Tag: Pakistan vs New Zealand Test series

KARACHI: New Zealand wicketkeeper Tom Blundell commented on the debated dismissal of his Pakistani counterpart Sarfaraz Ahmed and shared his initial take on the “lucky” breakthrough.

Blundell talked to the media following the conclusion of the third day’s action of the ongoing second Test and responded to a question regarding Sarfaraz’s stumping by stating at first he did not think it was out.

“At first, I don’t think it was out. Umm, and then obviously looking on the big screen, you know there was a bit of chance and for me, it was just to get the bails off as quick as possible,” said Blundell.

“And, you know fortunately for me it was the perfect timing,” he added.

Notably, Sarfaraz, who scored his third consecutive half-century since his return; courtesy of a magnificent 78-run knock in the first innings of the ongoing second Test, endured a frustrating end to his brave knock.

Daryll Mitchell bowled the third delivery of the 100th over full on the leg side and deceived Sarfaraz with his counterpart Blundell dislodging the bails sharply and leg-umpire referred the decision to the third umpire Ahsan Raza.

After watching various replays from multiple angles, Ahsan decided that Sarfaraz had nothing grounded behind the crease and thus, gave him out.

Sarfaraz’s dismissal has enraged cricket fans, who are convinced that the dismissal was umpiring blunder and that the wicketkeeper batter deserved to be given the benefit of doubt.

It is pertinent to mention that left-handed middle-order batter Saud Shakeel put up a brave fight with his gritty maiden Test century and barred New Zealand from bundling out the hosts as Pakistan hung on for 407/9 at the Stumps.

Starting from an overnight score of 154/3, Pakistan added 253 runs to the total and lost six wickets throughout the day, with Saud and Sarfaraz Ahmed punching an astounding partnership of 150 runs before New Zealand made a comeback in the game.

Saud (124*) and Abrar Ahmed (0*) will now resume Pakistan’s first innings on the fourth day as the hosts still trail by 42 runs.

READ: Saud defies New Zealand attack as Pakistan hold on to 407/9 at Stumps

KARACHI: The dramatic first Test between Pakistan and New Zealand ended in a draw after captain Babar Azam called for a surprising declaration in the second innings and set the visitors to chase 138.

New Zealand set to chase 138 runs in 15 overs, could manage to amass 61/1 in response as the bad light halted the action and resulted in the match ending a draw.

Despite losing their opener Michael Bracewell in the first over, the touring side kept pushing for the victory as Tom Latham and Devon Conway scored at a rapid pace in pursuit.

Latham was unbeaten on 35, while Conway on 18 before the umpires called off the final day due to bad light.

Earlier in the final session, Pakistan captain Babar made a bold declaration briefly after Saud had strengthened the home side for a draw.

The home side, who was struggling at 206/7 before the Tea break made an astonishing recovery courtesy of a gritty 71-run stand between Saud and Mohammad Wasim Jr for the eighth wicket.

The pair frustrated the Kiwi bowlers and seemed to have settled down before Sodhi struck once again to break the vital partnership and brought New Zealand back into the game.

Sodhi trapped Wasim Jr in his legs and put an end to the latter’s brave knock. The all-rounder played an important knock of 43 runs.

Wasim’s dismissal, however, did not bother Saud much, who then stitched another fighting partnership for Pakistan as he added 34 runs for the 10th wicket with Mir Hamza.

The left-handed batter middle-order batter was unbeaten at 55 and seemed likely to carry his bat all the way through, what was anticipated to be a straightforward draw for Pakistan before Babar called their men back.

At the time of declaration, Pakistan were 311/8 and had piled up a 137-run lead over the touring side.

Sodhi led the bowling attack for New Zealand as he picked up six wickets for 86 runs, while Michael Bracewell could take two.

The second session of the final day of the ongoing first Test turned out to be an exciting one for the BlackCaps as they brightened the chances to clinch an astounding victory over hosts Pakistan.

The touring side leaked only 69 runs in the session and took three important wickets to push Pakistan on the back foot.

Sodhi was the man of the moment for New Zealand, who provided the breakthrough to his side as he got Sarfaraz Ahmed caught behind soon after his second consecutive half-century.

