Brathwaite and Sinclair edge West Indies into control against Pakistan

Kraigg Brathwaite and Kevin Sinclair starred as West Indies edged towards levelling the two-match series with Pakistan on day two in Multan.

Captain and opener Kraigg Brathwaite posted an impressive 52 in testing conditions, before the middle-to-lower order helped the Windies to 244 all out, setting the hosts 254 to win.

Debutant Amir Jangoo also added 30, before wicket-keeper Tevin Imlach and all-rounder Sinclair chipped in with 35 and 28 respectively in the second Test.

Sajid Khan and Noman Ali shared eight wickets - four apiece in the tourists' second innings - which was aided by a 51-run partnership for the seventh wicket by Imlach and Sinclair.

Right-arm spinner Sinclair then got his side off to a great start, removing Shan Masood for just two before Gudakesh Motie pinned Muhammad Hurraira in front for the same low score to leave Pakistan 5-2.

Babar Azam and Kamran Ghulam eased the pressure, though, before the latter was removed in Jomel Warrican's first over, with the hosts 48-3 and still 206 runs away from their target.

The Babar resistance was ended when Sinclair had the Pakistan star, on 31, caught at short leg, but Saud Shakeel and nightwatchman Kashif Ali saw out the remainder of the day.

Pakistan have Mohammad Rizwan to come on Monday, but still require 178 runs for victory with just six wickets in hand on a testing surface.

Stumps on day twoPakistan require 178 more runs for victory with six wickets in hand #PAKvWI | #RedBallRumble pic.twitter.com/gSkCEGCnmf
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) January 26, 2025

Data Debrief: Captain Brathwaite leads the way

Brathwaite challenged the Windies to be more aggressive, having struggled to cope with Sajid and Noman throughout their first three innings of the Pakistan tour.

The visiting captain led the way with his message, smashing two sixes en route to making his first half-century since July 2024, a 61-run knock against England at Edgbaston.

Brathwaite had gone 12 innings without reaching the half-century mark but found form in West Indies' time of need, unlike Pakistan opener Hurraira, who has three single-figure scores from his first four innings.

By contrast to Hurraira, Babar had not passed eight runs in his three innings this series against the Windies, though Sunday's battling knock suggested he is back to finding form that saw him register three consecutive half-centuries against South Africa.