| 0.0 : Hello and welcome to the series decider between Pakistan and New Zealand from Abu Dubai. The home team will be going into this Test with momentum on their side after comprehensively defeating the Kiwis in the last game. With the batters in good form and bowling coming to the party, Sarfraz would want the same and win the Test series. Coming to the visitors, they were completely blown apart by an outstanding bowling performance from Yasir Shah. Williamson would like his team to come back stronger |
| TOSS - New Zealand have won the toss and elected to bat first. |
| Ross Taylor who is up for an interview, starts by saying we were completely outplayed in the last game. He also says it is tough playing in Asian conditions. Also mentions Pakistan are a good and competitive side. He is looking forward to play well in this Test. |
| The players are out in the middle. Jeet Raval and Tom Latham will open for the Kiwis. Hasan Ali will start the proceedings for Pakistan. |
| 0.1 : H Ali to Raval, First runs of the morning. Confident looking start from Raval, Starts off with a full delivery on middle, Raval leans forward and drives it through point for a couple of runs. |
| 0.2 : H Ali to Raval, FOUR! First boundary of the day. Length delivery around off, Jeet opens the face of the bat and guides it through third man for a boundary. |
| 0.3 : H Ali to Raval, Identical delivery on off, the batsman tap it towards point for a run. |
| 0.4 : H Ali to Latham, Length delivery around off, Latham shoulders arms to it. |
| 0.5 : H Ali to Latham, Good length delivery on middle, Tom defends it with a straight bat. |
| 0.6 : H Ali to Latham, Length delivery around off, Latham lets it be. 7 from the first over. Good start by the Kiwis. |
| Shaheen Afridi, the debutant, to have a go from the other. |
| 1.1 : S Afridi to Raval, Starts with a good length delivery on middle, Raval blocks it well. |
| 1.2 : S Afridi to Raval, Good length delivery coming from outside off, Raval looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads. Afridi was close to getting his first Test wicket. |
| 1.3 : S Afridi to Raval, Again on a good length on middle, the southpaw flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 1.4 : S Afridi to Latham, FOUR! Poor delivery from Shaheen Afridi. Full on leg, Latham flicks it towards fine leg for a boundary. He gets off the mark with a style. |
| 1.5 : S Afridi to Latham, Length delivery on off, Latham defends off the front foot. |
| 1.6 : S Afridi to Latham, Length delivery on off, the left-hander blocks it well. |
| 2.1 : H Ali to Raval, Fuller delivery on middle, Raval flicks it straight to the mid on fielder. |
| 2.2 : H Ali to Raval, Length delivery around off, Jeet lets it leave. |
| 2.3 : H Ali to Raval, Identical delivery around off, the batsman shoulders arms to it. |
| 2.4 : H Ali to Raval, A tad fuller on middle, Jeet tries to drive it towards covers but gets the inside half of the bat and the ball goes towards the leg side. The batsmen take couple of runs. |
| 2.5 : H Ali to Raval, Length delivery on middle, the batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 2.6 : H Ali to J Raval, Good shot. Fuller delivery around off, Jeet prods forward and times it firmly through covers for three runs. Raval looks in good touch from the start. |
| 3.1 : S Afridi to Raval, Appeal for an Lbw. Back of a length delivery around off, the ball jags back sharply and Raval leaves it and hits him on the pads. The bowler appeals but umpire shakes his head. Looks close from the naked eye. Hawk eye confirms it clips the top of the stumps. |
| 3.2 : S Afridi to Raval, Back of a length delivery on middle, Jeet defends it off the front foot and onto the ground. |
| 3.3 : S Afridi to Raval, Length delivery around off, Jeet shoulders arms to it. |
| 3.4 : S Afridi to Raval, SHOT! A tad fuller on middle, Raval times it sweetly down the ground and the ball races away to the boundary. |
| 3.5 : S Afridi to Raval, Fuller delivery around off, Raval drives it through point for three runs. |
| 3.6 : S Afridi to Latham, Length delivery around off, Tom lets it be. |
| 4.1 : H Ali to Raval, BEATEN! Good length delivery coming off the seam, Raval looks to defend but misses it and gets beaten. |
| 4.2 : H Ali to J Raval, Full on off, Raval drives it to mid off. |
| 4.3 : H Ali to Raval, BEATEN AGAIN! Raval is being tested here. Again on a good length outside off, Jeet again looks to defend but gets beaten on this one. |
| 4.4 : H Ali to Raval, Good length delivery on middle, the left-hander defends off the back foot. |
| 4.5 : H Ali to Raval, Good length delivery again outside off, the southpaw lets it go. |
| 4.6 : H Ali to Raval, Length delivery on off, Raval blocks it well. |
| 5.1 : S Afridi to Latham, Short and wide outside off, Latham offers no shot. |
| 5.2 : S Afridi to Latham, Wide outside off, Latham lets it go. |
| 5.3 : S Afridi to Latham, Good length delivery on off, Latham defends off the front foot. |
| 5.4 : Afridi to Latham, OUT! Three reds and Latham has been given his marching orders. Shaheen Afridi gets his maiden Test wicket and boy, it means a lot to him. The way he is celebrating it, just shows how happy he is. Once again it is the in-dipper. He lands it on a length around off, Latham looks to defend but the ball jags back in sharply. He misses and the ball hits his pads. The bowler appeals but the umpire shakes his head. Pakistan go for the review. Replays roll in and it shows three red |
| Appeal for an LBW has been turned down. Sarfraz has gone for the review. Looks close. Latham is the man in question. |
| Captain Williamson is the next batsman in for the Kiwis. |
| 5.5 : S Afridi to Williamson, Good length delivery outside off, Williamson lets it go. |
| 5.6 : S Afridi to Williamson, Second consecutive leave for Williamson. Good length delivery again outside off, the captain lets it go again. |
| 6.1 : H Ali to Raval, Length delivery around middle and leg, Jeet tucks it to the fine leg region for a single. |
| 6.2 : H Ali to Williamson, Good length delivery on middle, Kane defends it with a straight bat. |
| 6.3 : H Ali to Williamson, A tad fuller on middle, Williamson leans forward and taps it to off side for a run. |
| 6.4 : H Ali to J Raval, Well directed bouncer from Ali, the batsman ducks underneath it. |
| 6.5 : H Ali to Raval, Back of a length delivery around off, Jeet defends it from within the crease. |
| 6.6 : H Ali to Raval, Short delivery around leg, Jeet somehow manages to tuck it to the leg side. The batsman run hard and get a brace. |
| 7.1 : S Afridi to Williamson, Length delivery around off, Kane lets it leave. |
| 7.2 : S Afridi to Williamson, Back of a length on middle, Williamson defends it off the front foot and onto the ground. |
| 7.3 : S Afridi to Williamson, Fuller delivery from Afridi, the batsman defends it by presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 7.4 : S Afridi to Williamson, Length delivery around off, KW shoulders arms to it. |
| 7.5 : S Afridi to Williamson, Similar delivery, the batsman lets it leave. |
| 7.6 : S Afridi to Williamson, A tad fuller on middle, Kane defends it with a straight bat. |
| 8.1 : H Ali to Raval, Wide and short down leg, the batsman does not need to play at those. |
| 8.2 : H Ali to Raval, Back of a length on middle, Jeet defends it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 8.3 : H Ali to Raval, In the channel outside off, Raval lets it leave. |
| 8.4 : H Ali to Raval, Identical delivery, the batsman shoulders arms to it. |
| 8.5 : H Ali to Raval, FOUR! Easy pickings there for the batsman. Full on middle and leg, the batsman flicks it through mid on for a boundary. |
| 8.6 : H Ali to Raval, Back of a length on middle, Jeet tucks it to the fine leg region for a couple of runs. |
| 9.1 : S Afridi to Williamson, Length delivery on middle, Kane defends it from within the crease. |
| 9.2 : S Afridi to Williamson, In the channel outside off, Williamson leaves it alone. |
| 9.3 : S Afridi to Williamson, Length delivery on middle, Kane works it to on side. |
| 9.4 : S Afridi to Williamson, FOUR! EXQUISITE! Williamson at his best. Overpitched from Afridi, Kane leans forward and drives it firmly through covers for a boundary. |
| 9.5 : S Afridi to Williamson, Back of a length around off, the batsman shoulders arms to it. |
| 9.6 : S Afridi to Williamson, Length delivery on middle, Kane watchfully defends it. |
| Yasir Shah comes into the attack. |
| 10.1 : Y Shah to Raval, Starts off a with a fuller delivery on middle, Jeet defends it with a straight bat. |
| 10.2 : Y Shah to Raval, Similar delivery on middle, the batsman defends it by presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 10.3 : Y Shah to Raval, Flighted delivery on middle, Jeet works it towards leg side. |
| 10.4 : Y Shah to Raval, A tad fuller on middle, the batsman drives it straight to the bowler. |
| 10.5 : Y Shah to Raval, Tossed up delivery on middle, Jeet defends it off the front foot. |
| 10.6 : Y Shah to Raval, Quicker this time from Yasir, Raval tries to defend it off the back foot, but the ball spins back a bit beating this inside the edge of the bat. Good start by the leggie. |
| 11.1 : S Afridi to Williamson, LEG BYE! Length delivery on middle, Williamson flicks it towards square leg for a single. |
| 11.2 : S Afridi to Raval, Good length delivery outside off, Raval offers no shot. |
| 11.3 : S Afridi to Raval, Full delivery on leg, Raval plays it to mid on. |
| 11.4 : S Afridi to Raval, Again on a good length outside off, the left-hander lets it go. |
| 11.5 : S Afridi to J Raval, Length delivery on off, Raval looks to flick but gets an outside edge and it goes towards point. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 11.6 : S Afridi to Raval, Good length delivery outside off, Raval offers no shot. |
