Babar Credits Abdullah and Spinners for Series-Leveling Victory Against West Indies

Babar Azam looked completely satisfied with the result of the second Test in which Pakistan defeated West Indies by a huge margin of 8 wickets. He highlighted the contributions of Abdullah Shafique, Sajid Khan and Ali Usman, saying all these players performed well according to the given objectives.

Babar returned as Pakistan’s Test captain before the series after replacing Shan Masood, but his comeback did not begin well as Pakistan suffered a 90-run defeat in the first Test.

However, Pakistan made a strong comeback in the next match and secured a convincing eight-wicket victory. The win helped them draw the series 1-1 and also ended their nine-match losing run in away Tests.

Babar played an important part in Pakistan’s win, scoring a steady half-century in the first innings and an unbeaten quick 24 during the chase. After the match, he said that the way Abdullah Shafique and the two spinners carried out their plans was the biggest factor behind the victory. He also gave credit to the red-ball training camp held at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore.

"You are always satisfied when you win. But the most important thing was that we executed our plans whether it was how Abdullah Shafique batted in the first innings or how the spinners bowled in the second," said Babar Azam at the post-match presentation.

"We had been preparing for this series for the last three months with a red ball camp at the NCA in Lahore," added Babar Azam.

Pakistan made a few important changes to their team for the second Test, which was a must-win game for them. The most surprising call was the decision to drop veteran fast bowler Mohammad Abbas, who had played a key role in the first Test.

After the green shirts secured victory in Port of Spain, Babar explained the reason behind the decision. He said the pitch conditions were similar to those usually seen in Pakistan, so the team decided to add another spinner in Sajid Khan.

"When we saw the pitch it looked more similar to how we have in Pakistan. So, we decided to play an additional spinner and it had an impact on our combinations because of which we had to leave out our senior players," said Babar Azam after the match.