The wily spinner finished with 6-124 to secure his second ten-wicket haul in Test cricket after claiming four wickets in the first innings as West Indies were bowled out for 322 before tea on a weary fifth and final day pitch at Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

Shah had deprived West Indian batsman Jermaine Blackwood his second Test hundred when he bowled him for 95 in the pre-lunch session.

West Indies, set a mammoth 456-run target for an unlikely victory, still fought hard and batted for 108 overs with Shai Hope also scoring a fighting 41. Hope and Devendra Bishoo fought for 45 runs during their eighth-wicket stand before left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar (2-51) had Hope and Bishoo (26) caught to finish the match.

In between Babar’s wickets, Shah had Miguel Cummins bowled for nought to finish the match with figures of 10-210, having taken 4-86 in the first innings.

Pakistan won the first Test by 56 runs in Dubai, leaving the third and final Test in Sharjah starting from Sunday inconsequential.

Captain Misbah-ul-Haq showed delight at the series win. “It’s a good win and I am very happy,” said Misbah, who equalled Imran Khan’s record of most matches as Pakistan captain with 48. But this is Misbah’s 23rd victory while Imran had only 14.

“The pitch was not helping the spinners so it was tough to get West Indies out even on a fifth day pitch but we have match-winners like Shah who bowled very well.” Meanwhile, West Indian captain Jason Holder was pleased with his team’s fight despite the defeat.

“We’ve showed signs of improvement,” said Holder who has now lost eight of his 11 Tests as captain.

“Unfortunately we weren’t able to start the game the way we like. They scored too many runs on the first day, we didn’t bat well in the first innings. Pleased with the guys like Blackwood, the way they showed application.”

Blackwood defied Pakistan’s spin-cum-pace attack in the first session by adding 63 for the fifth wicket with Roston Chase (20) and another 57 with Hope for the sixth to counter the weary pitch.

When it seemed Blackwood would complete his second Test hundred, Shah produced a beautiful delivery which kept straight and hit the batsman’s pad, dislodging the stumps. Blackwood hit 11 boundaries during his enterprising 127-ball stay. Shah then trapped Jason Holder leg before for 16 to complete his five-wicket haul, the second in the series. Resuming at 171-4 West Indian pair Blackwood and Chase batted without any problems for the first nine overs, but in the tenth of the day Shah produced a sharp turning ball which took the edge off Chase’s bat to wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed for an easy catch

Pakistan have been on a roll since their 2-2 series draw in England in August, which briefly lifted them to number one position in world cricket`s Test rankings for the first time.

Arch-rivals India relegated Pakistan to number two with recent victory over New Zealand but Misbah-ul-Haq`s men have a prime opportunity to close the gap in the three-match series against the West Indies and are strong favourites.

Pakistan captain Misbah said he was relishing the prospect of a day-night Test, where play will be from 3:30 pm to 10:30 pm (1130 GMT to 1830 GMT) with two breaks of 30 minutes, in what is nominally a “home” series for Pakistan.

“It`s exciting because I think the future belongs to day-night Tests,” said Misbah, whose team will be missing senior batsman Younis Khan, recovering from dengue fever.

Pakistan have included in-form batsman Babar Azam, 21, for his first Test after he racked up 360 runs during the one-day series against the West Indies.

But misfiring openers Mohammad Hafeez and Shan Masood have been axed from the squad which levelled the four-match Test series against England.

The West Indies, routed by Pakistan 3-0 in both Twenty20 and one-day series preceding the Tests, come in as clear underdogs.

Coach Phil Simmons, who guided them to the World Twenty20 title in April this year, was sacked prior to this tour after the team lost 2-0 to India in a four-match series in August.

But captain Jason Holder said the West Indies — down in eighth in the Test rankings — are ready to bounce back.

“We have some new faces in Tests so we will do our best,” said Holder.

Experts, however, see Pakistan`s spin duo of Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar proving too much for the spin-wary West Indian batsmen, especially in the unfamiliar day-night format with the pink ball and under lights. Australia staged the inaugural day-night Test against New Zealand in Adelaide last November — the first in Test cricket`s 140-year history.

The innovation has been brought in to address the dwindling crowds in Test cricket — floodlit matches encourage those at work during the day to attend — and has met with initial success.

The Adelaide Test attracted 123,000 spectators and an average television audience of two million.

