West Indies vs Pakistan 2017: 3rd Test, 5 talking points

A dramatic finish at Dominica saw Pakistan win the Test off the penultimate over of Day 5 to send off their legendary batsmen, Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq with a series win. West Indies had spent the whole day playing the resistance game led by the magnificent Roston Chase, who was left stranded on 101 as he saw Shannon Gabriel getting bowled by Yasir Shah to hand Pakistan the series.

Pakistan had seemingly got through the Windies when they reduced them to 93/6. But Jason Holder and Roston Chase played brilliantly to halt the collapse. Hasan Ali got rid of Holder but Bishoo took on from where Holder left off.

After Bishoo’s dismissal, Alzarri Joseph and Shannon Gabriel played out 54 balls between them as Chase on the other end recorded his hundred and looked set to lead his side to a fighting draw. But Yasir Shah tempted Gabriel into a wild slog with just six balls left in the day to complete a five-wicket haul and a win for his side.

Brief Scores: Pakistan 376 and 174/8d beat West Indies 247 and 202 (Chase 101*, Yasir 5/92)

Here are the talking points from the Test.

#5 Pakistan without Younis and Misbah might be too weak

With Misbah and Younis Khan amongst their ranks, Pakistan have had the luxury of having two gritty Test batsmen in the line-up who wer also capable of playing the aggression game when needed for the last decade. And even the cricketing stars of the country seemed to have waned, the presence of this formidable duo meant that Pakistan were always a formidable force in the Test arena.

Although Babar Azam and Asad Shafiq offer promise, their inconsistency will worry Pakistan. Having barely tried out anyone else in the middle-order might now leave them pretty vulnerable against a good bowling attack. But for a country who produce talent out of nowhere, another Younis or Misbah might just be waiting in the wings.

#4 Yasir Shah a huge boob for the visitors

Yasir Shah was the Man of the Series for his scintillating show with the ball

Yasir Shah was instrumental in Pakistan's series win. He spun a web around the Windies batsmen and very few of whom had any clue of how to play him. His flight, dip and turn makes him a huge threat on any wicket and with the slowness of the surface and cracks coming into play, Yasir was ferocious on Day 5.

While Pakistan's seam bowlers were equally good, Yasir ensured that he put in the hard yards and kept chipping away at one end. The leggie even chipped in with the willow in hand as he cracked his highest Test score to take Pakistan to a worthy lead in the second innings, without which the Chase-led West Indies may have just chased down the target.

#3 Roston Chase - a man who keeps promises

Chase nearly led Windies to a draw on a dramatic fifth day

West Indies cricket is not all gone with men like Roston Chase around. The firefighter that he is, Chase played the rescue act twice in the Test. In the first innings, he composed a valiant 60 before he was struck by Amir and then came out to bat the very next day to make nine more runs.

He took it a step further in the second innings by notching up an unbeaten hundred while marshalling the lower middle-order as well as the tail-enders. Such was his composure and temperament that the Pakistani bowlers ran out of hope at one stage when Holder was batting with him. Chase is definitely the future of West Indies' middle-order but they need to find a few more in his mould.

#2 Mohammad Abbas, a talent to persist with

Mohammad Abbas has repaid the faith of the selectors with some good performances

When Pakistan arrived in West Indies, their top fast bowlers were Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz and Hasan Ali. But that order took a beating with Mohammad Abbas bowling beautifully in tandem with Amir. The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy find showed that he belonged on the highest stage with a series of consistent performances.

Abbas was all over the Windies lower order in the first innings with a spell of 4-1-3-4 that included the wicket of Roston Chase. His spell ensured that Pakistan had a sufficient lead going into their second innings. The 27-year-old will take a lot from this series and is definitely a bowler Pakistan should persist with in the future.

#1 Jason Holder deserves praise

Holder deserves praise as a young captain for leading his men admirably right through the series

The West Indian skipper deserves praise for the manner in which he led his troops right through the series. From the clear underdogs, Windies rose to level the series before almost playing out a draw on Day 5 at Dominica.

Holder has been wonderful as a skipper, rotating his bowlers and shifting fielders with authority. His bowlers stood by him with some impressive performances and the skipper's presence in the lower order has also been a blessing for the Windies. He is more than handy with the bat and has been effective in shading the tail from the opposition bowlers.