Match overview

Pakistan beat West Indies by 127 runs in the Test match at Multan Cricket Stadium on 17 January 2025. Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat, posting 230 in their first innings. West Indies were dismissed for 137 in reply. Pakistan's second innings produced 157, setting a fourth-innings target of 251. West Indies never threatened it, folding for 123 to hand Pakistan victory with a margin of 127 runs. Sajid Khan was named Player of the Match. The result extends Pakistan's overall head-to-head lead to 51 wins from 77 completed meetings against West Indies.

The match unfolded almost entirely in the spin bowlers' favour. No innings reached 250, and the pitch turned from early on, making batting across five days a persistent struggle for both sides. Jomel Warrican was the standout with the ball for West Indies, taking 10 wickets for 101 runs across 38.8 overs, but his team's batting could not make that effort count. Pakistan's first-innings total of 230 was actually fractionally below the venue's average first-innings score of 233, yet it proved more than sufficient.

West Indies entered the fourth innings needing 251 to win on a surface that had already produced three completed innings totals below 230. Given that teams batting last at Multan succeed only 36 per cent of the time across the ground's 35-match history, the task was always going to be steep. Being bowled out for 123 confirmed the pattern.

Venue and conditions

Multan Cricket Stadium is one of the most spin-friendly Test venues in Pakistan. The average first-innings score across 35 matches here is 233, and the average second-innings score drops to 212, indicating that the surface deteriorates and becomes harder to bat on as the game progresses. That dynamic played out precisely in this fixture: Pakistan's first innings of 230 was the highest total of the four.

The toss carries real weight at Multan. Teams winning the toss choose to field only 26 per cent of the time, reflecting the widespread understanding that batting first gives a meaningful advantage. Pakistan batted after winning the toss here, consistent with that approach. The chase success rate of 36 per cent is among the lower figures for current Test venues, reinforcing why the team setting the target tends to have the upper hand.

Phase-by-phase splits are less relevant in Test cricket than in white-ball formats, but the broader picture at Multan points to slow turn building through each session. Spinners who can maintain a tight line across long spells are rewarded; both Warrican for West Indies and Pakistan's own spin attack exploited that across four innings.

How to watch

Test cricket between Pakistan and West Indies is broadcast in the UK on Sky Sports Cricket. Live streaming is available through Sky Go and NOW TV for those without a satellite subscription. For Test matches, Sky typically provides ball-by-ball television coverage across all five scheduled days, with highlights packages available through their on-demand service.

BBC Radio's Test Match Special provides audio commentary on selected Test series and is free to access via BBC Sounds. For upcoming fixtures in this series, check BBC Sport and Sky Sports for the confirmed broadcast schedule, as commentary rights can vary depending on the host board's agreements.

Recent form

Pakistan came into this Test having lost two matches to South Africa in 2025, following a run of three consecutive wins against the same opponents in late 2024. That sequence suggests a side capable of solid home performances but one with some fragility when conditions or opposition quality shift. Their record of 51 wins in 77 meetings against West Indies across all formats points to consistent home advantage at sub-continental venues.

West Indies arrived at Multan off the back of a mixed tour. They had lost three consecutive matches to Bangladesh in 2024 before winning two in that same series, then went on to win two of three Tests at Brian Lara Stadium against Pakistan earlier in 2025. That Caribbean form showed they could compete when conditions suited their bowlers. The Multan surface was a different proposition, and their batting across both innings, totalling just 260 runs, reflected how much harder they found it away from home.