Babar Azam opens up about West Indies defeat

Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam attributed his side’s defeat to the West Indies in the opening Test to a batting collapse and the inability to build meaningful partnerships under pressure.

Pakistan suffered a 90-run defeat at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Tuesday after being bowled out for 120 while chasing a target of 211, handing the hosts a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

Reflecting on the result during the post-match presentation, Babar said Pakistan had competed well for large parts of the contest but failed to deliver with the bat when it mattered most.

“The result wasn’t in our hands, but over the last two days we played some good cricket. Today, however, as a batting unit, we weren’t up to the mark,” Babar said.

“We kept losing wickets in quick succession, and our batting let us down. That’s an area we’re working hard to improve.”

The Pakistan captain also dismissed suggestions that the pitch was primarily responsible for the defeat, insisting the surface remained playable despite offering assistance to the seamers with the new ball.

According to Babar, the West Indies bowlers made better use of the conditions and capitalised on the challenges presented by the surface as the match progressed.

“The surface was good. We expected some movement with the new ball because that’s natural here, and we were prepared for it,” he explained.

“I think West Indies bowled very well and used the conditions brilliantly. By the fourth day, the ball was keeping a bit low and bouncing unevenly. We weren’t able to build partnerships, and that’s why we lost.”

Babar Azam also highlighted the absence of Shan Masood as a significant setback for Pakistan’s batting lineup, revealing that the experienced left-hander is dealing with a fractured finger.

The skipper admitted Pakistan missed Masood’s presence at the top of the order but stressed that the remaining batters still needed to shoulder responsibility.

“Yes, Shan Masood’s injury affected us because, unfortunately, his finger is fractured, so we definitely missed him,” Babar said.

“At the same time, when you’re facing the new ball, you have to survive the first 20 overs, build partnerships, and then, as the ball gets older, the pitch becomes easier to bat on. We couldn’t put together those partnerships.”

Despite the disappointing result, Babar remained optimistic that Pakistan can bounce back in the second Test and said the team management would carefully review the mistakes made in Trinidad.

“We’ll sit together and discuss these things because, while the result didn’t go our way, we can certainly address our mistakes,” he said.

“We’ll do our best to correct them and ensure we improve going forward.”