Babar thrilled as Pakistan rise WTC27 standings with triumph

Pakistan captain Babar Azam was ecstatic after his side broke a three-year drought away from home with a victory over Pakistan in the second match of their ICC World Test Championship series in Trinidad.

Babar's side wrapped up the eight-wicket triumph early on day four, with the newly-appointed skipper smashing consecutive sixes off Jomel Warrican to help Pakistan chase down the victory target of 75 with ease.

It was Pakistan's first Test win away from home since July 2023 and helped them level the series with West Indies at 1-1 and overtake the Caribbean side and jump up into eighth place on the updated World Test Championship standings ahead of their upcoming series against England.

While Abdullah Shafique was adjudged Player of the Match for his superb unbeaten century that setup the victory, Babar too made a strong contribution as he narrowly missed his own hundred in the first innings and was in the middle at the end to deliver the telling final blows.

The skipper also had his decision vindicated to leave out in-form pacer Mohammad Abbas in favour of an extra spinner as Ali Usman and Sajid Khan each collected for wickets in the West Indies' second innings.

"When we saw the pitch it looked more similar to how they are in Pakistan," Babar explained.

"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.

"Obviously you are satisfied when you win, but most important for us was the way we executed our plans.

"The way Abdullah (Shafique) played in the first innings and the way the spinners bowled in the second innings really made the difference."

Shafique shared Babar's enthusiasm with the result, especially given the right-hander wasn't originally in Pakistan's touring party and only earned a reprieve when Abdullah Fazal was ruled out of the series due to a back injury prior to the first Test.

"This felt like a debut match for me, it was really unexpected," Shafique said.

"I haven't been able to get the opportunities recently, but as a professional you have to work towards a comeback and give of your best."

Pakistan now travel to England for a three-match series with the European side that commences in Headingley on August 19.

Series schedule:

First Test: West Indies won by 90 runs
Second Test: Pakistan won by eight wickets