1st Test: Windies elect to bat against Pakistan

[ PROVIDENCE, Guyana: West Indies captain Darren Sammy won the toss and decided to bat in the first Test against Pakistan on Thursday at the Guyana National Stadium here.

Both sides have included a Test newcomer in their final elevens -- leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo for the West Indies and Mohammad Salman for the tourists.

It is an extra special occasion for Bishoo as he becomes the 289th player from the Caribbean to be handed the maroon cap in Tests in front of his home crowd.

Salman is the 206th Test player for Pakistan, and becomes the fourth (wk/batsman that the visitors have tried in the last year to fill that pivotal role due to the inconsistency of Kamran Akmal.

The Pakistanis are seeking to become the latest international side to create history on Caribbean soil, as they seek their maiden Test series victory here.

In six previous visits, starting in 1958, Pakistan have lost four series, and drawn two.

The visitors also share the unenviable record of being one of the two Test-playing nations -- along with Sri Lanka -- not to have recorded a Test series victory in the Caribbean.

Pakistan have won just four of the 21 Tests they have played in the Caribbean, but there is huge optimism that Misbah-ul-Haq's side can put the matter to rest.

The Pakistanis are brimming with confidence after winning the preceding one-day international series 3-2, and aware that West Indies have not won a Test -- let alone a Test series -- in just over two years.

Teams
West Indies: Darren Sammy (captain), Lendl Simmons, Devon Smith, Darren Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Brendan Nash, Carlton Baugh Jr (wk), Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Devendra Bishoo

Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Taufeeq Umar, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Azhar Ali, Mohammad Salman (wk), Abdur Rehman, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal

Umpires: Billy Bowden (NZ), Tony Hill (NZ), TV umpire: Asoka De Silva (SL), Reserve umpire: Norman Malcolm (WI)
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SL)
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