Pakistan Claims 127-Run Victory in Shortest Test Ever Played at Home
Pakistan emerged victorious over the West Indies in what is now the shortest Test match ever played on Pakistani soil, securing a commanding 127-run win in just 177.2 overs. The match, which saw both teams bowled out twice, concluded in only 1,054 balls (approximately 175.4 overs) in a thrilling encounter at Multan.
Pakistan batted first and set a competitive total of 280 runs, with a crucial partnership of over 100 runs between Saud Shakeel and Muhammad Rizwan helping to stabilize the innings.
In reply, the West Indies were dismissed for a mere 137 runs, as Pakistan’s spinners, Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, dominated the proceedings and took a combined total of nine wickets.
Pakistan extended their lead by adding 157 runs in their second innings, despite a strong bowling performance from West Indies’ Jomel Warrican, who claimed seven wickets.
The final innings saw the West Indies bowled out for just 123 runs in 36.3 overs, with Sajid and Noman continuing to take charge and sealing the match for Pakistan.
This historic win, by 127 runs, not only marked a dominant victory for Pakistan but also set the record for the shortest Test match played in the country’s history.
The previous record for the shortest Test match in Pakistan was set in 1990, when West Indies defeated Pakistan in Faisalabad in 1,080 balls (180 overs).
Interestingly, the number of balls faced by the West Indies in Multan during their two innings is the fewest they’ve ever faced in a Test match where they lost all 20 wickets. The previous record for the fewest balls was 450 in the 2000 Leeds Test against England.
In a remarkable feat, Pakistan needed just 494 balls in the 2001 Multan Test against Bangladesh to take all 20 wickets, which still stands as the fewest balls needed by a team to take 20 wickets in a men’s Test.
The West Indies’ batting performance in Multan now ranks as the fifth-fewest balls batted in a men’s Test since 1910, where all 20 wickets were lost. It is also the ninth-fewest overall.
On a personal note, West Indies’ Jomel Warrican made history with a standout performance. Despite his team’s defeat, Warrican claimed seven wickets for 32 runs in Pakistan’s second innings, setting a new record for the most wickets in a Test innings by a West Indian bowler in Pakistan. Warrican ended the match with a total of 10 wickets, becoming the first West Indian to achieve a 10-wicket haul in Pakistan, surpassing Andy Roberts’ previous record of 9/187 set in 1975.