West Indies vs Pakistan 1st Test Preview & Tips - Pakistan's poor Test form to continue

Pakistan were completely outplayed by Bangladesh in their last Test series as they slumped to 104-run and 78-run defeats. 

Pakistan have won six of their last 10 Tests against the West Indies, with the latter winning the other four matches between the pair. 

The West Indies went into their clash with Sri Lanka with the weight of eight Tests without a win on their backs. This run spanned back to a 120-run win over Pakistan back in January 2025. In this time they had lost seven outings and drawn one match with New Zealand. 

In their series with Sri Lanka they started shakily as they secured a 15-run win. However, they managed to turn one win into two as they surged to a 217-run win. While they weren't quite able to secure a 3-0 win, they did at least extend their unbeaten run to three matches, and now they will be eyeing up a fourth successive triumph. 

Against Pakistan, the focus has to be on starting well. Whether they are in the field or setting a score, the Windies need to start well. Both sides are very much confidence teams, meaning a poor start or a bad session will have a big impact on who wins this series. 

While the confidence of this West Indies side will be brittle, home advantage and a solid unbeaten run means they are the side to back in this one. 

Pakistan need a win in the longest format after losing their last three and winning just four of their last 15 in the Test match format. 

Their most recent Test series against Bangladesh is telling of their struggles with bat and ball. In that series they scored 386, 163, 232 and 358. By comparison, Bangladesh scored 413, 240/9d, 278 and 390. On wickets where Bangladesh scored 275+ in the three innings they were bowled out, Pakistan scored below 250 in the second innings of the first Test and first innings of the second Test. While they did align these with better scores in the other innings, they let themselves down by not performing in each innings. 

While the Windies are as brittle with the bat as the touring side, the conditions and how they are played will be a big factor in the series. Pakistan have struggled when it comes to putting a solid batting and bowling display together, and I back them to fall apart once against as the home side make it four without defeat in the longest format.