West Indies will host Babar Azam-led Pakistan in the first Test of a two-match series at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad on Saturday, marking the venue's debut as a Test cricket ground.
The stadium, which is located in southern Trinidad, has previously hosted One-Day Internationals, T20 Internationals and regional first-class matches.
It becomes Trinidad's second Test venue after Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, which will also host the second and final Test next week, and the 13th Test venue across the West Indies region.
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The hosts enter the series with renewed confidence after registering their first home Test series victory since 2022. Under newly appointed captain Roston Chase, West Indies bamboozled Sri Lanka by an innings and 217 runs in the opening Test before drawing the second match in Antigua to seal the series.
Chase, who missed the recently concluded ODI series against New Zealand due to a right index finger injury, returns after West Indies lost the five-match series 3-2 to the Black Caps. The 34-year-old all-rounder has recovered and is set to lead the West Indies against Pakistan.
“Roston is a fighter. I know he's not going to want to miss any Test cricket,” West Indies head coach Daren Sammy said before the first Test match.
“I'm pretty sure Dr. Byam (team physio Denis Byam) has a way of keeping guys on the park, so I'm pretty sure Roston will be ready for the first Test,” Sammy added.
The Caribbean side is expected to retain the core of the team that beat Sri Lanka. However, left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican could replace fast bowler Anderson Phillip, with the pitch expected to offer increasing assistance to spin as the match progresses.
Pakistan, meanwhile, will look to bounce back after a 2-0 Test series defeat in Bangladesh two months ago.
The visitors have reshuffled their squad, with Babar Azam returning as captain in place of Shan Masood in a bid to revive the team's fortunes in the longest format.
Babar boosted his preparations with a century in Pakistan's only warm-up match against a West Indies Select XI. Opening batter Azan Awais also scored a hundred, while several other top-order batters spent valuable time at the crease.
Pakistan also received encouragement from pacer Mohammad Ali, who claimed five wickets in the first innings of the warm-up fixture, and is expected to spearhead a revamped pace attack as the visitors look to end a run of seven consecutive away Test defeats.
The two teams last met in a Test series in January 2025 in Multan, where West Indies secured victory in the second Test to level the two-match series 1-1 after Pakistan won the opener.
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Pakistan's previous Test tour of the Caribbean, in 2021, also ended in a 1-1 draw following two matches in Kingston.
Trinidad has been hot and sunny in the build-up to the opening Test, but July and August typically bring heavy rainfall to the southern Caribbean, and there is a chance of rain interruptions during the two-match contest.
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