Spinners rule Day 2 of 1st test as Pakistan takes control against West Indies

MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) — West Indies collapsed to 137 all out within one session against Pakistan spinners Noman Ali and Sajid Khan as 19 wickets fell on Day 2 of the first test Saturday.

Pakistan, which got bowled out for 230 in the first innings on a turning wicket, stretched its lead to 202 and reached 109-3 with spinners claiming 17 of the 19 wickets to fall in a day.

Captain Shan Masood (52) raised his 11th test half-century off 60 balls and gave Pakistan a clear advantage before he got run out late in the final session with Kamran Ghulam not out on 9.

Left-armer Ali grabbed 5-39 and off-spinner Khan baffled the top four batters with 4-65 in the middle session on the same pitch where the spin duo had picked up all 20 England wickets in a test match last October.

Captain Kraigg Brathwaite (11) was the only among the top seven batters to breach the double figures as Khan and Ali bowled all but 14 deliveries before West Indies’ innings folded in 25.2 overs.

West Indies was in disarray at 91-9, but an aggressive counterattacking partnership of 46 runs off 21 balls between Jomel Warrican (31 not out) and Jayden Seales (22) took the visitors beyond the 100-run mark.

It was the second-lowest test innings, in terms of balls, against Pakistan, which bowled out Sri Lanka for 73 in 24.5 overs at Kandy in 2006.

West Indies top-order batters had no clue how to combat the sharp turning deliveries of Khan, who grabbed four wickets in space of his first three overs with the new ball.

Khan dismissed Mikyle Louis and Keacy Carty off successive deliveries with the latter brilliantly snapped up in the slips by debutant Mohammad Hurraira.

Khan then had Brathwaite clean bowled after the West Indies skipper went for an ambitious sweep against another sharp spinning delivery and Alick Athanaze offered a low return catch to the off-spinner as the tourists slipped to 22-4 in the fifth over.

Ali then got into the act and edged Khan for a five-wicket haul when he clean bowled Gudakesh Motie (19) off an inside edge as West Indies got bowled out before tea.

Earlier, West Indies spinners also profited from favorable conditions to bowl out Pakistan at stroke of lunch after the home team resumed on 143-4.

Left-arm spinner Warrican picked up 3-69 and Kevin Sinclair (2-61) accounted for the vital wickets of Saud Shakeel (84) and Mohammad Rizwan (71) as Pakistan lost last six wickets for 43 runs.

Shakeel and Rizwan had extended their fifth-wicket stand to 141 before Pakistan lost wickets in cluster in the latter half of first session.

On a wicket tailor-made for spinners, Shakeel and Rizwan had dominated the three West Indian spinners before Sinclair broke the threatening stand soon after the first drinks break when he found the outside edge of left-handed Shakeel’s bat.

Shakeel hit six boundaries in his 157-ball knock and had revived Pakistan innings with Rizwan after the home team had slipped to 46-4 against fast bowler Seales’ (3-27) triple strike on Day 1.

Pakistan then lost three more wickets in space of 10 deliveries and slipped to 200-8 as the spinners extracted sharp turn with the odd ball getting low.

Rizwan, who hit nine fours in just over three hours stay at the wicket, missed the line of Sinclair’s full pitched delivery while going for an extravagant reverse sweep and was out leg before wicket.

Khan (18) and Khurram Shahzad (7) shared second best partnership of the innings when they contributed 25 runs for the ninth-wicket stand before Warrican wrapped up the innings just before lunch by removing both batters in his successive overs.

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.

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

Pakistan's Saud Shakeel, center, plays a shot during the day two of the first test cricket match between Pakistan and West Indies, in Multan, Pakistan, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Asim Tanveer)

West Indies Jomel Warrican, center, celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Pakistan's Salman Ali Agha during the day two of the first test cricket match between Pakistan and West Indies, in Multan, Pakistan, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Asim Tanveer)

West Indies Jomel Warrican, right, bowls as Pakistan's Saud Shakeel watches during the day two of the first test cricket match between Pakistan and West Indies, in Multan, Pakistan, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Asim Tanveer)

Pakistan's Said Khan, center, celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of West Indies Mikyle Louis during the day two of the first Test cricket match between Pakistan and West Indies, in Multan, Pakistan, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Asim Tanveer)

Pakistan's Noman Ali, center, celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of West Indies Kevin Sinclair during the day two of the first Test cricket match between Pakistan and West Indies, in Multan, Pakistan, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Asim Tanveer)

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and his family waved to a crowd of flag-waving New Year’s well-wishers gathered at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Friday.

Standing with his wife Masako and the rest of the royal family, he wished a happy new year to people lined up below the palace balcony, some shouting, “banzai" — Japanese for "long live.”

The annual New Year’s appearance by the emperor and his family draws huge crowds to the palace’s usually cloistered grounds in central Tokyo.

People stand in long lines, weathering the cold, for each of the five appearances during the day, as the imperial family remains relatively popular.

The emperor does not have political power but holds symbolic significance for Japan. He and his family are longtime advocates for peace, although World War II was fought in the name of Naruhito’s grandfather Hirohito.

In a statement released in advance, Naruhito noted that last year marked 80 years since the end of that war. He stressed the importance of the message of peace, given that war and strife continued in parts of the world.

“I deeply feel it’s important to continue with efforts among people for dialogue, trying to deepen mutual understanding, so we can build a world of peace,” he said in the statement.

In both the statement and comments Friday, he spoke about recent natural disasters such as earthquakes, heavy rainfall and snow, and forest fires.

In 2024, the annual appearance was canceled because of a New Year’s Day quake in the Noto Peninsula, a coastal area in central Japan, which killed hundreds of people. In 2021 and 2022, it got canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Princess Aiko, the imperial couple's only child, appeared with her parents at this year’s greeting, as did other relatives. She is at the center of a national debate about rules allowing only men to inherit to the Chrysanthemum Throne.

The presence of Naruhito’s nephew, Hisahito, also drew attention, as he now takes part in adult imperial events and is a possible heir to the throne. He is second in line after his father, the emperor’s brother.

Akihito, Naruhito’s father and emperor emeritus who abdicated in 2019, was also there with his wife Michiko, the emperor’s mother.

Yuri Kageyama is on Threads https://www.threads.net/@yurikageyama

Japan's Princess Kako and Prince Hisahito, daughter and son of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, greet well-wishers during a public appearance for New Year's celebrations at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japan's Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko greet well-wishers during a public appearance for New Year's celebrations at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japan's Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko greet well-wishers during a public appearance for New Year's celebrations at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako greet well-wishers during a public appearance for New Year's celebrations at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japan's Emperor Naruhito greets well-wishers during a public appearance for New Year's celebrations at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)