Half-century from Greaves keeps West Indies afloat amid rain

West Indies finished Day 1 at 239/5 in a rain-affected opening day at Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, driven by an unbeaten half-century from Justin Greaves and a late counter-attacking stand. Greaves & Chase Resiliency: Justin Greaves scored a gritty 64* and anchored an unbroken 66-run sixth-wicket partnership with captain Roston Chase (36*) to give West Indies the upper hand by Stumps. Rapid Start & Rain Delay: Openers got West Indies off to a flyer (49 in 9.5 overs) before rain forced an early lunch. However, Tagenarine Chanderpaul fell off the final ball before the break to Mohammad Ali. Spin Squeeze: In the second session, spinners Sajid Khan and debutant Ali Usman tied down the West Indies batters on a turning surface, claiming Brandon King (46) and Kavem Hodge respectively. Debutant Breakthrough: Fast bowler Ubaid Shah picked up his maiden Test wicket by dismissing Amir Jangoo down the leg side, before Mohammad Ali bowled Shai Hope after tea to leave WI 173/5 before Greaves and Chase rallied. Shai Hope and Amir Jangoo began to realise they would have to balance run-scoring and caution. A glorious six over cover from Hope set the tone as West Indies tried to shift momentum, and the next few overs saw boundaries begin to flow relatively regularly. It forced Babar Azam to turn back to pace, returning to the expensive Ubaid Shah. It was here that West Indies, who had generally been good at absorbing pressure and fighting through phases where Pakistan's bowlers ruled the roost briefly let themselves down. Ubaid sent his first one down leg, and Jangoo casually flicked at it, his inside edge kissing the ball on its way through to the keeper, handing the debutant his first wicket. Ubaid's Struggles: Pakistan turned back to pace, but debutant Ubaid Shah continued to struggle, over-pitching his first ball to Justin Greaves who drove it through the covers. With his pace dropping, Ubaid's brief two-over spell cost a further 15 runs. Spin Retreat & West Indies Control: Babar Azam reverted to spin, but the West Indies batters were fully set and comfortable on a easing surface. Stumps Position: By the time bad light brought an end to the day's play, West Indies had firmly capitalized on their hard work, leaving Pakistan in need of a complete reset heading into Day 2.