Brian Lara Stadium to host historic first Test as West Indies take on Pakistan
- Brian Lara Stadium to stage its maiden Test match as West Indies begin a two-Test series against Pakistan.
- West Indies enter the contest with momentum after their dominant series win over Sri Lanka.
- Pakistan hope the return of captain Babar Azam can revive their struggling Test campaign.
- Weather could play a decisive role, with rain forecast during the Caribbean series.
The Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad is set to make history on Saturday as it hosts its first-ever Test match, with West Indies taking on Pakistan in the opening game of a two-Test series.
The venue, located in southern Trinidad, has previously staged One-Day Internationals, T20 Internationals and regional first-class matches. It now becomes Trinidad and Tobago’s second Test venue after Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain, while also becoming the 13th Test ground in the Caribbean. The second and final Test will be played at Queen’s Park Oval next week.
Also Read:
West Indies head into the series with renewed confidence after registering their first home Test series victory since 2022. Under newly appointed captain Roston Chase, the Caribbean side crushed Sri Lanka by an innings and 217 runs in the opening Test before drawing the second to seal the series.
Chase missed the recent ODI series defeat against New Zealand due to a right index finger injury, but head coach Daren Sammy remains optimistic that his skipper will be fit in time for the series opener.
“Roston is a fighter. I know he’s not going to want to miss any Test cricket,” Sammy said, expressing confidence that the team’s medical staff would have him ready.
West Indies are expected to retain most of the side that defeated Sri Lanka. However, left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican could replace fast bowler Anderson Phillip if the pitch begins to favour spin as the match progresses.
Pakistan, meanwhile, arrive in the Caribbean seeking to recover from a disappointing 2-0 Test series defeat in Bangladesh two months ago. The visitors have reshuffled their squad once again, with star batter Babar Azam returning as Test captain in place of Shan Masood in an effort to revive the team’s fortunes.
Babar boosted confidence ahead of the series by scoring a century in Pakistan’s lone warm-up match against a West Indies Select XI. Opening batter Azan Awais also reached three figures, while several other batters made useful contributions.
One of Pakistan’s biggest positives from the warm-up fixture was the form of fast bowler Mohammad Ali, who claimed five wickets in the first innings. Pakistan will rely heavily on him and their revamped pace attack as they attempt to snap a worrying run of seven consecutive away Test defeats.
The two teams last met in the Caribbean in 2021, when the series ended in a 1-1 draw in Kingston. Their most recent Test encounters came in Multan in January 2025, where West Indies stunned Pakistan by winning the second Test to also level that series 1-1.
With both teams capable of producing unpredictable performances, weather may also play a crucial role. Although Trinidad has enjoyed clear skies in the lead-up to the opening Test, the July-August period traditionally brings heavy rainfall to the southern Caribbean, raising the possibility of rain interruptions during the series.
Read all the Breaking News Live on pakistantimes.com and Get Latest English News & Updates from Pakistan Times. Follow us on Whatsapp channel for more.
