Chase eyes fortress finish as West Indies aim for historic Pakistan sweep

The West Indies will stride onto the hallowed turf of the Queen’s Park Oval in St Clair, Port-of-Spain on Sunday with history in their sights and a fortress at their backs.

As the second Test against Pakistan gets underway, the Caribbean side is not just playing for a series victory; they are playing to extend a remarkable unbeaten streak and topple a two-decade-old domestic hoodoo.

The venue has been a bastion of resilience for the men in maroon. They are undefeated in their last six Tests at the historic ground, a run of form that has transformed the Oval into a genuine stronghold.

Looking back at the broader history between these two sides at the venue, the hosts hold the edge with three victories to Pakistan’s two, with the famous draw of 1988 being the only blemish on a fiercely contested rivalry.

The last time Pakistan visited this turf in 1993, they left with a scar, succumbing to a colossal 204-run defeat.

Standing in the way of Pakistan’s redemption is a West Indian unit humming with confidence. Captain Roston Chase, leading from the front, made it clear that the team’s preparation has been meticulous and their ambitions sky-high.

“We’re very confident. We’re exactly where we wanted to be,” Chase stated on the eve of the match. “After having the year last year, we sat down, we planned, and said that this is where we want to be. We’re one love up, so we want to just come into this second Test, not take anything for granted, go through the processes that we’ve sat down and talked about, and look to get that second victory.”

A victory would mark the first time since 2022 that the West Indies have won consecutive Test series. More significantly, it would seal their first home Test series win over Pakistan since the turn of the millennium, a gap stretching back to 2000.

The pitch at Queen’s Park Oval is expected to offer turn, potentially opening the door for Chase’s off-spin to play a decisive role. However, the captain is managing a finger injury that kept him from bowling in the first Test, an issue that could dictate the balance of the attack.

Chase, however, was optimistic about his fitness. “It’s getting better. Hopefully, I think I will be ready to bowl by Sunday. I bowled two overs today. It still has a bit of pain, but I think by Sunday, I should be able to at least bowl probably four to five overs consistently.”

The captain’s determination to be fit is reflective of a broader cultural shift within the squad, that is a desire to make the Caribbean an impenetrable fortress.

“We’re very blessed and very happy for the results that we’ve been having at home so far,” Chase added. “But I want to make home our fortress, where we make it very difficult for teams to come to the Caribbean and beat us because it’s our conditions. We know them inside out and better than the opposition. We want to really make home advantage count, and we’ve been doing that well so far.”

CMC