| 12.1 : Y Shah to Williamson, Tossed up on off, Williamson drives it to short cover where the fielder makes a good stop. |
| 12.2 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flighted delivery on off, Williamson defends off the front foot. |
| 12.3 : Y Shah to Williamson, Floated on off, the captain drives it towards covers for a single. |
| 12.4 : Y Shah to Raval, BEATEN! Top spinner from Yasir Shah. Raval plays inside the line, and misses it and gets beaten on this one. |
| 12.5 : Y Shah to Raval, Flighted delivery on off, the southpaw blocks it well. |
| 12.6 : Y Shah to Raval, Tossed up on middle, Raval plays it towards mid on for a single. |
| Drinks- Good start by Pakistan. The debutant Shaheen Afridi has been super so far picking up the wicket of Tom Latham. For the visitors, Jeet Raval has been positive and timing the ball well. |
| 13.1 : S Afridi to Raval, Good length delivery on off, Raval defends off the front foot. |
| 13.2 : S Afridi to Raval, Again on a good length on off, Raval defends it off the back foot. |
| 13.3 : S Afridi to Raval, Length delivery on leg, Raval tucks it towards fine leg. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 13.4 : S Afridi to Raval, Bowls a bouncer which rises outside off, Raval ducks under it comfortably. |
| 13.5 : S Afridi to Raval, Length delivery on off, Raval keeps it out. |
| 13.6 : S Afridi to Raval, Good length delivery outside off, the left-hander offers no shot. |
| 14.1 : Y Shah to Williamson, Tossed up on middle, Williamson defends off the front foot. |
| 14.2 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flighted delivery outside off, the captain drives it towards covers for a single. |
| 14.3 : Y Shah to Raval, Flighted delivery on off, Raval drives it to covers. |
| 14.4 : Y Shah to Raval, Floated on off, Raval defends off the front foot. |
| 14.5 : Y Shah to Raval, Tossed up on middle, the left-hander tucks it towards the leg side for a single. |
| 14.6 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flighted delivery on middle, the skipper dances down the track and defends it. |
| Bilal Asif is into the attack. Spin from both ends now. |
| 15.1 : B Asif to Raval, Tossed up on off, Raval defends off the front foot. |
| 15.2 : B Asif to Raval, Flighted delivery on middle, Raval blocks it well. |
| 15.3 : B Asif to Raval, Tossed up on middle and leg, Raval looks to defend but gets hit on the pads. |
| 15.4 : B Asif to Raval, FOUR! Bowls full on off, Raval drives it through covers for a boundary. Good shot from Raval and he is looking good. |
| 15.5 : B Asif to Raval, Floated on off, the left-hander defends off the front foot. |
| 15.6 : B Asif to J Raval, Tossed up on off, Raval looks to defend but gets an outside edge towards first slip. It fell short of the fielder. |
| 16.1 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flatter and quicker on middle, Kane flicks it towards mid on, Azhar Ali chases and does well to stop it from going to the boundary. The batsmen take three runs. |
| 16.2 : Y Shah to Raval, Tossed up delivery on middle, Raval paddles it through fine leg for a single. |
| 16.3 : Y Shah to Williamson, A tad fuller on middle, the batsmen works it towards mid-wicket. |
| 16.4 : Y Shah to Williamson, Quicker on middle and leg, Williamson tries to flick it but misses it and struck him on the pads. |
| 16.5 : Y Shah to Williamson, Slower through the air on middle, the batsman defends it off the front foot. |
| 16.6 : Y Shah to Williamson, Tossed up delivery on middle, Kane comes down the track and taps it to covers. |
| 17.1 : B Asif to Raval, Tossed up on off, Raval offers a forward defense on this one. |
| 17.2 : B Asif to Raval, Flighted delivery on middle, Raval defends off the back foot. |
| 17.3 : B Asif to Raval, Floated on off, the left-hander blocks it well. |
| 17.4 : B Asif to Raval, Floated again on leg, Raval tucks it towards square leg for a single. |
| 17.5 : B Asif to Williamson, Flighted delivery on off, Williamson drives it towards mid off for a single. |
| 17.6 : B Asif to Raval, Loopy delivery on off, the left-hander drives it through covers for a run. |
| 18.1 : Y Shah to Raval, Quicker on middle, Jeet flicks it to the leg side. |
| 18.2 : Y Shah to Raval, Tossed up delivery on middle, the batsman defends it with a straight bat. |
| 18.3 : Y Shah to Raval, Around off, Raval pushes it towards point for a run. |
| 18.4 : Y Shah to Williamson, BEATEN! Tossed up delivery on middle, KW comes forward and tries to defend it but the ball spins away beating the outside edge of the bat. Brilliant from Yasir. |
| 18.5 : Y Shah to Williamson, On middle, Kane defends it watchfully. |
| 18.6 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flatter on middle, Williamson tucks it towards square leg. The batsmen take three runs. |
| 19.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up on middle, Williamson looks to defend off the front foot but gets hit on the pads. |
| 19.2 : B Asif to Williamson, FOUR! Tossed up on leg, Williamson sweeps it towards fine leg where Babar Azam misfields and lets it go through for a boundary. |
| 19.3 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up on off, the skipper blocks it well. |
| 19.4 : B Asif to Williamson, Loopy delivery on leg, Williamson flicks it towards the leg side for a run. |
| 19.5 : B Asif to J Raval, Flighted delivery on off, Raval drives it through covers for a single. |
| 19.6 : B Asif to Williamson, Slower through the air, the captain defends off the back foot. |
| 20.1 : Y Shah to Raval, Quicker on middle, Jeet tucks it to the leg side. |
| 20.2 : Y Shah to Raval, Flighted delivery on middle, Jeet defends it with a straight bat. |
| 20.3 : Y Shah to Raval, On middle, the batsman flicks it straight to mid on. |
| 20.4 : Y Shah to Raval, Slower on middle,JR works it to on side. |
| 20.5 : Y Shah to Raval, Quicker and flatter on middle, Jeet defends it off the back foot. |
| 20.6 : Y Shah to Raval, Gives it a bit of air, Jeet flicks it towards mid-wicket. |
| 21.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Flighted delivery on middle, Kane plays it to the leg side with soft hands. |
| 21.2 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up delivery on middle, Williamson flicks it to square leg. |
| 21.3 : B Asif to Williamson, Leg bye. Slower on middle, KW was trying to flick it, but hits the thigh pad and the ball goes towards fine leg for a run. |
| 21.4 : B Asif to Raval, Around off, Jeet lets it go. |
| 21.5 : B Asif to Raval, A tad fuller on middle, JR pushes it towards point for a single. |
| 21.6 : B Asif to Williamson, Flatter on middle, KW defends it off the back foot. |
| 22.1 : Y Shah to Raval, Bowls it full on leg, Raval tucks it to short leg. |
| 0.0 : Review time! This one is from New Zealand. Raval has been given LBW. He walks upto his partner and then signals the 'T'. Only an inside edge can save him here. |
| 22.2 : Y Shah to Raval, OUT! Yasri strikes and he gets rid of the well-set batsman, Jeet Raval. The opener once again perishes after getting a start. The stand which looked promising has been cut short. Yasir bowls a flighted delivery around off, Jeet tries to defend it but is beaten by the turn into him. It hits the front pad of the batsman. Yasir appeals and the umpires raises his finger. Jeet consults it with the captain and goes for the review. The replays shows no edge and the ball to be cli |
| Ross Taylor is the new batsman in. |
| 22.3 : Shah to R Taylor, OUT! BOWLED! First ball duck for Ross Taylor. Big wicket for Pakistan. Bowls it straight, Taylor looks to defend but misses it and gets bowled. There was low bounce on that. Yasir Shah gets his second wicket. He is on a Hat-rick. |
| Henry Nicholls is the new batsman for the Kiwis. |
| 22.4 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Tossed up on off, Nicholls blocks it well. |
| 22.5 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Flighted delivery on middle, Nicholls defends off the back foot. |
| 22.6 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Floated on middle, the batsman defends again off the back foot. Double wicket maiden for Yasir Shah. |
| 23.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Flatter on middle, Kane works it to the leg side. |
| 23.2 : B Asif to Williamson, Flighted delivery on middle, Williamson flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 23.3 : B Asif to Williamson, Quicker on middle, Kane hangs back and punches it off the back foot towards point. |
| 23.4 : B Asif to Williamson, Flatter trajectory on middle, Williamson defends it from within the crease. |
| 23.5 : B Asif to Williamson, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 23.6 : B Asif to Williamson, Slower through the air on middle, KW defends it with a straight bat. |
| 24.1 : Y Shah to Nicholls, A tad quicker on middle, Henry works it to on side. |
| 24.2 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Flatter on middle, the batsman defends it with a straight bat. |
| 24.3 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Flighted delivery on middle, Nicholls watchfully defends it. |
| 24.4 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Similar delivery on the middle, the batsman defends it by presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 24.5 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Gives it a bit of air on off, Henry defends it off the back foot. |
| 24.6 : Y Shah to Nicholls, On middle, HN comes down the track and pushes it straight to the bowler. Second maiden on the trot for Yasir. |
| 25.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up on middle, Williamson looks to cut but does not get of the middle of the bat. |
