Pakistan will still be hurting from the one-wicket defeat against the West Indies in the first Test in Jamaica, and they only have themselves to blame.
Defending a modest target of 168 in the final innings, Pakistan’s fast bowlers — led by Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali — wreaked havoc as they reduced the hosts to 114-7. With victory in sight, however, Pakistan’s fielding let the team down with three dropped chances, including two of Kemar Roach who made an unbeaten 30 and hit the winning runs.
It was just the 15th instance of a team winning a Test by one wicket.
Fielding will therefore be in focus when Pakistan take on the West Indies in the second and final Test of the tour in Kingston, Jamaica, which begins on Friday.
After the heartbreak in the opening Test, Pakistan captain Babar Azam had admitted catching was a cause for concern.
“We put in a good effort with the bat,” Azam said. “The bowlers then restricted them before our bowlers took the wickets.
“Again, in the second innings, we fought with the bat and the bowlers hit back. Had we taken those dropped catches, the result could have been different.
“When you drop catches, the course of the match changes. We got two chances but couldn't take them, which is why we lost. We did pull off a few good catches. But we dropped a few, so lost the match.”
Pakistan’s bowling coach Waqar Younis decided to focus on the positives, with the bowling until coming in for praise. Left-arm quick Afridi picked up eight wickets in the Test while Hasan gave him good support in both innings.
“I must say all the bowlers bowled really well throughout the Test. Despite the small target, they put in all the hard work and responded well,” Waqar said. “They fought and never let it go easily.”
The hosts, on the other hand, will be buoyed by the effort of young quick Jayden Seales. The 19-year-old was named man of the match for his haul of 8-125 which included 5-55 in the second innings.
Seales become the youngest-ever to take five wickets in a Test innings for the West Indies. “He is a star for the future,” Roach said of Seales. “His five wickets speaks wonders about our cricket.”
Pakistan won the preceding T20 series and will now be hoping to end the tour with the Test series shared.
There will be another incentive for Babar to do well. He is currently placed eighth in Test rankings for batsmen on 725 points. He is right behind India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant who is on 736 points.
The other major area of focus for Pakistan will be the form of their veteran spinner Yasir Shah. In the first Test, Shah went wicketless in both innings, and was used for just three overs in the second outing. He also didn't contribute much with the bat, putting his spot under the scanner.
The visitors could thus look to give left-arm spinner Nauman Ali a chance.
The hosts might not want to change a winning combination, which means the bowling burden could fall mostly on Roach and captain Jason Holder. Their batsmen, however, will need to raise their game as it was their bowlers who got them over the line in the chase.
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
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Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
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The biog
Favourite Emirati dish: Fish machboos
Favourite spice: Cumin
Family: mother, three sisters, three brothers and a two-year-old daughter
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
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PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Five healthy carbs and how to eat them
Brown rice: consume an amount that fits in the palm of your hand
Non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli: consume raw or at low temperatures, and don’t reheat
Oatmeal: look out for pure whole oat grains or kernels, which are locally grown and packaged; avoid those that have travelled from afar
Fruit: a medium bowl a day and no more, and never fruit juices
Lentils and lentil pasta: soak these well and cook them at a low temperature; refrain from eating highly processed pasta variants
Courtesy Roma Megchiani, functional nutritionist at Dubai’s 77 Veggie Boutique
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Young women have more “financial grit”, but fall behind on investing
In an October survey of young adults aged 16 to 25, Charles Schwab found young women are more driven to reach financial independence than young men (67 per cent versus. 58 per cent). They are more likely to take on extra work to make ends meet and see more value than men in creating a plan to achieve their financial goals. Yet, despite all these good ‘first’ measures, they are investing and saving less than young men – falling early into the financial gender gap.
While the women surveyed report spending 36 per cent less than men, they have far less savings than men ($1,267 versus $2,000) – a nearly 60 per cent difference.
In addition, twice as many young men as women say they would invest spare cash, and almost twice as many young men as women report having investment accounts (though most young adults do not invest at all).
“Despite their good intentions, young women start to fall behind their male counterparts in savings and investing early on in life,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, senior vice president, Charles Schwab. “They start off showing a strong financial planning mindset, but there is still room for further education when it comes to managing their day-to-day finances.”
Ms Schwab-Pomerantz says parents should be conveying the same messages to boys and girls about money, but should tailor those conversations based on the individual and gender.
"Our study shows that while boys are spending more than girls, they also are saving more. Have open and honest conversations with your daughters about the wage and savings gap," she said. "Teach kids about the importance of investing – especially girls, who as we see in this study, aren’t investing as much. Part of being financially prepared is learning to make the most of your money, and that means investing early and consistently."
More coverage from the Future Forum
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