The wicketkeeper batter scored 53 off 76 deliveries, laced with seven boundaries.

Salman Ali Agha, who scored his maiden century in the first innings, could not stay for long at the crease as he was deceived by Sodhi’s brilliantly pitched googly that ended his knock for a mere six runs.

The leg-spinner then struck gold in his next over for New Zealand as he removed Pakistan’s top-scorer of the second innings Imam, who fell just four short of his century.

The opening batter scored 96 off 206 deliveries with the help of 10 boundaries and a six.

Following the slump, middle-order batter Saud Shakeel alongside all-rounder Mohammad Wasim Jr initiated the fightback as the pair added an unbeaten 43-run stand for the seventh wicket.

Saud (23) and Wasim (20) will now resume Pakistan’s second innings at 249/7 in the final session with a 75-run lead over the visitors.

Pakistan resuming their second innings at 77/2 with opener Imam and nightwatchman Nauman Ali had a shaky start to the final day of the first Test as the touring side broke the overnight stand within the first three overs.

Michael Bracewell provided New Zealand with an early breakthrough as he trapped Nauman in his legs to end his brief four-run knock; causing Pakistan to slip to 82/3.

The home side then dealt with a major blow when they lost their in-form captain Babar Azam for a mere 14 runs courtesy of a deceiving googly from Ish Sodhi.

Following the slump, Sarfaraz joined Imam in the middle and began to script an astounding recovery for the hosts.

The duo appeared solid and accumulated 81 runs to cut New Zealand’s lead before eventually achieving seven-run superiority over the BlackCaps.

At the stroke of Lunch, Imam was unbeaten on 81 off 171 deliveries, while Sarfaraz was just one run short of amassing his second consecutive half-century.

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KARACHI: Pakistan wicketkeeper batter Sarfaraz Ahmed opened up on his comeback into Test cricket after a gap of almost four years and asserted it felt like a debut match for him.

Sarfaraz, who gained attention for his sensational 86-run knock in the first Test on home soil, stated his heart was pounding as he came onto the field amid a scheduled press conference following the first day’s action.

“Look, if you ask about how I was feeling when I played the first three deliveries and if someone had checked my heartbeat at that time then probably the meter would have exploded,” shared Sarfaraz.

“So, my heart was beating so fast and it was a similar feeling to that of making your debut as I was playing a Test match after a very long time and the match too was in crunch position at that moment.

“So, when we walked into the pavilion for the lunch break, boys who have played alongside me, noticed my nervousness and were telling me to get normal and I also told them that my heart is beating so fast.

“But, when I went onto the field Babar gave me a lot of confidence as a senior player and carried me with great determination as I also needed confidence at that time and most importantly the Almighty Allah gave me respect.”

The right-handed batter also provided an update on his injury, which he sustained due to a cautious diving effort amid his 86-run knock against the touring side by claiming he is feeling much better now.

“I hurt my knee when I dove and I was experiencing a sharp pain because of that but thanks to Almighty Allah I am feeling much better now,” shared Sarfaraz.

It is pertinent to mention that Sarfaraz helped skipper Babar Azam in defying the early collapse and put Pakistan into a commanding position at the stroke of stumps on Day 1 against New Zealand.

Sarfaraz scored 86 runs before falling to Ajaz Patel in the closing minutes of the opening day and offered a helping hand to Babar (161*) in stitching a valiant fifth-wicket partnership.

The duo added 194 runs for the fifth wicket and strengthened Pakistan’s position over New Zealand in the ongoing first Test.

READ: Twitter erupts as Sarfaraz Ahmed makes Test return in style 

KARACHI: Babar Azam smashed an unbeaten 161 from 277 balls to put Pakistan back on course after the top-order collapse on the opening day of the first Test against New Zealand, here at National Bank Cricket Arean on Monday. 

Skipper Babar and returning Sarfaraz Ahmed dominated New Zealand bowlers as they added 194 runs for the fifth wicket to steer Pakistan to 317/5 before the close of the day’s play.

A master-class knock by Pakistan’s captain took him ahead of Muhammad Yusuf for scoring the most number of runs for Pakistan in a calendar year, while he also went past England’s Joe Root when he reached 92 to become the highest run-scorer in Test in 2022.