| 25.2 : B Asif to Williamson, Flighted delivery on off, the captain cuts it to point. |
| 25.3 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up on middle, the captain comes down the track and flicks it to long on for a run. |
| 25.4 : B Asif to Nicholls, Floated on middle, Nicholls flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 25.5 : B Asif to Williamson, Flighted delivery on middle, Williamson flicks it to the leg side. |
| 25.6 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up again on middle and leg, Williamson flicks it to short mid-wicket where it fell short of him. It was heart in my mouth moment for Williamson. |
| 26.1 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Quicker from Yasir on middle and leg, Henry tucks it to the leg side. |
| 26.2 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Flatter on middle, Henry punches it off the back foot. |
| 26.3 : Y Shah to Nicholls, OUT! Yasir gets his third. Soft dismissal. Flighted delivery on middle, Nicholls tries to play his go to shot,the sweeps, but this time it hits the bottom edge of the bat and goes on to hit the stumps. The top scorer of the last game has been dismissed cheaply. 4 down for the Kiwis. |
| BJ Watling is the next batsman in. |
| 26.4 : Y Shah to Watling, Flatter and quicker on middle, BJ punches it off the back foot towards point. |
| 26.5 : Y Shah to Watling, Flighted delivery on middle, Watling defends it off the front foot and onto the ground. |
| 26.6 : Y Shah to Watling, Flatter trajectory on middle, the batsman rocks back and punches it off the back foot towards covers. |
| 27.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up on leg, Williamson tucks it to the leg side. |
| 27.2 : B Asif to Williamson, Flighted delivery on off, Williamson defends off the front foot. |
| 27.3 : B Asif to Williamson, Gives it a bit of air, the captain dead bats it. |
| 27.4 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up on middle, Williamson flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 27.5 : B Asif to Williamson, Loopy delivery on middle, the skipper plays it through mid on for a run. |
| 27.6 : B Asif to Watling, Floated on off, Watling offers a forward defense on this one. THAT IS LUNCH ON DAY 1. |
| Pakistan's session and once again it is Yasir Shah who has proved to be the X-factor. After winning the toss and electing to bat, the Kiwi openers got New Zealand off to a brisk start. However, it was Shaheen Afridi who provided the breakthrough. Williamson and Raval then tried to steady the ship. The latter was batting well out there and looked certain to get to a half ton. |
| It was not to be though as Yasir Shah weaved his magic and New Zealand went from 70-1 to 72-4. Yasir picking all three of them. Pakistan would hope they can continue the good work after the break. New Zealand on the other hand, would hope that their skipper bats for long and the rest provide him good support. Will Pakistan continue their domination after the break? Stay tuned to find out. |
| ... Day 1, Session 2 ... |
| Welcome back for the post lunch session. The umpires and the players are out in the middle. Williamson will take the strike. Yasir Shah will start the proceedings after Lunch. |
| 28.1 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flighted delivery on middle, Kane pushes it towards point. |
| 28.2 : Y Shah to Williamson, Tossed up delivery on middle, KW defends it with a straight bat. |
| 28.3 : Y Shah to Williamson, Similar delivery on middle, Williamson defends it by presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 28.4 : Y Shah to Williamson, On middle, KW defends it watchfully. |
| 28.5 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flatter around off, Williamson guides it towards short third man and the batsmen sneak a single. |
| 28.6 : Y Shah to Watling, Flatter and quicker on middle, Williamson tucks it to the leg side for a couple of runs. |
| 29.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Flighted delivery on middle, Williamson strokes it to long on for a run. |
| 29.2 : B Asif to BJ Watling, A tad fuller around off, Watling leans forward and drives it through point for couple of runs. |
| 29.3 : B Asif to Watling, Flatter on middle, the batsman works it to the leg side with soft hands. |
| 29.4 : B Asif to Watling, A tad quicker and flatter around off, the batsman punches it off the back foot to point. |
| 29.5 : B Asif to Watling, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 29.6 : B Asif to Watling, Slower through the air on middle, Watling defends it with a straight bat. |
| 30.1 : Y Shah to Williamson, Quicker on middle, Kane drives it straight to the bowler. |
| 30.2 : Y Shah to Williamson, Loopy delivery on off, Williamson defends it by presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 30.3 : Y Shah to Williamson, Tossed up delivery on middle, KW defends it with a straight bat. |
| 30.4 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flatter on middle, Kane punches it off the back foot through covers for a single. |
| 30.5 : Y Shah to Watling, Quicker on middle, BJ defends it from within the crease. |
| 30.6 : Y Shah to Watling, Floats it up on middle, the batsman watchfully blocks it. |
| 31.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Short outside off, Williamson slaps it through covers. The batsmen get three runs. |
| 31.2 : B Asif to Watling, Tossed up on off, Watling defends off the front foot. |
| 31.3 : B Asif to Watling, Flighted delivery on middle, Watling flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 31.4 : B Asif to Watling, Flighted delivery on middle, Watling comes down the track and defends it. |
| 31.5 : B Asif to Watling, Tossed up on leg, Watling flicks it to the leg side. |
| 31.6 : B Asif to Watling, Loopy delivery on middle, the batsman flicks it to the on side. |
| 32.1 : Y Shah to Williamson, A tad quicker on middle, Williamson plays it with a dead bat. |
| 32.2 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flatter trajectory on middle, KW rocks back and flicks it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 32.3 : Y Shah to Watling, Quicker delivery around off, BJ lets it go. |
| 32.4 : Y Shah to Watling, Quicker and flatter on middle, Watling punches it off the back foot through point for a single. |
| 32.5 : Y Shah to Williamson, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 32.6 : Y Shah to Williamson, A tad quicker and flatter from Yasir, Kane quickly rocks back and punches it towards point. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 33.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up on leg, Williamson flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 33.2 : B Asif to Williamson, Flighted delivery on middle, the captain flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 33.3 : B Asif to Williamson, Floated on middle, the skipper again flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 33.4 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up again on off, Williamson drives it through long on for a single. |
| 33.5 : B Asif to Watling, Loopy delivery on leg, Watling flicks it to the leg side. |
| 33.6 : B Asif to Watling, Gives this a bit of air, Watling blocks it well. |
| 34.1 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flighted delivery on middle, Kane defends it with a straight bat. |
| 34.2 : Y Shah to Williamson, A tad fuller on middle, Williamson drives it straight to the mid off fielder. |
| 34.3 : Y Shah to Williamson, Tossed up delivery on middle, KW pushes it to covers. |
| 34.4 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flatter trajectory on middle, the batsman flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 34.5 : Y Shah to Williamson, Slower through the air on middle, Williamson defends it by presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 34.6 : Y Shah to Williamson, On middle, the batsman watchfully blocks it out. |
| 35.1 : B Asif to Watling, Tossed up on off, Watling defends off the back foot. |
| 35.2 : B Asif to Watling, Flighted delivery on middle, Watling flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 35.3 : B Asif to Watling, Tossed up on middle, the batsman defends off the back foot. |
| 35.4 : B Asif to Watling, Floated on off, Watling rocks back and cuts it towards point. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 35.5 : B Asif to Watling, Watling defends it from within the crease. |
| 35.6 : B Asif to Watling, Tossed up on leg, the batsman flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 36.1 : Y Shah to Williamson, Quicker and flatter on middle, Kane punches it off the back foot towards point for a run. |
| 36.2 : Y Shah to Watling, Flighted delivery on middle, Watling defends it off the front foot. |
| 36.3 : Y Shah to Watling, Tossed up on middle, the batsman blocks it out. |
| 36.4 : Y Shah to Watling, Flatter trajectory on middle, BJ punches it off the back foot towards point. |
| 36.5 : Y Shah to Watling, A tad fuller on middle, Watling drivers it firmly towards covers for a couple of runs. |
| 36.6 : Y Shah to Watling, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 37.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Flighted delivery on middle, Kane defends it off the front foot. |
| 37.2 : B Asif to K Williamson, A tad fuller on middle, Williamson strokes it to long on for a single. |
| 37.3 : B Asif to Watling, Flatter on middle,the batsman works it to leg side. |
| 37.4 : B Asif to Watling, Similar delivery on middle, Watling flicks it to on side. |
| 37.5 : B Asif to Watling, DROPPED! A life for Watling. Flatter delivery on middle, BJ flicks it down the leg side but the ball goes straight in the hands of the short leg fielder Imam who fails to hold on to the catch. |
