Who Said What: World reacts to Pakistan's comprehensive win over West Indies
Pakistan completed a comprehensive victory over West Indies to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-Test series. The West Indies, who suffered series losses in the T20I and ODIs as well, looked completely listless against the Pakistani bowlers, Yasir Shah in particular. 38-year old Younis Khan, fighting a bout of dengue, compiled his 33rd Test century, helping his side reach a healthy 452 in the first innings. The Windies batsman tried hard in the fourth innings, scoring their highest fourth innings total against Pakistan, but fell well short of the finishing line, losing the match by 133 runs.
Yasir Shah, who’s having a sensational summer with the ball, now has the joint-most number of wickets by any bowler after 18 Tests. He led the bowling attack from the front, claiming a total of 10 wickets in the match.
YASIR SHAH, MAN OF THE MATCH
“I looked to bowl in one particular area. There are always expectations from us, especially in UAE, be it here in Abu Dhabi or somewhere else. The wicket is slow, and it was difficult to bowl at the start. I was bowling some bad deliveries as well, but I went back to the nets and corrected them.
You have to plan differently for each series, and the senior players are always there to support me. Special thanks to Mushi Bhai (Mushtaq Ahmed)”.
JASON HOLDER, WEST INDIES CAPTAIN
“We are getting to day 5, showing signs of improvement. They scored too many runs on the first day, and we didn’t bat well enough. I am pretty pleased by how the batsman showed application in the second innings. We need to cluster some partnership in the initial part of the innings, and we also need to focus on other areas by improving our fielding and our performance with the new ball.
We had two crucial chances: we dropped Younis and Misbah. They are the kind of batsmen who can make you pay. You have to hold on to your chances. We need to move forward. Pakistan are a quality side, they are not No.2 for nothing. They have plans and execute them. We don’t have the consistency that we would want to have”.
MISBAH-UL-HAQ, PAKISTAN CAPTAIN
“It was not easy - getting 20 wickets is always a challenge. Yasir Shah and the fast bowlers contributed well. They know how to utilise resources and win Test matches, and the youngsters can learn from them.
I believe in going there and accessing conditions and then looking at my own resources. If you follow that, no matter what the conditions are, you’ll be successful. When you are playing in England, you need to change as the conditions are different. Getting 20 wickets is a big task and the bowlers are doing exceptionally well. All credit to them”.
Here are some reactions from the cricketing fraterntity: