Pakistan defeats West Indies by eight wickets at Queen’s Park Oval to end eight-match overseas Test losing streak
Pakistan beat the West Indies by eight wickets at Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on August 5, 2026, in the second and final Test to end an eight-match overseas losing streak in Test matches. The victory came shortly after lunch on Day 4 and left the two-match series drawn 1-1.
The match was Pakistan’s first series since Babar Azam was reappointed captain; he and Abdullah Shafique finished unbeaten on 24 each as Pakistan reached 77-2 to chase down a target of 75. Babar clinched the win with consecutive sixes off left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican, whose earlier six-wicket haul in the match had reduced Pakistan’s first-innings lead to 43 runs.
Babar defended his selection choices after the match, saying: "You are always satisfied with the win. The most important thing was that we executed our plans whether it was how Abdullah Shafique batting or how the spinners bowled in the second innings." He also explained the team’s strategy for the pitch: "When we saw the pitch it looked more similar to how they are in Pakistan. 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." The decision to omit fast bowler Mohammad Abbas in favour of an extra spinner was described in the report as vindicated when West Indies’ batting faltered to Pakistan’s slow bowlers in the second innings.
West Indies were bowled out for 117 in their second innings, setting Pakistan a target of 75, with off-spinner Sajid Khan taking 4-32 and left-arm spinner Ali Usman claiming 4-39 to share eight wickets between them. Earlier in the match Warrican’s six-wicket first-innings performance had been mentioned as a factor that limited Pakistan’s lead to 43.
Pakistan’s chase had early scares when Imam-ul-Haq fell for 9, taken by Justin Greaves in the slips off Jayden Seales in his first over, and Azan Awais was bowled by Shamar Joseph for 18. The final resistance from the West Indies tail ended quickly after the restart, and Shafique and Babar closed out the win inside four days.
Brandon King was unable to bat in West Indies’ second innings because of a back injury sustained on Day 3 when he ran out Babar with a direct throw from shot covers. Resuming on 106-3 with only 60 runs ahead, West Indies lost Kemar Roach and Joseph to Ali Usman, and Greaves, the last recognised batter, played on to a Mohammad Ali delivery after adding two runs with a big inside edge.
West Indies captain Roston Chase reacted to the defeat: "It is obviously disappointing. We wanted to win this series 2-0. We could have probably gone in with an extra spinner. We have played really good cricket in the last two series and we are improving and going into the direction that I want us to go, but we are disappointed with the result," Chase added. "We wanted to win these series and make our home a fortress, but it is what it is. We have to learn and further improve."
Pakistan’s last Test win away from home had been against Sri Lanka in 2023 during Babar’s first tenure as captain; the report states Shan Masood then led the side for nearly three years, during which Pakistan lost 3-0 in Australia, 2-0 in South Africa and 2-0 in Bangladesh, and was eventually relieved of the captaincy after a poor run in red-ball cricket. The return of Babar as skipper had coincided with Pakistan’s loss in the first Test at Tarouba, which the report characterises as Pakistan’s eighth away defeat in three years.
The result ensured Pakistan remained unbeaten in a Test series against the West Indies since 2000.