| 37.6 : B Asif to Watling, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 38.1 : Y Shah to Williamson, Tossed up on off, Williamson drives it to covers. |
| 38.2 : Y Shah to Williamson, Short on off, Williamson drives it towards covers. The batsmen get three runs. Yasir is not getting much turn. |
| 38.3 : Y Shah to Watling, Flighted delivery on off, Watling blocks it well. |
| 38.4 : Y Shah to Watling, Not much turn on this one. Watling defends off the back foot. |
| 38.5 : Y Shah to Watling, Loopy delivery on off, Watling blocks it well. |
| 38.6 : Y Shah to Watling, Flighted delivery on off, Watling defends off the front foot. |
| 39.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up on off, Williamson defends off the front foot. |
| 39.2 : B Asif to Williamson, Flighted delivery on middle, the captain nudges it to the leg side. |
| 39.3 : B Asif to Watling, Floated on off, Watling blocks it well. |
| 39.4 : B Asif to Watling, Gives a bit of air, Watling comes down the track and hits it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 39.5 : B Asif to Williamson, Loopy delivery on middle, Williamson flicks it to the leg side. |
| 39.6 : B Asif to Williamson, Full on off, Williamson drives it uppishly towards the bowler where it falls just short of him. That was a half chance for Bilal Asif and he looks threatening after the break. |
| 40.1 : Y Shah to Watling, Quicker and flatter on middle, BJ punches it off the back foot towards point. |
| 40.2 : Y Shah to Watling, Flatter trajectory around off, the batsman punches it off the back foot towards point. |
| 40.3 : Y Shah to Watling, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 40.4 : Y Shah to Watling, Flighted delivery on middle, Watling defends it off the front foot. |
| 40.5 : Y Shah to Watling, Slower through the air around off, BJ lets it go. |
| 40.6 : Y Shah to Watling, Gives it a bit of air again, the batsman keeps it out. |
| 41.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Flatter around off, Kane defends it by presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 41.2 : B Asif to Williamson, Floats it up on middle, Williamson defends it from within the crease. |
| 41.3 : B Asif to Williamson, Slower on middle, the batsman plays it to the leg side with soft hands. |
| 41.4 : B Asif to Williamson, Fuller on middle, KW strokes it to long on for a run. |
| 41.5 : B Asif to Watling, Gives it a bit of air on off, Watling leans forward and defends it with a straight bat. |
| 41.6 : B Asif to Watling, A tad quicker on this ocassion, the batsman defends it from within the crease. Good attacking bowling from the offie keeping the batsman on his toes. |
| 42.1 : Y Shah to Williamson, Tossed up on middle, Williamson defends off the front foot. |
| 42.2 : Y Shah to Williamson, 100 up for New Zealand. Short on off, Williamson goes back and cuts it towards point for a single. The current pair is fighting back after New Zealand lost wickets quickly. |
| 42.3 : Y Shah to Watling, Flighted delivery on off, Watling blocks it well. |
| 42.4 : Y Shah to Watling, Tossed up on off, the batsman drives it to covers. |
| 42.5 : Y Shah to Watling, Not much turn on this one. Watling defends off the front foot. |
| 42.6 : Y Shah to Watling, Short on off, Watling cuts it to point. |
| 43.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Flatter around off, Kane punches it off the back foot towards point for a couple of runs. Good shot from the captain. |
| 43.2 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up delivery on middle, the skipper works it to mid-wicket. |
| 43.3 : B Asif to K Williamson, A tad fuller on middle, Williamson eases it to long on for a run. |
| 43.4 : B Asif to Watling, Flighted delivery on middle, the batsman comes down the track and tries to flick it but the ball goes straight to the square leg fielder. |
| 43.5 : B Asif to Watling, Top spinner this time from Bilal, Watling hangs back and defends it from within the crease. |
| 43.6 : B Asif to Watling, Flatter on middle, BJ punches it off the back foot towards point. |
| Shaheen Afridi is back into the attack. |
| 44.1 : S Afridi to Williamson, Good length delivery on middle, Williamson defends off the back foot. |
| 44.2 : S Afridi to K Williamson, Full outside off, Williamson drives it through covers. The fielder chases it and stops it just before the ropes. The batsmen get three runs. |
| 44.3 : S Afridi to Watling, Good length delivery on middle, Watling defends it off the back foot. |
| 44.4 : S Afridi to Watling, Length delivery on middle and leg, the batsman flicks it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 44.5 : S Afridi to Williamson, Good length delivery on middle, Williamson blocks it well. |
| 44.6 : S Afridi to Williamson, Again on a good length on off, the captain again keeps it out. |
| 45.1 : B Asif to BJ Watling, Flighted delivery around off, Watling was trying to push it towards covers, the ball spun back sharply as he managed to get a bat on it. The ball goes towards fine leg and the batsmen take a run. |
| 45.2 : B Asif to Williamson, Flighted delivery on middle, Williamson sweeps it but the ball goes straight to the leg slip fielder. He could not find the gap there. |
| 45.3 : B Asif to Williamson, FOUR! Class written all over that shot. A tad fuller on middle, Kane leans forward and times it firmly through mid off for a boundary. |
| 45.4 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up delivery on middle, KW defends it off the front foot. |
| 45.5 : B Asif to Williamson, Slower through the air on middle, the batsman works it to leg side with soft hands. |
| 45.6 : B Asif to Williamson, Flatter around off, Williamson punches it off the back foot through point for three runs. Brings up the 28th Test fifty for the captain. He had to work hard but is getting his reward now by playing brilliantly so far. |
| Drinks |
| 46.1 : S Afridi to Williamson, Full outside off, Williamson drives it towards covers. The fielder makes a great stop. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 46.2 : S Afridi to Watling, Full again on off, Watling drives it to covers. |
| 46.3 : S Afridi to Watling, Good length delivery on off, the batsman defends off the back foot. |
| 46.4 : S Afridi to Watling, Length delivery on leg, Watling flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 46.5 : S Afridi to Williamson, Full on off, Williamson drives it to covers. |
| 46.6 : S Afridi to Williamson, Length delivery on off, the captain plays it to covers. |
| 47.1 : B Asif to Watling, Flighted delivery on middle, Watling blocks it well. |
| 47.2 : B Asif to Watling, Tossed up on middle, Watling pushes it to the leg side. |
| 47.3 : B Asif to Watling, Floated on middle, Watling comes down the track and hits it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 47.4 : B Asif to Williamson, Flighted delivery on off, Williamson defends off the front foot. |
| 47.5 : B Asif to Williamson, Gives a bit of air, the captain flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 47.6 : B Asif to Williamson, Full on off, Williamson drives it through covers. The fielder gives it a chase and makes a comfortable stop. The batsmen get three runs. |
| 48.1 : S Afridi to Williamson, Length delivery around off, Kane defends it with a straight bat. |
| 48.2 : S Afridi to Williamson, A tad fuller on middle, Williamson drives it but the ball goes straight to the cover fielder. |
| 48.3 : S Afridi to Williamson, Back of a length delivery on middle, KW defends it by presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 48.4 : S Afridi to Williamson, Afridi testing Williamson with a bouncer this time. Kane nicely ducks underneath it. |
| 48.5 : S Afridi to Williamson, Fuller delivery on middle, the skipper drives it to mid off. |
| 48.6 : S Afridi to Williamson, A bouncer to end the over from Shaheen. Kane easily ducks underneath it. Maiden from Afridi. |
| Hasan Ali comes to the attack. |
| 49.1 : H Ali to Watling, Hasan starts off with a length delivery on middle, BJ defends it with a straight bat. |
| 49.2 : H Ali to Watling, Back of a length delivery on middle, Watling defends it from within the crease. |
| 49.3 : H Ali to BJ Watling, A hint of reverse swing maybe. A tad fuller angles it in on middle, Watling was trying to flick it but gets an inside edge on the pads. |
| 49.4 : H Ali to Watling, Similar delivery from Hasan, Watling flicks it short mid wicket. Hasan is trying to test the batsman's patience here. With some reverse swing there Hasan is hoping Watling will flick up one in the air to the short mid-wicker fielder. |
| 49.5 : H Ali to Watling, Length delivery on middle, the batsman defends it with a straight bat. |
| 49.6 : H Ali to Watling, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 50.1 : S Afridi to Williamson, Full outside off, Williamson drives it to mid off. |
| 50.2 : S Afridi to K Williamson, Full again on off, the skipper drives it to mid off. |
| 50.3 : S Afridi to Williamson, Length delivery on off, Williamson drives it to covers. |
| 50.4 : S Afridi to Williamson, Good length delivery outside off, the batsman lets it go. |
| 50.5 : S Afridi to Williamson, FOUR! Fifty partnership between Williamson and Watling. Full on middle, Williamson drives it straight through mid on for a boundary. A much needed partnership for New Zealand to stabilize the innings and take New Zealand to safer shores. |
| 50.6 : S Afridi to Williamson, Full again on off, the skipper drives it to covers. |
| 51.1 : H Ali to Watling, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 51.2 : H Ali to Watling, Full on middle, Watling flicks it to mid on. |
| 51.3 : H Ali to Watling, Good length delivery on middle, Watling defends off the back foot. |
| 51.4 : H Ali to Watling, Again on a good length on off, the batsman blocks it well. |
