West Indies all-rounder Justin Greaves produced a spell of record-breaking accuracy against Pakistan, taking five wickets in five consecutive maiden overs in a World Test Championship match.
The spell
Greaves finished with career-best figures of 5/27 from 11 overs. Every one of his wickets came in a wicket-maiden, five in a row, without a run being conceded. It was his first five-wicket haul in Tests and it turned the match towards the hosts.
The feat goes beyond the previous mark set by former England seamer Stuart Broad, who took wickets in four successive maiden overs against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2016.
From 244/3 to 282 all out
Pakistan seemed well placed on 244/3, with captain Shan Masood making a fine century. Greaves removed Masood and then cut through the middle and lower order, with Aamer Jamal, Ali Usman and Mohammad Rizwan among his victims. Pakistan were bowled out for 282, giving West Indies a narrow first-innings lead of 29.
Greaves’ view
After play, Greaves said captain Roston Chase had asked him to stay disciplined and keep doing what he had been doing while hunting wickets. The ball moved around, he said, and he was rewarded. He called the first Test five-for special but stressed there was plenty left to do in the match.
With the contest evenly poised going into day four, the spell has already become one of the standout bowling performances of the series.