But players from both sides complained about the pink ball’s movement and durability, as well as the difficulty batsmen faced seeing it under lights.

Pakistan have accumulated more experience than the West Indies under lights, adopting the coloured ball concept six years ago for the final of their domestic premier first-class tournament.

Pakistan have more than one reason to do well in Dubai — as well as grabbing a slice of Test history the match is their 400th Test since playing their first in India in 1952.

A win will not only cap a historic occasion but will also give Pakistan momentum for their pink-ball Tests in Australia in December.

The remaining two Tests against the West Indies will be in Abu Dhabi (October 21-25) and Sharjah (October 30-November 3).

Teams (from): Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Azhar Ali, Sami Aslam, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Rahat Ali, Sohail Khan, Imran Khan

West Indies: Jason Holder (captain), Kraigg Brathwaite (vice captain), Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Roston Chase, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Shai Hope, Leon Johnson, Alzarri Joseph, Marlon Samuels, Jomel Warrican

Umpires: Richard Illingworth (ENG) and Paul Reiffel (AUS) TV umpire: Ian Gould (ENG), Match referee: Jeff Corwe (NZL).

Australia quick Peter Siddle believes Pakistan’s Test squad is better equipped than ever to handle a tour of Australia ahead of their three-match series Down Under this summer.

Siddle identified the depth of the Pakistanis’ pace attack alongside brilliant leg-spinner Yasir Shah as key to their rise to number one in the Test rankings.

“Pakistan have surprised us over the last 12 months or so, they’ve started playing some consistent cricket,” Siddle told cricket.com.au’s The Unplayable Podcast.

“They’ve got some star players but they’ve been a lot more consistent with the sides they’re putting out there – they’re not chopping and changing and I think that’s where they’ve missed out in the past.

“At the moment it looks like they’ve got a pretty settle group of 13, 14 players that they go with. With a couple of injuries to bowlers, they’ve had bowlers come in and perform well, so that’s exciting for them.

“I think their squad will be suited to Australian conditions, probably more so than in the past.

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“They’ve got explosive players who can take the game away from you, and they’ve got a good assortment of quicks at the moment.

“They’ve actually got some fast bowlers that will be able to make it work on the wickets out here, and put us under a bit of pressure, so that’s a big challenge for us.”

Chief protagonists in that pace attack are likely to be left-arm quicks Wahab Riaz – who tormented the likes of Michael Clarke and Shane Watson with a stunning spell in Adelaide during the 2015 World Cup – and Mohammad Amir, who took eight wickets in the two Tests he played in Australia in 2009-10

Amir is the only member of coach Mickey Arthur’s fast-bowling group that played Tests in England to have played the five-day game in Australia, a country in which Pakistan have won just four of the 32 Tests they’ve contested.

However the first Test in Brisbane – a day-night affair with the pink ball – could help the Pakistani quicks find their feet in conditions more conducive to swing.

“I think people probably didn’t think that much about Pakistan coming out here this summer, but you look at their performances in England on wickets, not quite the same as here, but similar, and they’ve played well,” Siddle said of the 2-2 drawn series that culminated in Pakistan rising to No.1 in the world.

“So with South Africa for three Tests, and Pakistan for three Tests, it’s a big summer for us and one where we have to play some good cricket to get back that number one mantle.”

The Victorian quick, who has returned to bowling off a short run after a lengthy injury lay-off and is again likely to feature in Australia’s six-Test summer, was also conscious of the threat posed by Yasir, as well as Pakistan’s experienced middle order.

“They’ve got a class spinner, Yasir Shah, he’s unbelievable,” Siddle added. “He’s got a great record and he’s approaching 100 wickets at the quickest rate.

“The great Shane Warne has worked with him a little bit and has talked up how good he is.

“Then you’ve got the old heads, Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan just hold that middle-order together.”

Australia’s three-Test series against Pakistan begins on December 15 in Brisbane, and is followed by the traditional MCG Boxing Day and SCG New Year’s (January 3) clashes.

The 25-year-old, playing his first Test since 2012, kept Pakistan at bay with an unbeaten 74 and found an able ally in Jonny Bairstow (37 not out) as the two put on an invaluable 83 for the unbroken fifth-wicket stand at Sharjah Stadium.

That leaves England just 12 behind Pakistan’s first-innings total of 234 with six wickets intact as they hope to gain a decisive lead in their bid to level the three-match series.