| 51.5 : H Ali to Watling, Bowls a bouncer, Watling does well to duck under it. |
| 51.6 : H Ali to Watling, Wide outside off, Watling looks to cut but misses it and gets beaten on this one. |
| 52.1 : S Afridi to Williamson, A tad fuller around off, Kane defends it with a straight bat. |
| 52.2 : S Afridi to Williamson, Back of a length on middle, Williamson punches it off the back foot towards point. |
| 52.3 : S Afridi to Williamson, In the channel around off, the captain lets it go. |
| 52.4 : S Afridi to Williamson, Fuller delivery around off, Williamson defends it off the front foot by presenting the full face of the bat |
| 52.5 : S Afridi to Williamson, Bouncer from Shaheen this time. Kane nicely evades it. |
| 52.6 : S Afridi to Williamson, Back of a length on middle, the skipper nudges it to the leg side for a run. |
| 53.1 : H Ali to Williamson, Very good bouncer from Hasan. Williamson ducks underneath it. |
| 53.2 : H Ali to Williamson, Back of a length on middle, Williamson defends it from within the crease. |
| 53.3 : H Ali to Williamson, Length delivery around off, Kane leans forward and defends it with a straight bat. |
| 53.4 : H Ali to K Williamson, A tad fuller this time on middle, KW drives it to straight to the mid off fielder. |
| 53.5 : H Ali to Williamson, In the air but safe. Fuller delivery on middle, Williamson tries to flick it but gets a leading edge onto it and the ball falls just short of the cover fielder. |
| 53.6 : H Ali to Williamson, Full on middle, the captain pushes it to the point fielder. Good testing over from Hasan Ali. |
| 54.1 : S Afridi to Watling, Good length delivery outside off, Watling leaves it alone. It was close to the off stump. |
| 54.2 : S Afridi to Watling, FOUR LEG BYES! Length delivery on the pads, Watling tries to flick but it goes off his pads down fine leg for a boundary. |
| 54.3 : S Afridi to BJ Watling, Length delivery on off, Watling drives it to mid off. |
| 54.4 : S Afridi to Watling, Length delivery on off, the batsman plays it to covers. |
| 54.5 : S Afridi to Watling, Good length delivery on middle, Watling defends off the back foot. |
| 54.6 : S Afridi to Watling, Good length delivery outside off, the batsman lets it go. |
| 55.1 : H Ali to Williamson, Fuller delivery angling in on middle, Williamson watchfully blocks it out. |
| 55.2 : H Ali to Williamson, Quick bouncer from Ali. Kane nicely evades it. |
| 55.3 : H Ali to Williamson, Length delivery on middle and leg, KW nudges it to the leg side for a single. |
| 55.4 : H Ali to Watling, Back of a length on middle, BJ defends it from within the crease. |
| 55.5 : H Ali to Watling, Fuller delivery on middle, Watling drives it towards mid off. |
| 55.6 : H Ali to BJ Watling, Fuller delivery angling it in, BJ flicks it to mid on. |
| Haris Sohail to roll his arm over. |
| 56.1 : H Sohail to Williamson, Tossed up on off, Williamson defends off the front foot. |
| 56.2 : H Sohail to Williamson, Flighted delivery on middle, the captain blocks it well. |
| 56.3 : H Sohail to Williamson, Floated on middle, Williamson defends off the front foot. |
| 56.4 : H Sohail to Williamson, Loopy delivery on middle, Williamson defends off the back foot. |
| 56.5 : H Sohail to Williamson, Full on middle, the skipper plays it towards mid on for a single. |
| 56.6 : H Sohail to Watling, Tossed up on leg, Watling flicks it towards square leg for a single. |
| 57.1 : H Ali to Watling, Fuller delivery on middle, BJ defends it by presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 57.2 : H Ali to Watling, Length delivery around off, Watling defends it off the front foot and onto the ground. |
| 57.3 : H Ali to Watling, Yorker from Hasan. Well bowled and equally well played by Watling. Watling gets his bat down at the right time and digs it out. |
| 57.4 : H Ali to Watling, Back of a length delivery on middle, BJ defends it off the back foot. |
| 57.5 : H Ali to Watling, Good stop from the short mid-wicket fielder. A tad fuller angling it on middle, Watling flicks it to short mid-wicket. The fielder does brilliantly to stop that going to the boundary. |
| 57.6 : H Ali to Watling, Peach of a delivery from Ali, Length delivery around off, Watling was trying to defend it but the ball held it's line and goes straight to the keeper. Brilliant over comes to an end. |
| 58.1 : H Sohail to Williamson, FOUR! Full toss on leg, Williamson flicks it through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 58.2 : H Sohail to Williamson, Flighted delivery on off, the captain blocks it well. |
| 58.3 : H Sohail to Williamson, Full on off, Williamson drives it towards covers for a single. |
| 58.4 : H Sohail to Watling, FOUR BYES! Tossed up outside off, Watling looks to sweep but misses it and it goes behind the keeper where he misses and it runs away for a boundary. |
| 58.5 : H Sohail to Watling, Floated on off, the batsman defends off the front foot. |
| 58.6 : H Sohail to Watling, Flighted delivery on off, Watling plays it to covers. |
| 59.1 : H Ali to Williamson, Some chin music from Ali here. Kane nicely ducks underneath it. |
| 59.2 : H Ali to Williamson, Back of a length delivery on middle, Williamson defends it off the back foot. |
| 59.3 : H Ali to Williamson, Fuller delivery angling it in, KW flicks it to short mid-wicket. |
| 59.4 : H Ali to K Williamson, Away swinger this time from Hasan around off, Kane leans forward and drives it firmly through covers for three runs. |
| 59.5 : H Ali to Watling, Full on middle, BJ drives it straight to the mid on fielder. |
| 59.6 : H Ali to Watling, Back of a length on middle, the batsman defends it from within the crease. AND THAT IS TEA ON DAY 1. |
| This session - 32 overs, 72 runs and 0 wickets. New Zealand's session easily. Once again it is their skipper who has come to the rescue. They entered this session in trouble and now, courtesy this partnership, are slowly but steadily getting out of trouble. Kane Williamson looks set for a big one here and he is getting good support from Watling who would also like to play a long innings. |
| Pakistan on the other, will need to break this partnership quickly. One would believe it is just the matter of one wicket and the hosts will then have a go at the fragile lower-order of New Zealand. The morning session was won by the home team, the second by New Zealand. Who will take the third? Stay tuned to find out. |
| ... Day 1 Session 3 ... |
| We are back for the final session! 30 overs to go in the day. The Pakistan players make their way out to the middle. They are followed by Williamson and BJ Watling who will resume their innings. Yasir Shah will start the proceedings after the break. Here we go... |
| 60.1 : Y Shah to Williamson, Short on middle, Williamson pushes it to towards covers. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 60.2 : Y Shah to Williamson, Full on off, Williamson plays it to mid off. |
| 60.3 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flighted delivery on middle, the skipper plays it to mid on. |
| 60.4 : Y Shah to Williamson, Tossed up on off, the captain defends off the front foot. |
| 60.5 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flighted delivery again on off, the batsman blocks it well. |
| 60.6 : Y Shah to Williamson, FOUR! Full toss on leg, Williamson pounces on it and flicks it through mid-wicket for a boundary. First boundary after the Tea break. |
| Shaheen Afridi is back into the attack. |
| 61.1 : S Afridi to Watling, Good length, pitching outside off and a bit off movement off the pitch. The ball is well defended by Watling. |
| 61.2 : S Afridi to Watling, Back of a length on middle, Watling tucks it to the leg side. |
| 61.3 : S Afridi to Watling, Short outside off and Watling hits it straight to the fielder at point. |
| 61.4 : S Afridi to Watling, Back of length delivery around and the batsman opens the face off the bat and guides it to short third man. |
| 61.5 : S Afridi to Watling, In the channel outside off, Watling shoulders arms to it. |
| 61.6 : S Afridi to Watling, Back of length around middle and leg and Watling flicks it towards the fine leg region for a single. |
| 62.1 : Y Shah to Watling, Flighted delivery on off, Watling defends off the front foot. |
| 62.2 : Y Shah to Watling, Gives a bit of air, Watling defends off the back foot. |
| 62.3 : Y Shah to Watling, Tossed up on off, the batsman drives it to mid off. |
| 62.4 : Y Shah to Watling, Short on off, Watling cuts it to point. |
| 62.5 : Y Shah to Watling, Flighted delivery on middle, Watling looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 62.6 : Y Shah to Watling, Short on off, Watling makes room and punches it through covers for a single. |
| 63.1 : S Afridi to Watling, A fuller delivery on middle, BJ pushes it towards mid off for a single. |
| 63.2 : S Afridi to Williamson, Length delivery angling away, Kane shoulders arms to it. |
| 63.3 : S Afridi to Williamson, Back of a length delivery around off, KW taps it to point. |
| 63.4 : S Afridi to Williamson, Length delivery on middle, the skipper defends it off the back foot. |
| 63.5 : S Afridi to Williamson, Classic Williamson. A tad full on this occasion, Williamson leans forward and drives it firmly through covers for a couple of runs. |
| 63.6 : S Afridi to Williamson, On middle, Williamson defends it off the front foot by presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 64.1 : Y Shah to Watling, Tossed up on middle, Watling flicks it to short mid-wicket. |
| 64.2 : Y Shah to Watling, Flighted delivery on off, the batsman defends off the front foot. |
| 64.3 : Y Shah to Watling, Loopy delivery on middle, Watling blocks it well. |
| 64.4 : Y Shah to BJ Watling, Full on middle, Watling plays it straight to mid on. |
