MULTAN: Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan hit unbeaten half-centuries to lead a Pakistan fightback in the first Test against the West Indies on Friday as the hosts reached 143-4 at the close of a fog-hit opening day.
When bad light in Multan ended play with just 41.3 overs bowled, Shakeel was on 56 for his ninth half-century and Rizwan was 51 not out for his 11th.
The pair added 97 after coming together with Pakistan in real trouble at 46-4.
The left-right combination of Shakeel and Rizwan negotiated the three-spinner West Indies attack with aplomb after fast bowler Jayden Seales initially left the home team struggling.
“This pitch is tough to bat on,” said Rizwan.
“We batted with caution and just took advantage of loose balls. It’s tough to judge what should be a good total, but we will target 300 plus.”
Sensing the dry and grassless Multan Stadium pitch will be tricky for batting on the last two days — and with spin set to play a major role — the home team opted to bat after winning the toss.
But play was delayed because of early morning fog compounded by poor air quality, resulting in limited visibility and wiping out the first session.
Shakeel has so far cracked four boundaries while Rizwan has seven hits to the fence.
Seales finished with 3-21 off 10 overs.
“My aim was to build pressure and get wickets,” he said. “I sense spin will play a major role on this pitch going forward.”
Both teams started with three spinners and just one frontline fast bowler, and the tourists opened the bowling with left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie alongside Seales.
It was Seales who provided the breakthrough, forcing an edge off debutant Muhammad Hurraira to wicketkeeper Tevin Imlach in the sixth over. Hurraira scored six.
Three overs later, Motie dismissed skipper Shan Masood off a faint edge to the wicketkeeper for 11, before Seales trapped Kamran Ghulam leg-before with a sharp incoming delivery for five.
It became 46-4 when Babar Azam edged Seales behind the wicket for eight, continuing a poor run of scores at home for Pakistan’s premier batter.
The two-match series is part of the World Test Championship. Pakistan currently rank eighth and the West Indies ninth and last.
Shakeel and Rizwan lead Pakistan recovery in fog-hit first Test against West Indies
https://arab.news/bsuss
Shakeel and Rizwan lead Pakistan recovery in fog-hit first Test against West Indies
- Bad light in Multan ended play with just 41.3 overs bowled, with the hosts on 143-4
- Shakeel and Rizwan added 97 after coming together with Pakistan in trouble at 46-4
First competitors settle into Milan’s Olympic village
- Italy was the first to move in, followed by large delegations from Germany, the Czech Republic, and Japan
- The Olympic Village in Milan is designed to house 1,700 athletes
MILAN: The Olympic Village in Milan officially opened its doors on Friday, one week before the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Games.
“Italy was the first to move in, followed by large delegations from Germany, the Czech Republic, and Japan,” the organizing committee announced in a statement.
“Further arrivals are expected this evening (Friday), including delegations from the Netherlands and Australia,” added Milano-Cortina 2026.
While the opening ceremony takes place on February 6, the competitions start as early as February 4, notably with curling at Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites.
The Olympic Village in Milan is designed to house 1,700 athletes and support staff, as Italy’s economic capital hosts most of the ice sports, including figure skating and ice hockey.
Built by a private developer, it will be converted into student residences after the Paralympic Games from March 6-15.
Another Olympic Village, this one temporary and consisting of 377 mobile homes, has been built in Cortina d’Ampezzo, the venue for the women’s alpine skiing and curling events, as well as bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton.
The 2026 Olympics, the third Winter Games organized by Italy, is spread over northern Italy as organizers favored existing sports facilities and sites accustomed to hosting major events such as Anterselva for biathlon, Bormio and Cortina for alpine skiing and Val di Fiemme for Nordic skiing.
