Both sides announced their playing XIs on the eve of the match – the hosts doing so first, naming just one specialist pacer as well as a debutant opening batter in the lineup.

In a series which is set to have no bearing on the World Test Championship final, West Indies have also handed debuts to two players – batter Tevin Imlach and wicketkeeper Amir Jangoo.

West Indies drop vice-captain Joshua da Silva

Jangoo has come into the playing XI to replace Joshua da Silva, West Indies' incumbent gloveman and current vice-captain of the Test team. In fact, this marks the first time that da Silva will miss a Test match since he debuted at Wellington in December 2020 – a run of 33 consecutive games.

The 26-year-old da Silva had made a solid start to his Test career with four 40-plus scores in his first six innings, batting primarily at No.7 and No.8. However, his form dipped soon after, with six single-digit scores in his next 10 innings.

Also read: Pakistan pick three frontline spinners and debutant for first West Indies Test

da Silva scored 82* and 49 in consecutive Tests against England last summer, but has since scored just 92 runs in nine innings, averaging 11.5 with the bat in a lineup which is a tad unreliable at best.

A replacement for da Silva has emerged in timely fashion in the form of Amir Jangoo, who debuted for West Indies in ODIs last month and became the first player in men's ODI history to score a century on debut from No.4 or below. Hailing from Trinidad & Tobago like da Silva, Jangoo had an excellent season in last year's Super50 Cup, West Indies' domestic List A competition.

His overall first-class record is not exceptional – 1909 runs at an average of 34.1 – but in the last calendar year he scored exactly 500 runs at an average of 100 on the dot. The standout knock was a double century (218) from No.5 in April which helped take T&T from 103-3 to 591-7. Coincidentally, da Silva also batted in that innings, scoring 79 from No.7.

Between his recent good form in not just one but two formats, and the promise Jangoo has shown at the international level, West Indies have little to lose and much to gain by selecting him ahead of a wicketkeeper who is currently in a slump.

Playing XIs: Pakistan v West Indies, first Test

Pakistan

Shan Masood (c), Mohammad Huraira, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Sajid Khan, Noman Ali, Khurram Shahzad, Abrar Ahmed.

West Indies

Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Mikyle Louis, Keacy Carty, Kavem Hodge, Alick Athanaze, Justin Greaves, Tevin Imlach, Kevin Sinclair, Gudakesh Motie, Jomel Warrican, Amir Jangoo, Jayden Seales.

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