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Shakeel and Rizwan revive Pakistan to 143-4 in 1st test against West Indies

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Shakeel and Rizwan revive Pakistan to 143-4 in 1st test against West Indies
News

News

Shakeel and Rizwan revive Pakistan to 143-4 in 1st test against West Indies

2025-01-17 20:34 Last Updated At:20:41

MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) — Half-centuries from Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan revived Pakistan to 143-4 after top-order batters stumbled in the first cricket test against West Indies on Friday.

Shakeel made a gritty unbeaten 56 and Rizwan was not out on 51 on Day 1 as they rebuilt Pakistan on a tricky dry wicket tailor-made for spinners.

The start of the test match between the two bottom-placed teams in the World Test Championship was delayed by four hours because of heavy fog and mist in Multan. Fast bowler Jayden Seales’ (3-21) triple strike then left Pakistan reeling at 46-4 inside the first hour.

But Shakeel and Rizwan steadied the innings with their unbroken 97-run stand and upped the scoring rate in an hour-long last session which produced 57 runs.

Both batters used their feet well against the three West Indies spinners and swept the bad balls for boundaries during their aggressive batting after tea.

Pakistan and West Indies packed their playing XIs with three specialist spinners each, but it was Seales who made an early impact with the new ball.

Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie (1-45) also tied down the batters during his unchanged 14-over spell and there was appreciable turn for slow bowlers from ball one after Pakistan had won the toss and elected to bat.

Seales found the outside edge of debutant Mohammad Hurraira (6) in his third over and captain Shan Masood (11) got a faint edge down the leg-side against Motie which gave Tevin Imlach his second catch in his debut test match.

Seales consistently hit the hard lengths in his nine-over incisive opening spell and troubled Pakistan batters with his seam and swing. Kamran Ghulam (5) was ruled out leg before wicket when he offered no shot to an impeccable in-swinger just a ball after driving Seales to cover boundary for four.

Seales then made further inroads when he had the prized wicket of Babar Azam (8), who also edged behind the wicket and departed after facing 20 nervy balls.

Pakistan is at No. 8 and West Indies is at No. 9 on the WTC points table after performing under-par over the last one year in tests. Australia and South Africa have already qualified for June 11-15 WTC final at Lord’s.

Pakistan has lost eight of its last 10 test matches while West Indies has yet to win a test series in this WTC cycle, losing to India, England and South Africa and drawing against Australia and Bangladesh.

One of the two Pakistan wins came at the Multan Cricket Stadium and on the same pitch when it beat England on an engineered dry wicket to favor the spin duo of Sajid Khan and Noman Ali.

West Indies dropped vice-captain Joshua Da Silva after the wicketkeeper-batter couldn't impress in the three-day warm-up game against Pakistan Shaheens, and the tourists are also without ill fast bowler Kemar Roach.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

West Indies Jayden Seales, left, appeals successfully LBW dismissal of Pakistan's Kamran Ghulam, right, during the day one of the first test cricket match between Pakistan and West Indies, in Multan, Pakistan, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Asim Tanveer)

West Indies Jayden Seales, left, appeals successfully LBW dismissal of Pakistan's Kamran Ghulam, right, during the day one of the first test cricket match between Pakistan and West Indies, in Multan, Pakistan, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Asim Tanveer)

Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan, left, plays a shot during the day one of the first test cricket match between Pakistan and West Indies, in Multan, Pakistan, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Asim Tanveer)

Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan, left, plays a shot during the day one of the first test cricket match between Pakistan and West Indies, in Multan, Pakistan, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Asim Tanveer)

Pakistan's Saud Shakeel bats during the day one of the first test cricket match between Pakistan and West Indies, in Multan, Pakistan, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Asim Tanveer)

Pakistan's Saud Shakeel bats during the day one of the first test cricket match between Pakistan and West Indies, in Multan, Pakistan, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Asim Tanveer)

West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite, right, and his Pakistani counterpart Shan Masood pose for photo with test-series trophy, in Multan, Pakistan, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Asim Tanveer)

West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite, right, and his Pakistani counterpart Shan Masood pose for photo with test-series trophy, in Multan, Pakistan, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Asim Tanveer)

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The remains of all 10 people killed when their small plane crashed into ice on the Bering Sea have been recovered, authorities said.

The Nome Volunteer Fire Department made the announcement on its Facebook page Saturday afternoon. Recovery crews had been racing to recover the bodies before a winter storm was expected to hit the region.

“All ten individuals aboard the Bering Air plane have been officially brought home,” the fire department wrote in the social media post at about 3 p.m.

Crews were still working on recovering the aircraft, the fire department said.

The Bering Air single-engine turboprop plane was traveling from Unalakleet to the hub community of Nome when it disappeared Thursday afternoon. It was found the next day after an extensive search with all nine passengers and the pilot dead, making it one of the deadliest plane crashes in the state in 25 years.

The aircraft is on an ice floe that is drifting about 5 miles (8 kilometers) a day, creating difficult conditions for recovery crews, said National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy during a press conference Saturday afternoon.

“Please know that we'll work diligently to determine how this happened with the ultimate goal of improving safety in Alaska and across the United States,” said Homendy.

As the community tried to process the deadly event, crews worked swiftly on unstable, slushy sea ice to recover the bodies and the wreckage. The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory, with snow and winds up to 45 miles per hour (72 kilometers per hour) expected to hit the region Saturday night, lasting into Sunday evening.

Among those killed in the crash were Rhone Baumgartner and Kameron Hartvigson. They had traveled to Unalakleet to service a heat recovery system vital to the community’s water plant, according to the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.

