Noman Ali becomes first Pakistan spinner to claim Test hat-trick
What's the story
Pakistan's cricket team star Noman Ali has become the first spinner from his country to take a hat-trick in Test cricket.
The incredible feat came in the very first session of the second Test match against West Indies at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
His brilliace meant West Indies side faltered with their batting, losing seven wickets in the first 12 overs of the first session.
Batting woes
West Indies's batting struggles in 1st Test
The West Indies's opening pair of Kraigg Brathwaite and Mikyle Louis failed to give a solid start in the match.
Newcomer pacer Kashif Ali made an immediate impact by dismissing Louis for just eight runs in his first over.
Sajid Khan added to the visitors' troubles by taking out Amir Jangoo and Alick Athanaze.
Match highlights
Noman Ali's hat-trick stuns West Indies
Noman was the star of the show, sending four of the top-eight batters back to the pavilion.
Justin Greaves, Tevin Imlach, Kevin Sinclair fell in successive deliveries to hand the left-arm spinner a hat-trick.
Among the top-seven batters, only Kavem Hodge could enter double digits.
Notably, the second Test match witnessed West Indies winning the toss and opting to bat first.
However, their decision didn't pay off as Pakistan's strong bowling performance led by Ali proved to be too much.
Series update
Pakistan lead 2-match series against West Indies
Pakistan currently lead the two-match series 1-0 against West Indies.
The team made one change in their lineup for the second Test, replacing fast bowler Khurram Shehzad with young pacer Kashif Ali.
Interim Test head coach Aqib Javed stressed on the importance of preparing pitches that favor Pakistan's strengths, a strategy commonly employed by other cricketing nations.
Information
Noman joins these names
Overall, Noman became the fifth Pakistan bowler to take a Test hat-trick. He has joined prominent names like Wasim Akram, Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Sami, and Naseem Shah. Notably, Wasim finished his career with two hat-tricks in the format.
DYK
Noman also registers this feat
At 38 years and 110 days, Noman became the second-oldest bowler to take a hat-trick in Test cricket. He narrowly missed out on Sri Lankan legend Rangana Herath's (38 years and 139 days) world record.
Meanwhile, the last bowler to claim a hat-trick in the opening session of a Test was India's Irfan Pathan, having accomplished the milestone against Pakistan in Karachi, in 2006.