Pakistan v West Indies, 2nd Test Day 2 - 5 Talking Points

Day 2 of the second Test match between Pakistan and the West Indies simply went on to solidify the strong position Pakistan had made for themselves in the match at Abu Dhabi. As for the West Indies, it was Shannon Gabriel who impressed one and all with some impressive and gutsy bowling, something not many have seen since the retirement of Malcolm Marshall all those years ago. While there were a few aspects of the day that changed the course of the match, here are five talking points from the day’s play.

1. Shannon Gabriel completes five-wicket haul:

Shannon Gabriel rolled back the years with his five-wicket haul and the fact that he conceded just the 96 runs as he did so. In spite of the fact that he was not as vicious as the likes of Michael Holding and Joel Garner, Gabriel made life extremely difficult for the Pakistani batsmen. Zulfiqar Babar and Sarfraz Ahmed were among his wickets on the day.

2. Sarfraz Ahmed ensures a few quick runs

While the Pakistanis impressed with some impressive batsmanship on the second day’s play, it was once again Sarfraz Ahmed who stood out from the pack with some impressive batting. He slammed a quickfire 56 and continued the good work Misbah-ul-Haq had and Younis Khan had started.

3. Pakistan tail make it count

The Pakistan tail wagged to the fullest as the Pakistan first innings total crossed the 400-run mark quite comfortably. Mohammad Nawaz and Sohail Khan were the ones who did the important deeds towards the end of the innings as they smashed 25 and 26 respectively. Moreover, they were ready to play second fiddle to Sarfraz, something that is a good sign for one and all.

4. Darren Bravo stands tall yet again

Darren Bravo has shown some magnificent batting acumen in the series thus far with some impressive knocks. Having managed a ton in vain in the previous match, Bravo was promoted one place up the order in spite of the presence of the likes of Kraigg Brathwaite in the side. Needless to say, the southpaw managed 43 runs and looked seemingly invincible yet again with the bat.

5. Wickets tumble a few minutes prior to stumps

Towards the end of the day’s play, it was the fall of a few wickets, that the Pakistanis had pined for almost the entire session the West Indies batted for. Rahat Ali, who made his way into the side in place of Mohammad Amir was the wrecker-in-chief impressed with some impressive bowling. Kraigg Brathwaite and Marlon Samuels were the ones to lose their wickets at the close of the day’s play.