Pakistan strengthened their grip on the second Test against the West Indies after Abdullah Shafique's unbeaten century and captain Babar Azam's composed knock guided the visitors to a commanding position at the end of Day 2 at the Queen's Park Oval.
The pair stitched together an unbroken 168-run partnership for the third wicket, leaving Pakistan well-placed in reply to the hosts' first-innings total.
At stumps on the second day, Pakistan were 266/2 in 66 overs, trailing the West Indies by 78 runs after the home side had posted 344 in their first innings.
Abdullah Shafique remained unbeaten on 107 off 185 balls, striking 10 fours and two sixes, while skipper Babar Azam was unbeaten on 86 from 126 deliveries, an innings featuring 10 fours and one six.
Babar is now closing in on what would be his first Test century against the West Indies.
Abdullah shines on Test comeback
Playing his first Test for Pakistan since October 2025, Abdullah Shafique made an immediate impact with a patient and authoritative century.
His innings anchored Pakistan's reply after an early setback and helped the visitors seize control of the contest alongside Babar.
The duo dominated the West Indies bowling attack throughout the final session, extending their unbeaten third-wicket stand to 168 runs.
Pakistan recover after early wicket
Pakistan's innings began on a disappointing note when experienced opener Imam-ul-Haq was dismissed in the eighth over with the score on 34.
Imam scored 14 off 17 balls, including two boundaries, before returning to the pavilion.
Following the early breakthrough, Abdullah joined young opener Azan Awais, and together they shifted the momentum with an aggressive 64-run second-wicket partnership from just 80 deliveries.
Azan Awais continued his promising form with a fluent 55 off 71 balls, hitting 10 fours during his stay at the crease.
West Indies finally found a breakthrough in the 21st over when left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican trapped Awais leg before wicket.
His dismissal brought Babar Azam to the crease at No. 4, and the Pakistan captain ensured there was no loss of momentum.
By the end of the second session, Babar and Abdullah had already added an unbeaten 41 runs, putting Pakistan in a strong position before accelerating further in the final session.
West Indies add valuable runs before being bowled out
Earlier in the day, West Indies resumed their first innings on 239/5, with overnight batters Justin Greaves and captain Roston Chase continuing their resistance.
The hosts added 105 runs for their remaining five wickets before being dismissed for 344 in 105.4 overs.
Greaves and Chase, who had shared an unbeaten 66-run fifth-wicket partnership on the opening day, added another 30 runs on Monday morning before Pakistan made the breakthrough.
Greaves and Chase lead West Indies resistance
Ali Usman broke the overnight partnership in the ninth over of the day by dismissing Justin Greaves, who top-scored for West Indies with 73 off 150 deliveries, including nine fours.
Chase then added 35 runs for the sixth wicket with Kemar Roach before Ubaid Shah bowled the West Indies captain in the 95th over.
Chase contributed a valuable 70 off 126 balls, striking 11 fours.
Pakistan bowlers wrap up innings
Roach scored 19 before sharing a brief 19-run partnership with Shamar Joseph, who made eight.
Both batters were dismissed in quick succession by Sajid Khan, reducing West Indies to 326/9.
Lower-order batters Jayden Seales (8) and Jomel Warrican (5 not out) frustrated Pakistan by adding 18 runs for the final wicket before Sajid dismissed Seales in the 105th over to end the innings.
Sajid Khan leads Pakistan's bowling effort
Sajid Khan was Pakistan's standout bowler, finishing with 4 wickets for 85 runs in 32.4 overs.
Mohammad Ali, Ali Usman, and Ubaid Shah provided strong support, claiming two wickets each as Pakistan restricted the West Indies to 344.
With Abdullah Shafique and Babar Azam unbeaten at the crease, Pakistan head into Day 3 in a commanding position, needing just 78 more runs to erase the first-innings deficit while having eight wickets still in hand.
