Pakistan win toss, bowl against Windies in first Test

KINGSTON: Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq won the toss and put West Indies into bat first in the first of the three-match Test series here at the Sabina Park on Friday.

West Indies have recalled Powell for the first Test, while newcomers Shimron Hetmyer and Vishaul Singh could make their debuts in a reshaped top order on the back of strong performances during the tour game. Shannon Gabriel, who struggled with a hamstring injury towards the end of the ODI series, is fit.

Shimron Hetmyer, who was West Indies' Under-19 captain, and Vishaul Singh  are making their Test debut for West Indies while fast bowler Mohammad Abbas, who has been the leading wicket-taker for the last two years in domestic cricket, is making Test debut for Pakistan.

Teams:

West Indies: Kraigg Brathwaite, Kieran Powell, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Vishaul Singh, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich (wk), Jason Holder (captain), Devendra Bishoo, Alzarri Joseph, Shannon Gabriel

Pakistan: Azhar Ali, Ahmed Shehzad, Babar Azam, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Aabbas.

West Indies have not played a Test since their victory against the same opponents in Sharjah last November; Pakistan have played five, in New Zealand and Australia.

Younis Khan needs 23 runs to become the first Pakistan player to score 10,000 Test runs. He is comfortably ahead of the second highest: Javed Miandad with 8832.

Sabina Park is hosting its 50th Test.  It may be the premier cricket ground in Jamaica, but it is not the largest. The multi-purpose Trelawny Stadium, which was established in 2006 and hosted the tour game earlier this week, seats up to 25,000 people, while Sabina Park's capacity is 20,000.