Fast bowler Mohammad Abbas was one of four Pakistan changes from the first Test side as West Indies reached a commanding 239 for five on a rain-curtailed first day of the second cricket Test at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain on Sunday.

Abbas, who took eight for 85 in West Indies’ 90-run victory in Tarouba last week, made way for fast bowler Ubaid Shah, who endured a mediocre Test debut, finishing the day with figures of 9-0-56-1 despite a delivery clocked at 138.8kph. Pakistan also included uncapped Awais Zafar in place of all-rounder Aamir Jamal, while Abdullah Shafique replaced the injured Shan Masood and Sajid Khan took over from fast bowler Khurram Shahzad.

However, the biggest shock of the day was the omission of Mohammad Abbas, the 37-year-old who was easily Pakistan’s best bowler in Tarouba. It was Abbas who had brought the side back into that Test with a five-wicket haul after Pakistan had conceded a 29-run first-innings lead when they collapsed to 282 all out from 244 for three. Abbas is also a perfect example of Pakistan cricket’s unpredictability and inconsistency: he was dropped from the playing line-up a week after urging the ICC to award more Tests to Pakistan, even though bilateral Test scheduling sits under the jurisdiction of the home boards.

Although Babar Azam, captaining Pakistan in his 150th match in charge, explained that Abbas’s dropping was “due to the conditions”, with 118 wickets from 30 Tests, Abbas was Pakistan’s most experienced fast bowler and could easily have walked into this inexperienced line-up. His 897 first-class wickets also make him one of the most trusted and valued fast bowlers on the world circuit.

Unfortunately, young Ubaid Shah, Abbas’s replacement, made little impact, even though he did claim his maiden Test wicket, having Amir Jangoo caught down the leg side by Mohammad Rizwan.

Nonetheless, Pakistan’s mindboggling selection could not take the gloss off an excellent unbeaten knock from Justin Greaves, who once again proved to be Pakistan’s scourge. Backing up his 15 and 20 with match figures of seven for 39 in Tarouba, Greaves kept Pakistan at bay on a spin-friendly track with a well-constructed 64 not out.

Greaves has faced 125 balls and struck eight fours so far. He also starred in two useful partnerships – adding 53 from 93 balls for the fifth wicket with captain Shai Hope, and an unbroken 66 for the sixth wicket with Roston Chase from 140 balls.

Chase was offering great support to Greaves, batting on 36 from 70 balls with five fours when play ended.

Earlier, Tagenarine Chanderpaul (15) and Brandon King put on 49 runs for the first wicket, before King and Kavem Hodge added a further 16 for the second. Hodge (10) and Amir Jangoo (26) then put on 26 for the third wicket, before Hope and Jangoo added 29 for the fourth. None of these are large partnerships by themselves, but on a surface where the ball is already turning square, even modest stands like these can build the kind of pressure that a batting line-up as fragile as Pakistan’s will find difficult to withstand when its turn comes.

All four of Pakistan’s frontline bowlers were among the wickets.

Mohammad Ali had Chanderpaul caught at fine leg by Sajid Khan off a bouncer and later castled Hope, Ubaid had Jangoo caught at the wicket, while spinners Ali Usman and Sajid Khan will both be thankful to Babar Azam, who successfully reviewed the two decisions that dismissed King and Hodge.

Ali Usman had King trapped in front of the wicket, while Mohammad Rizwan showed excellent reflexes to catch Hodge off a sweep. On Ali Usman’s review, television replays confirmed the ball had pitched in line and would have hit King’s middle stump, while for Hodge’s dismissal, technology confirmed the faintest of gloves before Rizwan held on safely.

Nearly 20 overs were lost to rain in the morning session alone, with only 9.5 possible before lunch. West Indies lost one wicket in that shortened first session, three in the second, and one in the final session.

With the pitch turning from the very outset and Pakistan short on batting confidence, it already looks as though the tourists are chasing the game after just one day’s play. The last time these two sides met at the Queen’s Park Oval, in 1993, Pakistan bowled West Indies out for 127 in the first innings and still lost the Test by 204 runs. Pakistan went on to lose that series 2-0, and West Indies now look on course for their first series win over Pakistan since 1999-2000.

Scores in brief (2nd Test, day 1 of 5):

WEST INDIES (1st innings) 239-5, 74 overs (Justin Greaves 64 not out, Brandon King 46, Roston Chase 36 not out, Shai Hope 29, Amir Jangoo 26; Mohammad Ali 2-49)

PAKISTAN: Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Shafique, Ali Usman, Awais Zafar, Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha and Ubaid Shah.