Azhar Ali and Pakistan continued their dominance on day two of the day-night Test in Dubai, effectively putting any chance of a win for the tourists to bed in the process.
The runs flowed with the same regularity as they have done for Pakistan throughout this tour and the records tumbled as West Indies were once again left licking their wounds after yet another display bereft of reward.
Azhar was the standout performer, continuing his golden run with the bat as he masterfully drove, cut, swept and whipped his Caribbean counterparts to all corners of the ground en route to his highest Test score of 302 not out.
His chanceless efforts on day one continued into the second day’s play, only offering a single opening on 190 as Royston Chase was let down by his first slip to hand Azhar a reprieve.
It was the only chance he gave, the rest of Azhar’s knock as composed as it was clinical, the opener becoming only the fourth Pakistani to score a triple Test hundred.
Not only that, Azhar’s knock surpassed Graeme Smith’s previous highest individual score in Dubai of 234, Pakistan also moving beyond the record team total set by South Africa in that same match in 2013 against their hosts. By the time his innings was ended by Pakistan’s declaration Azhar had also made the highest ever score in a UAE Test.
South Africa’s 517 all-out three years ago was nothing compared to the dominance of Pakistan here, Misbah-ul-Haq’s side easing beyond that total with just three wickets sacrificed. One of which was Babar Azam, but not before the debutant made 69 in his first Test innings.
Pakistan's 300 club
- Hanif Mohammad - 337 vs West Indies (17 Jan 1958)
- Inzaman-ul-Haq - 329 vs New Zealand (1 May 2002)
- Younis Khan - 313 vs Sri Lanka (21 Feb 2009)
- Azhar Ali - 302* vs West Indies (13 Oct 2016)
The entirety of this tour has been a mismatch as a vibrant, rejuvenated Pakistan playing their best cricket in years has swept aside a woeful West Indies that look more rudderless every time they take to the field.
This Test series was always likely to be no different but West Indies’ shortcomings have ensured Pakistan moved along at their own pace, uncontested.
It has taken the spectacle out of the second ever day-night Test, such is the gulf in class between these two sides.
An unresponsive pitch hasn’t helped matters but it is not something West Indies will be able to blame with much authority when you consider the nature of Dubai’s slow, flat deck early on.
Where other teams have found success is in bowling tighter lines to specific fields and reigning in the opposition’s scoring rate, taking wickets through means of frustration and tactical guile.
West Indies skipper Jason Holder hasn’t been afraid to try different fields, channelling England’s tactics last year in having men on the drive and bowling straighter. But when his bowlers were asked to do so they lacked discipline and were largely incapable of sticking to the script with the same unerring consistency of Stuart Broad and James Anderson.
That duo’s efforts compared to Shannon Gabriel’s insistence on bowling from 20-yards is as night and day as the format’s transition under lights here.
While the thought must be applauded, that is where Holder’s ingenuity seemed to stop. The captain was unwilling to even trial a sustained period of short pitch bowling to mix things up or try and create a chance with a catcher at short-leg and men out on the hook.
However, Azhar was a man far more in control as he waltzed his way to a first triple century for himself and the first in the UAE before leading his team off with Pakistan 579-3 at their declaration.
They gave themselves enough time for Yasir Shah to account for Leon Johnson (15) as West Indies closed on 69-1 with a lot to do if they are to salvage anything from this Test.
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