| 64.5 : Y Shah to Watling, Short on middle, Watling pulls it towards mid-wicket. Two runs taken. |
| 64.6 : Y Shah to Watling, Wide outside off, the batsman lets it go. |
| 65.1 : S Afridi to Williamson, Short of a length delivery, Williamson tries to pull it to mid-wicket but does not get of the middle of the bat. The batsmen take a run. |
| 65.2 : S Afridi to Watling, FOUR! Good length delivery on off, Watling looks to defend but gets an outside edge towards first slip. The fielder dives but the ball races away to the boundary. |
| 65.3 : S Afridi to Watling, Again on a good length on middle, the batsman defends off the back foot. |
| 65.4 : S Afridi to Watling, Length delivery on off, Watling cuts it to point. |
| 65.5 : S Afridi to Watling, Good length delivery on middle, the batsman defends off the back foot. |
| 65.6 : S Afridi to Watling, Bowls a bouncer, Watling does well to duck underneath it. |
| 66.1 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flighted delivery on middle, Kane defends it off the front foot and onto the ground. |
| 66.2 : Y Shah to Williamson, FOUR! EXQUISITE! Yasir drags it short, Williamson quickly hangs back and punches it off through the poin region for a boundary. He moves onto his 80's now. |
| 66.3 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flatter around middle, KW tucks it to the leg side for a couple of runs. |
| 66.4 : Y Shah to Williamson, Tosses it up on middle, Williamson pushes it to point region. |
| 66.5 : Y Shah to Williamson, A tad fuller on middle, KW drives it to cover. |
| 66.6 : Y Shah to Williamson, Slower through the air on middle, Kane opens the dace of the bat and guides it to short third man for a single. |
| 67.1 : H Ali to Williamson, Good length delivery on off, Hasan defends off the front foot. |
| 67.2 : H Ali to Williamson, Length delivery around off, Williamson punches it through point for three runs. |
| 67.3 : H Ali to Watling, Good delivery from Hasan. Length delivery around off, BJ was looking to drive but missed the ball completely. |
| 67.4 : H Ali to Watling, Back of a length on middle, BJ tucks it to fine leg for three runs. |
| 67.5 : H Ali to Williamson, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 67.6 : H Ali to Williamson, OUT! The skipper departs. Big wicket for Pakistan. Full length delivery angling it in, Kane flicks it and the ball goes straight to the short mid-wicket fielder. Brilliant catch. Sigh of relief for Pakistan as this partnership was hurting them. Williamson looks frustrated as he was close to getting his hundred. |
| Colin de Grandhomme is the new man in. |
| 68.1 : Y Shah to Watling, Tosses it up on off, Watling lunges and defends it onto the ground. |
| 68.2 : Y Shah to Watling, Bowls it flatter this time around off, not a lot of turn on offer, Watling goes back and punches it to covers. |
| 68.3 : Y Shah to Watling, Well bowled! Slows it up this time and lands it on off, the ball pitches and the turns away. Watling first thinks of defending it but then tries to bail out looking at the turn. He though is a touch late, the ball hits the bottom part of the bat and goes on the bounce to the slip fielder. |
| 68.4 : Y Shah to Watling, Poor follow-up delivery! It is short and around off, Yasir may have tried the flipper, does not come out right and it is punched through covers for a couple. |
| 68.5 : Y Shah to Watling, On the stumps, kept out. |
| 68.6 : Y Shah to BJ Watling, A single to end the over! This is stroked through covers for a run. |
| 69.1 : H Ali to Watling, Back of a length on middle, Watling defends it off the back foot. |
| 69.2 : H Ali to Watling, Length delivery around off, BJ punches it off the back foot towards point. |
| 69.3 : H Ali to Watling, On middle, BJ defends it by presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 69.4 : H Ali to Watling, Length delivery around off, Watling blocks it out. |
| 69.5 : H Ali to Watling, Length delivery on off, the batsman defends it with a straight bat. |
| 69.6 : H Ali to Watling, Back of a length delivery on middle and leg, BJ nudges it to the leg side. Bilal misfields it and batsmen sneak a single. Sarfraz is not happy with the fielding there. |
| 70.1 : Y Shah to Watling, Tossed up on middle, Watling drives it to mid off. |
| 70.2 : Y Shah to Watling, Short on off, Watling plays it through covers for a run. |
| 70.3 : Y Shah to Grandhomme, Flighted delivery on off, Colin blocks it well. |
| 70.4 : Y Shah to Grandhomme, Tossed up on middle, the batsman defends off the back foot. |
| 70.5 : Y Shah to Grandhomme, SIX! Good shot. Short on leg, de Grandhomme pulls it over square leg for a biggie. This should get him going. But it is important for him to stay there and again build a partnership with Watling. |
| 70.6 : Y Shah to Grandhomme, Flighted delivery on middle, Colin flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 71.1 : H Ali to Watling, Wide down leg, BJ was trying to flick it but misses it completely. |
| 71.2 : H Ali to Watling, Length delivery on middle, Watling defends it with a straight bat. |
| 71.3 : H Ali to Watling, On middle and leg, the batsman works it to the leg side for a run. |
| 71.4 : H Ali to Grandhomme, Fuller delivery angling it in, Colin tries to drive it but hits the inside half of the bat and the ball goes towards fine. The batsmen rotate strike. |
| 71.5 : H Ali to Watling, A tad fuller on middle, Watling drives it straight to the mid off fielder. |
| 71.6 : H Ali to BJ Watling, Identical delivery, BJ flicks it to mid on. |
| 72.1 : Y Shah to Grandhomme, Flighted delivery on middle, Colin defends it by presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 72.2 : Y Shah to Grandhomme, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 72.3 : Y Shah to Grandhomme, Flatter on middle, the batsman hangs back and punches it off the back foot towards point. |
| 72.4 : Y Shah to Grandhomme, A tad fuller on off, Colin drives it to mid off. The batsman cross ends. |
| 72.5 : Y Shah to Watling, Drags it short, Watling flicks it to the leg side. He wanted a single but he is sent back. |
| 72.6 : Y Shah to Watling, In the channel outside off, BJ shoulders arms to it. |
| 73.1 : H Ali to Grandhomme, Length delivery on off, Colin plays it to point. |
| 73.2 : H Ali to Grandhomme, Length delivery on leg, Colin flicks it towards fine leg. Two runs taken. |
| 73.3 : H Ali to Grandhomme, Length delivery on the pads, Colin flicks it towards square leg. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 73.4 : H Ali to Grandhomme, FOUR! Colin de Grandhomme is looking good. Full on leg, de Grandhomme flicks it through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 73.5 : H Ali to Grandhomme, 200 up for New Zealand. Length delivery on leg, de Grandhomme flicks it towards square leg. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 73.6 : H Ali to Grandhomme, Good length delivery on middle, the batsman defends off the back foot. |
| Bilal Asif is back into the attack. |
| 74.1 : B Asif to Watling, Starts off with a tossed up delivery on middle and leg, Watling tries to flick it but was hit high on the pad. |
| 74.2 : B Asif to Watling, Shout for a catch. Loopy delivery around middle, BJ flicks it as the ball falls just short of the leg slip fielder and goes underneath him. The batsmen sneak a run. |
| 74.3 : B Asif to Grandhomme, Bilal bowls it way down leg. Colin tries to flick it but misses it completely. |
| 74.4 : B Asif to Grandhomme, Fuller delivery on middle, the batsman gets to the pitch of the ball and drives it to towards mid off for a single. |
| 74.5 : B Asif to Watling, Drags it short on middle, BJ defends it off the back foot. |
| 74.6 : B Asif to Watling, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| Drinks |
| 75.1 : H Ali to Grandhomme, BEATEN! Beauty of a delivery from Hasan Ali. Good length delivery coming into the batsman, Colin looks to defend but misses it and gets beaten on this one. |
| 75.2 : H Ali to Grandhomme, Bowls a bouncer, Colin does well to duck under it. |
| 75.3 : H Ali to Grandhomme, Length delivery on leg, Colin flicks it towards square leg for a single. |
| 75.4 : H Ali to Watling, Good length delivery on off, Watling cuts it to point. |
| 75.5 : H Ali to Watling, APPEAL FOR LBW! NOT OUT! Length delivery on middle, Watling looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads. The bowler appeals but the umpire shakes his head. |
| 75.6 : H Ali to Watling, Length delivery on off, Watling looks to flick but gets a leading edge to the point region where no fielder was there to catch it. |
| Appeal for a stumping. Colin De Grandhomme is the man in question. Pakistan players don't seem so confident as they think he might have just grounded the bat. |
| 76.1 : B Asif to Grandhomme, NOT OUT! Tossed up on leg, Colin comes forward but loses his balance and gets stumped. Sarfaraz appeals and then it is referred upstairs. The replays show he was well inside the crease. |
| 76.2 : B Asif to Grandhomme, OUT! Gone next ball! Bilal Asif gets his man. This is tossed up on middle, it turns back in. Grandhomme tries to flick but gets it off the inner half towards the leg slip fielder. Shafiq there takes a sharp catch. Colin who looked good in the few balls he faced is walking back with another low score to his name. First wicket for Bilal. |
| Tim Southee is the next batsman in for the Kiwis. |
| 76.3 : B Asif to Southee, Floats it up on off, it is kept out. |
| 76.4 : B Asif to Southee, FOUR BYES! Down the leg side, Southee goes for the sweep shot but misses. The ball races to the fine leg fence. |
| 76.5 : B Asif to Southee, Driven towards the mid on region. They pick up a single. |
| Pakistan go for a review for an lbw decision. Watling is the man in question here. Looks close. |
