Kavem Hodge struck an unbeaten 83 to guide West Indies to 194-3 at stumps on the opening day of the first Test against Pakistan at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad on Saturday.
Resuming the final session at 127-3 after 43 overs, West Indies continued their recovery before bad weather and fading light brought proceedings to an early close. The hosts finished the day on 194-3 after 67 overs.
Kavem Hodge and Shai Hope carried forward West Indies’ fightback, adding a 50-run partnership for the fourth wicket as the duo took the team’s total past the 150-run mark.
However, the final session was interrupted once again as fading light forced players and officials off the field. Pakistan’s players waited briefly before following Hodge and Hope back to the pavilion.
A few minutes later, the umpires officially called off play for the day. Hodge will resume on day two unbeaten on 83 from 181 deliveries, having struck nine boundaries, while Hope is 39 not out from 91 balls, including two fours.
Earlier, after electing to bat first, West Indies came under early pressure from Pakistan’s disciplined bowling attack as openers Brandon King and Tagenarine Chanderpaul struggled to score freely during their brief 13-run opening stand.
Mohammad Abbas was eventually rewarded for his relentless accuracy on the second ball of the ninth over when King chopped a wide delivery onto his stumps and departed for a scratchy 12 off 29 balls, which included a solitary boundary.
Following King’s dismissal, Hodge joined Chanderpaul at the crease, but the pair also found runs difficult to come by, adding just 10 runs for the second wicket from 35 deliveries before rain interrupted play.
The second session resumed after rain had forced an early lunch with West Indies on 23-1 in 14.1 overs. Hodge then anchored the innings with a patient knock, bringing up his fourth Test half-century.
Chanderpaul and Hodge added 51 runs for the second wicket, steadily rebuilding the innings by rotating the strike and keeping the scoreboard ticking.
However, Aamer Jamal made the breakthrough by dismissing Chanderpaul for a composed 21 off 77 deliveries, including one boundary, reducing West Indies to 64-2 in the 26th over.
Amir Jangoo then arrived at the crease and scored fluently, receiving valuable support from Hodge as the pair guided the hosts past the 100-run mark.
Abbas struck again to claim his second wicket, removing Jangoo for 21 from 32 balls, featuring two fours and a six.
The second session ended after the 43rd over, with Abbas bowling the final over before the interval. West Indies were 127-3, with Hodge unbeaten on 56 from 100 deliveries and Hope unbeaten on 11 from 25 balls.
The pair carried their momentum into the final session, frustrating Pakistan’s bowlers with disciplined batting before rain and bad light brought an early end to the opening day’s play.
