‘Hope he is smiling down on us’: Roston Chase dedicates West Indies’ crushing win over Pakistan to Garry Sobers on his 90th birth anniversary

West Indies captain Roston Chase dedicated his team’s memorable 90-run victory over Pakistan in the first Test in Trinidad to legendary Caribbean cricketer Garry Sobers, saying he hoped the iconic all-rounder was “smiling down on us.”

The emotional tribute came just days after Sobers’ passing at the age of 89. In a poignant coincidence, West Indies secured the victory on the day the cricket legend would have celebrated his 90th birthday, making the win even more special for the hosts.

‘We wanted to make him proud’

Speaking after the match at the Brian Lara Cricket Stadium, Chase revealed that the team had discussed Sobers before the Test and wanted to honour his legacy with a memorable performance.

“We wanted to make him proud and had a chat about it before the match. I hope he is smiling down on us,” Chase said after the victory.

The West Indies skipper also thanked the home supporters for standing behind the team throughout the match.

“I also want to thank the Trinidad crowd for coming out and supporting us. It was not a big crowd, but it gave us enough energy and support to go out there and perform,” he added.

Pakistan collapse as Seales shines

Set a target of 211 runs on the fourth day, Pakistan, captained by Babar Azam, suffered a dramatic batting collapse and were bundled out for just 120.

While Babar remained unbeaten with 58 runs, none of the other Pakistani batters managed to provide meaningful support as the visitors crumbled under relentless pace bowling.

Fast bowler Jayden Seales produced a match-winning spell, claiming 5 wickets for 20 runs to seal a comprehensive victory for the Caribbean side.

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Hard work paying off for West Indies

Chase credited the team’s recent improvement to months of preparation, including a specialised training camp held before the home Test series against Sri Lanka.

West Indies had earlier defeated Sri Lanka in a two-match Test series, and Chase believes the confidence gained from that success has carried into the Pakistan series.

He explained that facing teams closer to West Indies in the ICC rankings has created more evenly matched contests, allowing his players to showcase their progress.

According to Chase, the team’s extra training sessions helped strengthen both their skills and unity, with the latest victory serving as evidence that their preparations are beginning to deliver results.

A Test dominated by fast bowlers

One of the most remarkable aspects of the match was that all 40 wickets fell to pace bowlers, underlining how much assistance the surface offered seamers.

Chase admitted the conditions were far more favourable for fast bowling than spin.

He noted that Pakistan spinner Ali Usman bowled long spells without taking a wicket, while West Indies spinner Jomel Warrican also failed to make an impact. Instead, both pace attacks consistently hit the right lengths and reaped the rewards.

Eyes on the second Test

With the series now in their favour, West Indies will head into the second and final Test full of confidence as they look to complete a clean sweep against Pakistan.

The final match of the series is scheduled to begin on August 2 at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain, where Pakistan will be aiming to bounce back and level the series.