West Indies-Pakistan 2nd Test begins with series on the line

The West Indies-Pakistan second Test begins at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain on Sunday, August 2, 2026, with the two-match series on the line.

West Indies claimed the opener in Tarouba by 90 runs, extending Pakistan’s away Test losing streak to eight matches and entering the decider as clear favourites.

Pakistan will be without opener Shan Masood, ruled out with a fractured finger, with Abdullah Shafique replacing him in the squad.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has also called up batter Saud Shakeel as additional cover, a move expected to give all-rounder Aamer Jamal a more settled spot in the order after batting at different positions in the first Test.

The Test runs from August 2 to 6, with play starting at 10 am local time (2 pm GMT) each day.

West Indies need only a win or draw to seal the series, while Pakistan must win outright at Port of Spain to level it 1-1.

Mohammad Ali took four wickets in West Indies’ first innings of the opening Test, one of the few individual bright spots for Pakistan’s bowling attack across the four-day defeat in Tarouba.

In the first Test, seamer Khurram Shahzad drew West Indies’ top-scorer Kavem Hodge into an edge that captain Salman Agha snapped up at slip inside the first three overs of the third day.

The first Test defeat extended Pakistan’s away Test losing streak to eight consecutive matches, a run that has put fresh scrutiny on the team’s batting depth and away-from-home form.

Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain has a long history as a Caribbean cricket venue, having hosted Test matches since 1930 and remaining one of the region’s most storied grounds.

West Indies enter the second Test as clear favourites, having outplayed Pakistan across the four days of the series opener in Tarouba a week earlier.

Photo by Dominic Sayers, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0