Pakistan lead the series 1-0 after winning the second Test in Dubai while the first Test ended in a draw in Abu Dhabi.

Taylor kept England in the hunt as he survived a keen tussle between bat and ball, with Pakistan’s spin duo of Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar threatening to take wickets.

But Taylor, playing his first Test since his two debut Tests against South Africa three years ago, batted with resolve, using his feet and sweeping to blunt the spin.

He pushed paceman Wahab Riaz for a single to reach his first half century off 100 balls. He has so far hit six boundaries during his 141-ball fight. When Taylor walked in England were struggling at 97-3 after Alastair Cook (49) and Joe Root — their two key batsmen — had been dismissed. Taylor added 42 for the fourth wicket with Ian Bell (40) to steady the innings as Pakistan attacked through both pace and spin.

For Pakistan, Shah took 2-79 while Babar went wicket-less in his 25 overs and even a second new ball at 181-4 failed to dislodge the Taylor-Bairstow partnership.

– Outstanding –

“I think the bowlers were outstanding to bowl Pakistan out in a day and today was a better day to bat and obviously we wanted to get as close as we can and obviously now it’s to try and get past them,” said Bell, who had praise for Taylor.

“He (Taylor) is a smart and a busy cricketer and what we saw today that he swept and used his feet and was busy and at the back end of the day he had a good partnership with Jonny.”

Bell, who survived a confident caught behind appeal off Babar, was finally stumped off Shah. He hit two boundaries and a six during his three hour, 37 minute innings. Bell and Cook had steadied the innings with a 71-run stand for the second wicket.

England had added three runs to their lunch score of 87-1 when Cook fell to a soft dismissal as he pushed a Shah delivery straight into the hands of short leg fielder Azhar Ali. Cook hit four boundaries during his 119-ball knock.

England had hoped Root would supplement Bell but the fast-rising batsman fell to a loose shot off paceman Rahat Ali and was smartly snapped low to his right by wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed.

Resuming at 4-0, England lost Ali in the seventh over of the day when he miscued an aggressive shot off spinner Shoaib Malik and was caught in the slip by Younis Khan for 14.

Cook, who made an epic 263 in the drawn first Test in Abu Dhabi, looked in no trouble as he negotiated Pakistan’s pace-cum-spin attack with confidence and appeared set for another half-century before he fell.

Bell smashed Babar for a six early in the innings and ably supported his skipper, adding valuable runs for the second wicket partnership with Cook.

The 41-year-old said the series against England “could be my last”.
“I haven’t taken a final decision,” Misbah told media on the sidelines of a training camp in Lahore, adding that he was considering his options.

Misbah retired from Twenty20 cricket in 2012 and left the one-day international game after Pakistan’s quarter-final finish in the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in March.
He said he wanted to leave Test cricket with “good memories”.
“People remember your final performance,” he said.

The unassuming middle-order batsman will be remembered for his admirable leadership of Pakistan in the aftermath of the 2010 spot-fixing scandal which resulted in five-year bans for Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir.
Last month Misbah had announced he will retire after an upcoming series against India, but the December-January contest is in serious doubt due to tensions between the arch-rivals.
Pakistan take on the Ashes-winning England team in a three-Test series in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) starting in Abu Dhabi from October 13.

Misbah warned the conditions in the UAE will be challenging for England.
“This English team has done well in the Ashes,” he said.
“But they do not have experience of UAE conditions and that will be a big challenge for them.”
He refused to be drawn on the prospect of another 3-0 rout of the Lions, such as the one in the UAE under his captaincy three years ago.

“We have to take it match by match, session by session and once you win sessions you go towards the bigger goals.
“We are not thinking of 3-0, England is a top team and we have to play well and think how to tackle them.”
When asked if Pakistan would miss Saeed Ajmal — one of the architects of the 2012 rout with 24 wickets — Misbah said Pakistan have replacements in leg-spinner Yasir Shah and left-armer Zulfiqar Babar.
“Shah and Babar are doing extraordinarily well and that’s a big plus, so they haven’t made us feel anyone’s absence,” said Misbah.
Ajmal was not selected for the series after he struggled with a remodelled bowling action required to overcome suspension.
He was suspended for illegal action by the International Cricket Council last year.