| 76.6 : Asif to BJ Watling, NOT OUT! That is right off the glove, there was no pad involved there. Pakistan lose a review. This is bowled outside off, Watling brings the sweep out but misses. It seems to have hit something and the players appeal. The umpire though shakes his head. |
| Yasir Shah is back into the attack. |
| 77.1 : Y Shah to Southee, Starts off with a fuller delivery on middle, Tim defends it with a straight bat. |
| 77.2 : Y Shah to Southee, A tad fuller on middle, Southee defends it by presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 77.3 : Y Shah to Southee, Slower through the air on middle, Tim taps it to point. |
| 77.4 : Y Shah to Southee, Floats it up in the air on middle, Tim leans forward and tries to defend it, but gets the outside edge of the bat and the ball goes towards short third man. The batsman take a run. |
| 77.5 : Y Shah to Watling, Gives it a bit of air around off, Watling shoulders arms to it. |
| 77.6 : Y Shah to Watling, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 78.1 : B Asif to Southee, Tossed up on leg, Southee pushes it past short leg. |
| 78.2 : B Asif to Southee, OUT! Tossed up on middle, Southee looks to go for the slog sweep but gets a top edge to short fine leg where Babar Azam takes the catch comfortably. |
| 78.3 : B Asif to Watling, Bowls full on leg, Watling flicks it towards mid-wicket. The batsmen pick up a single. |
| 78.4 : B Asif to Somerville, APPEAL FOR LBW! NOT OUT! Tossed up on off, Somerville looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads. The bowler appeals but the umpire shakes his head. Pakistan think for a while and decide against the review. |
| 78.5 : B Asif to Somerville, Tossed up on middle, Somerville blocks it. |
| 78.6 : B Asif to Somerville, Flighted delivery on off, Somerville defends off the back foot. |
| 79.1 : Y Shah to Watling, Fuller delivery on middle, BJ pushes it towards point for a single. |
| 79.2 : Y Shah to Somerville, Almost a yorker from Yasir, Somerwille nicely evades it out. |
| 79.3 : Y Shah to Somerville, Flighted delivery on middle, the batsman defends it off the front foot and on to the ground. |
| 79.4 : Y Shah to Somerville, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 79.5 : Y Shah to Somerville, Drags it short on middle, the batsman punches it off the back foot towards point. They pick up a single. |
| 79.6 : Y Shah to Watling, Full around off, BJ drives it straight to the mid off fielder. |
| 80.1 : B Asif to Somerville, Turning too much, Somerville keeps it out. |
| 80.2 : B Asif to Somerville, The ball pitches outside off stump on a good length, Somerville gets on his front foot and tries to defend but the ball misses the bats and hits his front pad. The ball is caught by the short leg fielder and there is an appeal by Pakistani players. But the umpire shakes his head. |
| 80.3 : B Asif to Somerville, That's hit the batsman on his pads. The fielding side is asking the question. The Umpire decides the batsman is not out. |
| 80.4 : B Asif to Somerville, An off spinner, turns in. Somerville tries to defend but the ball hits the pads and lobs over the short leg fielder. |
| 80.5 : B Asif to Somerville, Down the leg side, the batsman lets it be. |
| Review for lbw. The debutant Somerville is the man in question. |
| 80.6 : Asif to Somerville, NOT OUT! Sharp turn there. Flighted delivery on middle, the ball spins in sharply. Somerville takes a nice stride forward but was hit on the front pad. Umpires straight away raises his finger. New Zealand take a review. Replay shows no inside edge and the ball missing the stumps. |
| 81.1 : Y Shah to Watling, Flighted delivery on off, Watling looks to clip it to the leg side but gets a leading edge to the off side. |
| 81.2 : Y Shah to Watling, Tossed up on middle, Watling defends off the front foot. |
| 81.3 : Y Shah to Watling, Flighted delivery on middle, Watling defends off the back foot. |
| 81.4 : Y Shah to BJ Watling, Tossed up on off, Watling drives it to covers. |
| 81.5 : Y Shah to Watling, Flighted delivery on middle, Watling blocks it well. |
| 81.6 : Y Shah to Watling, Floated on off, the batsman drives it to mid off. |
| 82.1 : B Asif to Somerville, Flatter and around off, Somerville guides it through point for a run. |
| 82.2 : B Asif to Watling, On the pads, Watling flicks it through square leg for a run. |
| 82.3 : B Asif to Somerville, On the pads, the batsman tries to flick but misses to get hit low on the pads. |
| 82.4 : Asif to Somerville, On the stumps, the batsman does well to keep it out. |
| 82.5 : B Asif to Somerville, This is stroked through the covers and the batsmen run through for a single. |
| 82.6 : B Asif to Watling, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 83.1 : Y Shah to Somerville, Flighted delivery on middle, Somerville blocks it well. |
| 83.2 : Y Shah to Somerville, Spinning away from the batsman, Somerville lets it go. |
| 83.3 : Y Shah to W Somerville, Tossed up on middle, the batsman flicks it towards mid on for a single. |
| 83.4 : Y Shah to Watling, Flighted delivery on off, Watling cuts it to point. |
| 83.5 : Y Shah to Watling, Tossed up on off, Watling cuts it towards point for a single. |
| 83.6 : Y Shah to W Somerville, Flighted delivery around off, Somerville looks to defend but gets an outside edge and it goes past second slip. The batsmen take a run. |
| 84.1 : B Asif to Somerville, Flighted delivery on middle and leg, Somerville flicks it to short leg with soft hands. |
| 84.2 : B Asif to Somerville, Drags it short around off, the batsman punches it off the back foot through covers for three runs. |
| 84.3 : Asif to Watling, Tossed up delivery on middle and leg, BJ tries to flick it but hits the pad. |
| 84.4 : B Asif to Watling, Slower through the air on middle, Bj flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 84.5 : B Asif to Watling, Full on middle, the batsman tucks it to mid-wicket for a single. |
| 84.6 : B Asif to Somerville, Fuller delivery down leg, Somerville tries to sweep but misses it completely and hits low on the pads. |
| 85.1 : Y Shah to Watling, Short on off, Watling cuts it towards point for a single. |
| 85.2 : Y Shah to Somerville, Flighted delivery on off, Somerville guides it to third man. |
| 85.3 : Y Shah to Somerville, Tossed up on off, Somerville blocks it well. |
| 85.4 : Y Shah to Somerville, Spinning away from the batsman, Somerville lets it go. |
| 85.5 : Y Shah to Somerville, Bowls down the leg side, Somerville lets it go. |
| 85.6 : Y Shah to Somerville, Tossed up on off, Somerville defends off the front foot. |
| 86.1 : B Asif to Watling, Tossed up on middle, Watling defends off the back foot. |
| 86.2 : B Asif to Watling, Flighted delivery on leg, Watling clips it to the leg side. |
| 86.3 : B Asif to Watling, Floated on leg, the batsman works it to the leg side. |
| 86.4 : B Asif to Watling, Tossed up on middle, the batsman flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 86.5 : B Asif to Somerville, Flighted delivery on off, Somerville blocks it well. |
| 86.6 : B Asif to Somerville, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 87.1 : Y Shah to Watling, Drags it short, BJ punches it off the back foot through point for a run. |
| 0.0 : The second new ball has been taken! |
| Review time! A huge appeal for an LBW has been turned down. Somerville is the man in question. Seems like it has hit the bat first. |
| 87.2 : Shah to Somerville, NOT OUT! Flighted delivery on middle, Somerville leans forward and tries to defend it but the ball h. Yasir appeals but umpire shakes his head. Sarfraz goes for the review. The replay shows inside edge of the bat and the batsman survives. |
| 87.3 : Y Shah to Somerville, Tossed up delivery around off, the batsman shoulders arms to it. |
| 87.4 : Y Shah to Somerville, A tad short on middle, Somerville punches it off the back foot to the point. |
| 87.5 : Y Shah to Somerville, Tossed up delivery on middle, the batsman opens the face of the bat and guides it to short third man for a single. |
| 87.6 : Y Shah to Watling, Floats it up on middle, BJ defends it with a straight bat. |
| 88.1 : S Afridi to Somerville, Good length delivery outside off, Somerville offers no shot. |
| 88.2 : S Afridi to Somerville, APPEAL FOR LBW! NOT OUT! Full on leg, Somerville looks to defend but gets hit low on the pads. The bowler appeals but the umpire shakes his head. Pakistan can't go for the review because they have no reviews left. |
| 88.3 : S Afridi to Somerville, Length delivery on leg, the batsman flicks it towards square leg. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 88.4 : S Afridi to Somerville, Bowls a bouncer, Somerville ducks under it. |
| 88.5 : S Afridi to Somerville, Length delivery on middle, Somerville pushes into the off side. The batsmen take a single. |
| 88.6 : S Afridi to Watling, Bowls down the leg side, Watling lets it go. |
| 89.1 : Y Shah to Somerville, Flatter and outside off, the batsman makes a leave. |
| 89.2 : Y Shah to Somerville, Outside off again and the batsman makes another leave. Being the last over, Yasir needs to make the batter play more. |
| 89.3 : Y Shah to Somerville, PEACH! Perfect, just perfect from Yasir. This is floated around off, it drifts in. The batsman has to play at it, he lunges to keep it out. However, the ball pitches, turns away and whizzes past the outside edge. |
| 89.4 : Y Shah to Somerville, And now the slider from Shah around off, Somerville though does well to not play for the turn and he keeps it out. |
| 89.5 : Y Shah to Somerville, Once again it is the slider on off, Somerville once again does well to keep it out. One ball to negotiate now. |
| 89.6 : Y Shah to Somerville, And he does negotiate it! Not in convincing manner but New Zealand won't care. This is down the leg side, it turns in. The batter tries to work it on the leg side but gets a soft leading edge towards silly point. STUMPS ON DAY 1! |
