Cricinfo – Pakistan’s bowlers looked like they controlled play for much of a spin-dominant day at the Queen’s Park Oval, but West Indies’ grit means they go in with the upper hand. Handy contributions right through the line-up – no batter and no partnership ended without reaching double-figures – let the hosts keep Pakistan’s spinners at bay. When light called time on a rain-affected day, West Indies were at their most dominant, with an unbeaten half-century from Justin Greaves as part of an undefeated 66-run stand pushing them to 239 with five wickets still in hand.

The shock omission of Mohammad Abbas was the main talking point of the Test early on, its effect amplified by the brisk start West Indies made. They raced along to 49 in 9.5 overs before rain forced an early lunch. Mercifully for Pakistan, Tagenarine Chanderpaul had hooked Mohammad Ali to fine leg off the last ball before the weather interruption to give Pakistan something to cling to ahead of the resumption.

Once the players took the field again, it was immediately clear this would be a different kind of session. Soon, Ali Usman and Sajid Khan were operating in tandem on a pitch that gripped and turned, and it wasn’t long before it claimed its first victim. A canny review from Pakistan for a ball that landed on leg and ragged past Brandon King’s outside edge showed three reds, giving Usman his first Test wicket.