While Babar’s headline knock broke a string of records, Sarfaraz managed to be in the limelight for a remarkable comeback in the Test side after four years as he made 86 from 153 balls.

The wicket-keeper batter impressed on his first outing on the home ground and despite missing out on his 4th ODI ton by 14 runs when he edged to first slip off Ajaz Patel on the stroke of day end, he received a standing from the management and team-mates when he walked back to the pavilion, settling for 19th Test fifty to his credit.

Pakistan will commence the second’s play with Babar and all-rounder Agha Salman on the crease, with the latter batting at 3 from 16 balls.

Earlier, New Zealand bowlers earned vital breakthroughs to dislodge the top order as Pakistan slipped to 115/4 in the opening session.

But a courageous fightback from the Pakistan captain took the side out of the crisis as he first stitched a crucial 62-run stand for the fourth wicket with Saud Shakeel before his stellar partnership with Sarfaraz.

Taking a leaf out of England’s successful campaign in Pakistan, New Zealand too put their bets on spinners and went with three spinners on a surface that looked unchanged from its previous game held just six days ago.

Opting to bat first, the home side went through an unwanted start when for the first in the history of men’s Test cricket the first two wickets fell off with stumping dismissals.

Wicket-keeper Tom Blundell dislodged the bells when opener Abdullah Shafique walked down the track off Ajaz Patel in the fourth over before Shan Masood met the same fate three overs later off Michael Bracewell’s bowling.

Imam-ul-Haq scored 24 from 38 balls before Bracewell struck with his second wicket with Tim Southee grabbing a catch at mid-off.

Meanwhile, Saud managed 22 from 34 balls before he was struck down by captain Southee on the stroke of Lunch.

KARACHI: Pakistan held a full-strength training session on Saturday at the National Bank Cricket Arena before the first Test of the two-match series against New Zealand, starting on Monday.

All the players of Pakistan’s Test squad participated in the first training session held in Karachi with the exception of their skipper Babar Azam, who is currently in his hometown Lahore.

The captain, however, will reach here in the evening.

Meanwhile, a full-strength New Zealand squad was present on the field and carried out robust training sessions that included batting, fielding and bowling drills.

Pakistan head coach Saqlain Mushtaq and Kiwi spinner Ish Sodhi were seen inspecting the pitch and evaluating the conditions of the venue for a long part.

It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan will take on New Zealand in a two-match Test series. The opening match of the series will commence on December 26 here, while the venue of the second Test is under consideration.

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KARACHI: The second Test of the upcoming historic series between Pakistan and New Zealand is likely to be shifted to here in light of the anticipated unsuitable weather in Multan, sources claimed.

According to the details, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) proposed a request to the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) to change the venue for the second Test and is yet to receive the nod from the touring board.

Notably, flight operations in Multan are already disturbed due to dense smog which can also pose a dent to the playing overs in the city.

The sources further claimed that the PCB is in talks with the NZC regarding the matter while a final decision is likely to be taken by Monday.

It is pertinent to mention that the English team also experienced a flight delay on their way back from Multan to Karachi due to dense smog in the prior-mentioned city.

Meanwhile, Karachi is already poised to host the first Test of the home series against New Zealand, marking the first after a gap of 32 years.

The National Bank Cricket Arena here will also host the three-match ODI series between the two countries.

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KARACHI: New Zealand Test squad will start training at the National Bank Cricket Arena tomorrow for the historic two-match series which will roll into action on December 26.

According to the details, the touring side, under the leadership of their newly-appointed captain Tim Southee is set for their first assignment and will commence the preparation tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Test squad will report at the local hotel here tomorrow. Whereas, some of the players already residing at the hotel will partake in the team’s optional training session tomorrow.

Later on Saturday and Sunday, the national team will then carry out robust training sessions to race up their preparations for the important Test series against the Blackcaps.

It is pertinent to mention that the two-match series between Pakistan and New Zealand is part of the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC).

The humiliating whitewash against England posed a major dent to Pakistan’s hopes of reaching the final of the Championship as the Green Shirts now hold the seventh position with 56 points, followed by New Zealand at eighth with 28 points.

READ: England squad leaves after concluding Pakistan tour