| This session - 84 runs and 3 wickets. Pakistan's session and Pakistan's day one can say. They not only managed to break the 104-run stand between Williamson and Watling but have also picked up two more. When Watling and Williamson were batting, the Kiwis would have aimed for something around 300 but the spinners, along with Hasan Ali have now given Pakistan a chance to restrict New Zealand under 250. |
| Earlier in the day, the debutant, Shaheen Afridi started off brilliantly taking the wicket of Tom Latham. But Jeet Raval and Kane Williamson did manage to form a partnership of some sort. Yasir Shah though then came to the fore and ran through the middle order just before Lunch. Post that, a partnership of 104 between Kane Williamson and BJ Watling took the Kiwis to safer shores but quick wickets in the end sees Pakistan walk off as the happier side. |
| Pakistan would like to wrap up the last three wickets quickly on Day 2. While the Kiwis, would like to be somewhere around the 300-run mark. Should be an interesting day of cricket. The action resumes on Tuesday at 1000 local (0600 GMT). ADIOS! TAKE CARE! |
| ... Day 2, Session 1 ... |
| Hello and welcome to Day 2 of the third Test between Pakistan and New Zealand. The hosts finished Day 1 on top and they would be looking to wrap up the remaining three wickets quickly. On the other hand, the Kiwis would like to add as many runs as possible. With the wicket already turning something around 260-270 would be a competitive total. Stay tuned to find out how it unfolds on Day 2. |
| Danny Morrison interviewing Watling, the latter starts by saying he is very happy with the way he is playing. Also mentions there are a few cracks in the wicket and it will deteriorate even more. He also adds that he enjoys batting but it was tough to find gaps. |
| We are all set to get underway! The Pakistan players make their way out to the middle. BJ Watling and William Somerville will resume their innings. Hasan Ali to start the proceedings today. Here we go... |
| 90.1 : H Ali to Watling, Good length delivery on off, Watling blocks it well. |
| 90.2 : H Ali to Watling, Again on a good length on middle, Watling plays it straight towards the bowler. |
| 90.3 : H Ali to Watling, Length delivery on off, the batsman defends it off the back foot. |
| 90.4 : H Ali to Watling, BEATEN! Good length delivery outside off, Watling looks to drive but misses it and gets beaten on this one. |
| 90.5 : H Ali to Watling, First runs of the morning for the Kiwis. Full delivery on leg, Watling easily flicks it towards mid-wicket. The batsmen run hard and pick up three runs. |
| 90.6 : H Ali to Somerville, Length delivery on off, Somerville keeps it out. |
| Shaheen Afridi will share the attack. |
| 91.1 : S Afridi to Watling, Full outside off, Watling lets it go. |
| 91.2 : S Afridi to Watling, Good length delivery outside off, Watling again offers no shot. |
| 91.3 : S Afridi to Watling, Third consecutive leave for Watling. Again on a good length outside off, Watling offers no shot. |
| 91.4 : S Afridi to Watling, Good length delivery outside off, Watling leaves it alone. |
| 91.5 : S Afridi to Watling, Fifth consecutive leave for Watling. Good length delivery outside off, the batsman lets it go again. |
| 91.6 : S Afridi to Watling, BEATEN! Good length delivery outside off, Watling looks to defend but misses it and gets beaten on this one. |
| 92.1 : H Ali to Somerville, Full outside off, Somerville drives it to covers. |
| 92.2 : H Ali to Somerville, Good length delivery outside off stump, Somerville lets it go. |
| 92.3 : H Ali to Somerville, Good length delivery again outside off, Somerville looks to drive but misses it and gets beaten on this one. |
| 92.4 : H Ali to Somerville, Full on off, Somerville looks to defend but gets an outside edge towards third slip where it falls just short of the fielder. |
| 92.5 : H Ali to Somerville, Good length delivery on off, the batsman defends off the back foot. |
| 92.6 : H Ali to Somerville, Length delivery on middle, Somerville looks to defend but gets hit on the thigh pad. |
| 93.1 : S Afridi to Watling, FOUR! Good shot. First boundary of the day. Full on off, Watling drives it through covers for a beautiful boundary. Watling is getting closer to his 50. |
| 93.2 : S Afridi to Watling, Good length delivery on off, Watling blocks it well. |
| 93.3 : S Afridi to Watling, Again on a good length on off, Watling defends off the back foot. |
| 93.4 : S Afridi to Watling, Good length delivery outside off, the batsman offers no shot. |
| 93.5 : S Afridi to Watling, Short outside off, Watling cuts it to point. |
| 93.6 : S Afridi to Watling, Good length delivery outside off, Watling offers no shot. |
| Yasir Shah is brought into the attack. |
| 94.1 : Y Shah to Somerville, Tossed up on middle, Somerville defends off the front foot. |
| 94.2 : Y Shah to Somerville, Flighted delivery on middle, the batsman keeps it out. |
| 94.3 : Y Shah to Somerville, Floated on middle, Somerville defends off the back foot. |
| 94.4 : Y Shah to Somerville, Good defense by Somerville. Not much turn on this one, William easily blocks it. |
| 94.5 : Y Shah to Somerville, Full on middle, Somerville drives it straight towards the bowler. |
| 94.6 : Y Shah to Somerville, Floated again on off, William defends off the back foot. |
| Hasan Ali comes to the attack. |
| 95.1 : H Ali to Watling, Length delivery around off, Watling taps it towards point. |
| 95.2 : H Ali to Watling, FOUR! Length delivery around off, BJ cuts it towards gully and the ball races away to the boundary. Brings up his 16th fifty. Gritty innings from the keeper. He played second fiddle to Williamson and played really well. He supported the captain when the team were down and out. He would like to take his team to a total of around 300. |
| 95.3 : H Ali to Watling, A tad fuller on middle, the batsman flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 95.4 : H Ali to Somerville, Some chin music from Hasan this time. Somerville nicely ducks underneath it. |
| 95.5 : H Ali to Somerville, Back of a length delivery on middle, the batsman defends it off the back foot. |
| 95.6 : H Ali to Somerville, Full on middle, Somerville defends it off front foot and onto the ground. |
| 96.1 : Y Shah to Watling, Flighted delivery on off, Watling rocks back and cuts it towards point for a single. |
| 96.2 : Y Shah to Somerville, Flighted delivery on off, Somerville offers a forward defense on this one. |
| 96.3 : Y Shah to Somerville, Flighted delivery on middle, Somerville keeps it out. |
| 96.4 : Y Shah to Somerville, Tossed up on off, the batsman keeps it out. |
| 96.5 : Y Shah to Somerville, Flighted delivery outside off, the batsman offers no shot. |
| 96.6 : Y Shah to Somerville, Tossed up on off, Somerville lets it go. |
| 97.1 : H Ali to Watling, Back of a length delivery on middle, BJ defends it from within the crease. |
| 97.2 : H Ali to Watling, Back of a length on middle, BJ defends it off the back foot. |
| 97.3 : H Ali to Watling, Full delivery on middle, the batsman drives it straight to the mid off fielder. |
| 97.4 : H Ali to Watling, Well directed bouncer from Ali. Watling nicely evades it. |
| 97.5 : H Ali to Watling, Consecutive bouncer from Hasan. BJ ducks underneath it. |
| 97.6 : H Ali to Watling, FOUR! CREAMED! In the channel outside off, BJ hangs back and cuts it towards point for a boundary. Good end to the over for the Kiwis. |
| 98.1 : Y Shah to Somerville, Full length delivery on middle, Somerville flicks it to the leg side. |
| 98.2 : Y Shah to Somerville, Flatter on middle, the batsman defends it off the back foot. |
| 98.3 : Y Shah to Somerville, Loopy delivery on middle, Somerville defends it with a straight bat., |
| 98.4 : Y Shah to Somerville, Similar delivery on middle, the batsman keeps it out. |
| 98.5 : Y Shah to Somerville, Lucky escape. Flighted delivery on middle, Somerville tries to flick it but gets a leading edge but falls just short of the cover fielder. |
| 98.6 : Y Shah to Somerville, Ends with a fuller delivery on middle, the batsman watchfully blocks it out. |
| Shaheen Afridi comes into the attack. |
| 99.1 : S Afridi to BJ Watling, A tad full on middle, BJ drives it towards covers for a single. |
| 99.2 : S Afridi to Somerville, Short of a length delivery outside off, the batsman lets it go. |
| 99.3 : S Afridi to Somerville, Bouncer this time from Afridi. Somerville gets into the position early and evades it. |
| 99.4 : S Afridi to Somerville, Back of a length around off, the batsman punches it off the back foot towards point. |
| 99.5 : S Afridi to Somerville, Short of a length around off, Somerville lets it go. |
| 99.6 : S Afridi to Somerville, Short again this time on middle and leg, the batsman defends it off the back foot. |
| 100.1 : Y Shah to Watling, Tossed up delivery on middle, BJ defends it with a straight bat. |
| 100.2 : Y Shah to Watling, Flighted delivery on middle, Watling defends it by presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 100.3 : Y Shah to Watling, Floats it up on middle, the batsman blocks it out. |
| 100.4 : Y Shah to Watling, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 100.5 : Y Shah to Watling, A tad quicker on middle, Watling plays it with a dead bat. |
| 100.6 : Y Shah to Watling, Full on middle, the batsman drives it towards covers for a run. |
| 101.1 : S Afridi to Watling, In the channel outside off, William lets it go. |
| 101.2 : S Afridi to Watling, Easy pickings there for Watling there. A bit fuller on middle and leg, the batsman flicks it towards mid-wicket. The batsman pick up easy three runs. |
| 101.3 : S Afridi to Somerville, Back of a length delivery on middle, