The Pakistan-West Indies current Test Series which commenced on April 21, 2017 should be seen in the present perspective as well as past record, accordingly a brief review is presented below:

Pakistan and the West Indies enjoy cricket relations for the last 69 Years. In fact the West Indies has the distinction to be the first international team to visit newly born Pakistan in 1948. In the years which followed, the men from the Caribbean visited Pakistan seven times (1959, 1975, 1980-81, 1986-87, 1991, 1997-98 and 2006-07 and also played in two Pakistan’s home series in UAE in 2001-02 and 2016).
Pakistan has visited West Indies for eight tours (1958, 1977, 1988, 1993, 2000, 2005, 2011 and 2013). No test match was played on the 2013 tour. The two teams have been involved in exciting contests in the 16 rubbers played so far. However, Pakistan has never won a Test series in the West Indies. West Indies record on Pakistan’s soil is equally dismal; out of their nine visits they could only win the 1980-81 series. On overall performance, Pakistan enjoys an edge over the rivals having won 18 out of 49 Tests played between the two teams against 16 won by West Indies.

Here is a brief account of Pakistan team’s previous tours to West Indies.

 

1958: Result 1-3 Pakistan’s first visit to West Indies was in 1957-58 and the Late AH Kardar led the team. The series is remembered more for a triple century each scored by players of both teams. First, Hanif Muhammad created a new longest individual innings record (16 hrs and 39 minutes) by scoring 337 in the second innings of the first Test at Barbados after Pakistan was forced to follow on. After this Herculean effort from the Little Master the match was drawn. To reply to this great feat Sir Garfield Sobers scored 365 Not Out in West Indies mammoth total of 790 for 3 declared at Kingston Jamaica in the third Test. This remained the highest individual innings until BC Lara surpassed the record with 375 at St. Johns against England in 1993-94. West Indies went on to win the Test series 3-1 but not before the visitors clinched the fifth and final Test at Port of Spain by an innings margin.

 

1977: Result 1-2 After a gap of 20 years Pakistan's next trip to the West Indies was in 1977. Mushtaq Muhammad led the team. Fresh from their creditable performance in Australia, the visitors narrowly lost the rubber 1-2 With Sarfaraz Nawaz, Saleem Altaf and Imran Khan bowling exceedingly well and remained on top. The West Indies were back to the wall in the first Test at Barbados and very nearly had lost it when 54 runs still in arrears they were 251 for 9, the match ended in a draw. West Indies won the second and the third was drawn. Superb performance by their skipper in the fourth Test leveled the series for Pakistan, but the West Indies outplayed Pakistan to win the fifth Test and the series. For Pakistan, Majid Khan and Wasim Raja scored above 500 runs and Imran Khan claimed 25 wickets in the series.

1988: Result 1-1 Pakistan revisited West Indies after 11 long years in 1988. Persuaded by late President General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, Imran Khan came out of retirement and led Pakistan in a series where West Indies were forced all the time on the back foot. Pakistan convincingly won the first Test at Georgetown (Guyana) by 9 wickets, and with a little luck and application they could have gotten through in the second as well, but eventually West Indies won a tense battle in the final Test by two wickets to level the series, thanks to the ninth wickets pair of Jeffrey Dujon and Winston Benjamin. Imran Khan was named player of the series for his captaincy and bowling that brought him 23 wickets in the three Tests.

1993: Result 0-2 Pakistan’s fourth visit to West Indies was in 1993. Wasim Akram led Pakistan. At one time after the visitors routed the home team for 127 in the first innings of the first Test at Port of Spain, it appeared that Pakistan might win the Test. Unfortunately the opportunity was soon lost. A poor batting performance tilted the match in West Indies favor, which they won by a wide margin of 204 runs. Again Pakistan could not withstand the pace of Walsh, Ambrose and Benjamin and lost the second Test at Bridgetown by 10 wickets. In the third drawn Test at St. Johns, Inzamam ul Haq steered Pakistan to safety with a defiant knock of 123.

2000: Result 0-1 The first two Tests played at Barbados Oval, Georgetown and Kensington Oval, Bridgetown respectively, were drawn and in the last test at St. Johns, Antigua after a gripping contest and swaying fortunes, the hosts earned a narrow one-wicket victory when earlier they were 9 down for 197 and were 19 runs away from the target. Moin Khan led Pakistan and Jimmy Adams captained West Indies.

2005: Result 1-1 West Indies won the first Test at Bridgetown by 276 runs and Pakistan squared the series at Sabina Park Kingston Oval with a 136-run victory. Man of the Series Brian Lara, scored two centuries (130 & 153), Younis Khan (106), skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq (117), and Shahid Afridi (122) scored centuries for the visitors. Shivnarine Chanderpaul led the hosts.

2011: Result 1-1 Led by Darren Sammy, West Indies won the first Test at Providence Stadium, Guyana by 40 runs and Saeed Ajmal claimed 11 wickets for 111 runs. The visitors won the next and final Test at Warner Park, Basseterre, St. Kitts by 196 runs. Taufeeq Umar scored 135 and won the Player of the Match award. Misbah-ul-Haq captained Pakistan.

Current Series Comparatively stronger in overall strength, Pakistan stands a good chance to win their first-ever Test series in the West Indies on the current tour.

Result Summary: Pakistan v West Indies Test Series in West Indies 1958 To date

Year	Tests
	Played	Won	Lost	Drawn
1958	5	1	3	1
1977	5	1	2	2
1988	3	1	1	1
1993	3	0	2	1
2000	3	0	1	2
2005	2	1	1	0
2011	2	1	1	0
Total	23	5	11	7