Sri Lanka and Pakistan will renew their rivalry in the One Day format when the two teams meet each other in a day game starting today at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium

Pakistan having already clinched the Test series 2/1 has been elevated to number three in the Test ranking , will now look forward to winning the ODI series against Sri Lanka which will make them eligible to take part in the 2017 Champions Trophy to be held in England.

Pakistan at the moment is placed ninth in the ICC ODI rankings, and they will have to beat Sri Lanka to go one step up and occupy the number eight spot to play in the Champions Trophy.

While the visitors will go all out to achieve their objective ,Sri Lanka will try to make amends by winning the series as they did on the last occasion when the two teams met last August. Sri Lanka beat Pakistan at the same venue.

The Lankans with the return of veteran T.M.Dilshan, explosive opener Kusal Janith Perera and with the experience of Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirmanne, Upul Tharanga, Dinesh Chandimal and Thisara Perera should hold the batting together.

The return of Lasith Malinga along with Seekuge Prasanna and Sachitra Senanayake should provide variety in the bowling.

The Pakistanis too are in a team building process. They will be led by Azhar Ali the prolific run scorer. And there are wicket keeper Sarfraz Ahmed, Mohammed Hafeez Ahmed Shehzad, and Ashad Shafiq. With the absence of Riyaz Wahab who was injured during the first Test in Galle, the six foot seven inch Mohammed Irfan Rahat Ali and Yasir Shah should form a good combination.

The teams:

Sri Lanka (from): Angelo Mathews (Captain) T.M.Dilshan, Kusal Janith Perera, Upul Tharanga, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dinesh Chandimal, Milinda Siriwardene, Ashan Priyanjan, Nuwan Pradeep, Thisara Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Sachitra Senanayake, Seekuge Prasanna, Sachith Pathirana.

Pakistan (from): Azhar Ali (Captain), Sarfraz Ahmed (V.Captain), Mohammed Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Azar Shafiq, Imad Wasim, Shoib Malik, Yasir Shah, Rahat Ali, Barba Azam, Bilal Asif, Eshan Adil, Mohammed Irfan.

The hosts, sent in to bat after Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq won the toss for the third time in a row, stuttered to 272/8 in their first innings by stumps on the opening day.

Left-handed Karunaratne anchored the innings with a dogged 130, his second Test century following the 152 against New Zealand in Christchurch last December.

Yasir ended the day with four for 77, taking his tally in the series to 21 wickets, the most by a Pakistani bowler in a three-Test rubber in Sri Lanka.

Yasir enabled Pakistan to keep the runs in check despite conditions favouring the batsmen on the evenly-paced pitch after the initial moisture on the wicket had dried up under the hot sun.

The series is locked 1-1 after Pakistan won the first Test by 10 wickets and Sri Lanka responded with a seven-wicket victory in the second match.

Pakistan secured an early break with the wicket of Kaushal Silva, who had scored 125 in Galle and 80 in Colombo.

This time Silva made nine when he was caught behind off left-arm seamer Rahat Ali, who was picked alongside Ehsan Ali and Imran Khan in a new-look pace attack for the decider.

The left-handed pair of Karunaratne and Upul Tharanga put on 91 for the second wicket on either side of lunch to lift the score to 106 for one, before three wickets fell for 31 runs.

Tharanga, who replaced Kumar Sangakkara for the match, made 46 when he edged Yasir to slip where an alert Younis Khan took a smart catch diving in front.

Lahiru Thirimanne (11) and captain Angelo Mathews (three) fell in successive overs from Yasir to mistimed drives as Sri Lanka slipped to 137/4.

Jehan Mubarak helped Karunaratne add 67 for the fifth wicket before he was stumped off Yasir for 25

A monumental 117 by Azhar Ali may not be sufficient to deprive a probable Sri Lankan victory against Pakistan at the P. Sara Oval as they are in pursuit of 153 runs to win and square the three Test series. The Pakistanis were dismissed for 329 in their second innings at the stroke of tea on the fourth day of the second Test yesterday.

Play was called off before Sri Lanka began their run chase around 4.00 pm due to rain with Sri Lanka needing 153 runs to win. Play is scheduled to commence at 9.45 am today.

Spearheaded by an inspired spell of medium pace bowling by Dammika Prasad who took 4 for 92 in the second innings and 3 wickets in the first innings and also striking an useful 35 runs while batting has contributed immensely towards the success of the team in the on going Test.