Multan 2025 or Brisbane 2024 - which was the greater Test win for West Indies?

The West Indies recorded two of their most famous overseas wins in the space of 12 months. After a historic triumph against Australia at The Gabba in early 2024, the Men in Maroon ousted Pakistan on their turf in Multan to make a massive statement amid calls for a two-tier system in Test cricket.'

West Indies may only have three wins to show for in the entire WTC cycle, but with two of them coming in scenarios where they were massive underdogs, helps their case a lot. A lot needs to go right for the West Indies for them to be a reckoning force again, but the one-off upsets are small steps in the right direction.

On that note, let us take at the finer aspects of West Indies' historic recent triumphs to determine which one stands out.

#1 Gabba 2024

West Indies defeated Australia by eight runs to level the series Down Under.

West Indies had lost all their previous day-night Tests, while Australia were invincible

The Men in Maroon played with the pink ball only on a sporadic basis, and were far from flattering in each of their previous three outings ahead of the day-night clash against Australia. West Indies were subjected to a humiliating 419-run defeat the first time they faced the Men in Yellow with the pink ball during the previous tour in 2022-23.

Keeping the previous result, and the pink ball prowess of the Australian team in mind, no one gave West Indies a chance in the world, which makes their eventual triumph all the more special.

West Indies had left Australia crippled in both innings

The eventual margin of victory may lead one to believe the encounter was a very close affair. However, that was not entirely the case, as the overall scoreboard paints a slightly different story.

West Indies were the largely composed and assured side throughout the contest with both bat and ball. Kavem Hodge and Joshua da Silva were resilient with the bat in the first innings, while the entire middle order stepped up the second time around.

With the ball, the West Indies were a rampant unit as they had Australia reeling at 54-5 in the first innings. In the final innings, no one except Steve Smith and Cameron Green had a say, with the third-highest run-scorer being Mitchell Starc, showcasing the hold that the Caribbean bowlers had.

West Indies bowling was compromised after Shamar Joseph's injury

West Indies fought tooth and nail to stay in the game, and post a target of 216 runs. It was clear that the visitors needed their bowling arsenal at their best again. However, those hopes were threatened after Shamar Joseph copped a blow to his toe off Mitchell Starc's bowling while batting in the second innings.

Braving the injury. Joseph stepped out in the final innings to pull off one of the most inspired bowling spells in recent memory. The right-arm pacer ran through the Australian batting unit with his sheer, relentless pace to finish with figures of 7-68. A memorable spell for a memorable win.

#2 Multan 2025

West Indies stitched a comeback for the ages to spin Pakistan in their own backyard to secure a 120-run win, and level the series 1-1.

West Indies had not won a single Test in Pakistan in 35 years

West Indies have had a dreadful record in the subcontinent, which includes Pakistan. Their last win in India came in 1994, they are yet to win in Sri Lanka, and the last of their three Test wins in Pakistan came in 1990.

Since then, they played eight matches in Pakistan, losing five of them by mammoth margins. Given their sub-par display in the series opener and considering how they fared on a turner, no one gave West Indies a chance again.

West Indies were reduced to 38-7 in the first innings

West Indies had a nightmarish start to the second Test after opting to bat first. A Noman Ali hat-trick in the very first session of the contest reduced them to a dismal 38-7 in the first innings.

The visitors needed as much as possible in the first innings to stay in the contest. Their saviors came in the form of the lower-order batters, who chipped in with valuable contributions to stretch the total to 163.

Pakistan folded out for 154 in their first innings, which shows how resilient the West Indies' lower order was to get them to a fighting position.

The spinners outbowled Pakistan's veterans

Spinners had to come into play for the West Indies to have any sort of say in the series. Their inexperienced spin bowling attack, which has only played 34 Tests in total, were up against Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, who have played almost 200 red-ball matches in Pakistan over the course of their international and first-class cricket careers.

Barring the seven-wicket haul from Jomel Warrican in the second innings, the West Indies spin bowling unit were largely toothless in the first Test. In comparison, Pakistan's spin trio picked up all 20 wickets yet again.

However, in the second Test, the West Indies spinners finally found their mojo. The batters did play their part in the second innings, but it was only possible after the visiting spin trio put on a masterclass to spin a web over the Pakistan batters to bring themselves into the game.

Warrican ended up with nine wickets in the contest, while the likes of Kevin Sinclair and Gudakesh Motie complemented him well to put up a spirited display to trap Pakistan in their web.

Conclusion

Overseas wins are always special, with factors like margin and circumstances being the cherry on the cake. West Indies beat the odds in both instances, but it is hard to look past their Gabba triumph considering how they took the defending Test champions to the brink and beyond, in conditions and situations they were hardly familiar with.