up fixture against a West Indies Select XI at the weekend, while several other frontline batters also spent useful time in the middle. In bowling-friendly terms, the most notable performance came from pacer Mohammad Ali, who claimed five wickets in the first innings on a batting-friendly surface. He is expected to play a key role, along with Pakistan’s reshaped pace attack, as the visitors seek to halt a run of seven straight away Test defeats.

The teams last met in the Caribbean in 2021, when a two-Test series in Kingston ended in a 1-1 draw. Their most recent Test meetings came in Multan in January 2025, where West Indies won the second match on spin-friendly pitches to also leave that series level at 1-1.

Weather may also influence the series, as July and August are generally rainy months in the southern Caribbean. Although Trinidad had experienced hot and sunny conditions in the lead-up to the first Test, there was no certainty those conditions would continue through the series.