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MULTAN, Pakistan: Noman Ali and Sajid Khan guided Pakistan to a strong position against the West Indies after another spin-dominated second day’s play in the opening Test in Multan on Saturday.
The spin duo shared nine wickets between them to dismiss the West Indies for 137 in reply to the home team’s 230 all out.
By the close, Pakistan stretched their lead to 202 by scoring 109-3 in their second innings, with Kamran Ghulam and Saud Shakeel batting on nine and two respectively when bad light ended play 25 minutes early.
Left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican (2-17) dismissed Muhammad Hurraira for 29 after an opening stand of 67 and Babar Azam for a second failure, trapped leg-before for five.
Skipper Shan Masood looked solid for his 52, hitting two sixes and two fours, before Warrican ran him out after attempting a quick single.
“The weather is foggy so if we have continuous play and take our lead over 300 then we can win this Test,” said Sajid.
“It’s great to bowl with Noman, who always guides me.”
Warrican wants the target to be under 250.
“Obviously we don’t want to get the lead go over 250 because it’s a spin-favoring surface,” said Warrican.
“We need a good comeback in batting the second time around on this pitch.”
The dry and grassless Multan pitch has already produced 23 wickets in six sessions — 19 on day two — even though two-and-a-half hours were lost on day one and another 30 minutes on Saturday because of poor visibility.
Noman grabbed 5-39 for his seventh five-wicket haul in Tests while Sajid finished with 4-65 to dismiss the West Indies after lunch in a first innings that lasted just 25.2 overs.
Noman and Sajid, who shared 39 of the 40 wickets in the last two Tests against England in Pakistan’s 2-1 series win last year, were once again unplayable.
Sajid opened the bowling and removed Mikyle Louis (one), Keacy Carty (0), Kraigg Brathwaite (11) and Kavem Hodge (four) in his first three overs.
Noman then further jolted the tourists with another four wickets to leave them tottering on 66-8.
The tailenders showed more resistance, with number 10 batsman Warrican unbeaten on 31 and Gudakesh Motie adding 19.
Jayden Seales was the last wicket to fall for 22.
Seales hit three sixes before holing out off spinner Abrar Ahmed.
Earlier, Warrican took 3-69 as Pakistan lost their last six wickets for 43 runs after resuming at 143-4.
Shakeel top-scored for Pakistan with 84 off 157 deliveries, including six boundaries, while keeper Mohammad Rizwan added 71.
Shakeel added an invaluable 141 for the fifth wicket with Rizwan, lifting Pakistan from a precarious 46-4 on day one.

DUBAI: Daniel Hillier of New Zealand birdied the final two holes to shoot 2-under 70 on Saturday and take a one-stroke lead into the final round of the Dubai Desert Classic.
Tyrrell Hatton shot 68 and was the closest challenger to the No. 223-ranked Hillier, whose only win on the European tour came at the British Masters in July 2023.
Hillier was 13-under par for the week.
Rory McIlroy, seeking a third straight title at the prestigious tournament, was seven shots off the pace in a tie for 12th place after a round of 69.