"The loss of these two incredible individuals and everyone else on board the plane will be felt all over Alaska,” David Beveridge, vice president of environmental health and engineering for the organization, said in a statement.

The pilot, 34-year-old Chad Antill of Nome, was also killed. The other victims ranged in age from 30 to 58 years old.

The flight was a regularly scheduled commuter trip, according to Lt. Ben Endres of the Alaska State Troopers.

A photo provided by the Coast Guard showed the plane’s splintered body and debris lying on the sea ice. Two people in brightly colored emergency gear circled the wreckage.

“It’s hard to accept the reality of our loss,” U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said during an evening news conference.

Nome Mayor John Handeland choked up as he discussed the deaths and the response effort.

“Nome is a strong community, and in challenging times we come together and support each other. I expect the outpouring of support to continue in the coming days as we all work to recover from this tragic incident,” Handeland said.

The Cessna Caravan left Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m. Thursday, and officials lost contact with it less than an hour later, according to David Olson, director of operations for Bering Air. There was light snow and fog, with a temperature of 17 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 8.3 degrees Celsius), according to the National Weather Service.

The Coast Guard said the aircraft went missing about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Nome.

Radar forensic data provided by the U.S. Civil Air Patrol indicated that about 3:18 p.m., the plane had “some kind of event which caused them to experience a rapid loss in elevation and a rapid loss in speed,” Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Benjamin McIntyre-Coble said. “What that event is, I can't speculate to.”

McIntyre-Coble said he was unaware of any distress signals from the aircraft. Planes carry an emergency locating transmitter. If exposed to seawater, the device sends a signal to a satellite, which then relays that message back to the Coast Guard to indicate an aircraft may be in distress. No such messages were received by the Coast Guard, he said.

Rescuers were searching the aircraft’s last known location by helicopter when the wreckage was spotted, said Mike Salerno, a spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard. Two rescue swimmers were lowered to investigate.

The National Transportation Safety Board was sending nine people to the scene from various states.

Flying is an essential mode of transportation in Alaska due to the vastness of the landscape and limited infrastructure, and it’s common to travel by small plane.

The plane's crash marks the third major U.S. aviation mishap in eight days. A commercial jetliner and an Army helicopter collided near the nation’s capital on Jan. 29, killing 67 people. A medical transportation plane crashed in Philadelphia on Jan. 31, killing the six people on board and another person on the ground.

Bering Air serves 32 villages in western Alaska from hubs in Nome, Kotzebue and Unalakleet. Most destinations receive twice-daily scheduled flights Monday through Saturday.

“Our hearts are heavy with grief as we process this heartbreaking news,” Bering Air wrote in a statement on its website. “At this time, our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those affected by this tragedy."

A phone line was set up to give updates and emotional support to people who had loved ones on board, Bering Air said. The company asked for privacy for everyone involved, and said it was committed to supporting authorities.

Unalakleet is a community of about 690 people about 150 miles (about 240 kilometers) southeast of Nome and 395 miles (about 640 kilometers) northwest of Anchorage. The village is on the Iditarod trail, route of the world's most famous sled dog race, during which mushers and their teams must cross the frozen Norton Sound.

Nome, a Gold Rush town, is just south of the Arctic Circle and is known as the ending point of the 1,000-mile (1,610-kilometer) Iditarod. The city said prayer vigils would be held Friday for those on board the plane, friends and family and those involved in search efforts.

Golden reported from Seattle. Martha Bellisle in Seattle and Lisa Baumann in Bellingham, Washington, contributed to this report.

FILE - The city of Nome, Alaska, awaits the first Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race musher Tuesday, March 14, 2023. Ryan Redington won the race. (Loren Holmes/Anchorage Daily News via AP, File)

FILE - The city of Nome, Alaska, awaits the first Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race musher Tuesday, March 14, 2023. Ryan Redington won the race. (Loren Holmes/Anchorage Daily News via AP, File)

FILE - This Jan. 18, 2020, photo shows people preparing to get on an airplane at the airport in Bethel, Alaska, for a flight to Toksook Bay. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

FILE - This Jan. 18, 2020, photo shows people preparing to get on an airplane at the airport in Bethel, Alaska, for a flight to Toksook Bay. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

A Bering Air plane prepares to arrive in Ambler on Saturday, April 9, 2022. (Emily Mesner/Anchorage Daily News via AP)

A Bering Air plane prepares to arrive in Ambler on Saturday, April 9, 2022. (Emily Mesner/Anchorage Daily News via AP)

This photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, shows a small commuter plane that crashed in western Alaska on a flight that was bound for the hub community of Nome. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP)

This photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, shows a small commuter plane that crashed in western Alaska on a flight that was bound for the hub community of Nome. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP)

FILE - Ice is visible in the Bering Sea Jan. 22, 2020, as seen from a small plane airplane near the western Alaska coast. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

FILE - Ice is visible in the Bering Sea Jan. 22, 2020, as seen from a small plane airplane near the western Alaska coast. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

FILE - Ice is visible in the Bering Sea Jan. 22, 2020, as seen from a small plane airplane near the western Alaska coast. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

FILE - Ice is visible in the Bering Sea Jan. 22, 2020, as seen from a small plane airplane near the western Alaska coast. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

This photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, shows a small commuter plane that crashed in western Alaska on a flight that was bound for the hub community of Nome. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP)

This photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, shows a small commuter plane that crashed in western Alaska on a flight that was bound for the hub community of Nome. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP)

This photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, shows a small commuter plane that crashed in western Alaska on a flight that was bound for the hub community of Nome. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP)

This photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, shows a small commuter plane that crashed in western Alaska on a flight that was bound for the hub community of Nome. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP)

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