Left-arm seamer Shaheen Afridi, who picked up eight wickets in the first Test, will once again be vital for Pakistan as they look to turn the table against the West Indies in the second Test at Sabina Park, starting on Friday. PHOTO: TWITTER

Less than five days after playing one of the most memorable Test matches in recent history, West Indies and Pakistan will once again take the field on Friday in the second and final game of the series.

West Indies scraped through by the barest of margins to register a thrilling one-wicket win against Pakistan in the first Test of the series as the hosts registered full 12 points on the ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 table.

Since the second Test too will be played at Sabina Park in Jamaica, both teams could opt to go with an all-pace bowling lineup after the spinners went wicketless in the first game.

West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite could look to off-spinner Roston Chase to provide some variety and bring in another fast bowler, perhaps Alzarri Joseph, to complete the pace quartet. Pakistan too might ring in a couple of changes if they too want to go with the all-pacers strategy, which would mean Yasir Shah sitting the second match out.

The bowlers might have hogged most of the limelight in the first Test, but it also highlighted how important it is for batters to grind it out in difficult conditions, especially in low-scoring encounters such as these. While several batters on both sides got off to starts, they could not convert it into big scores.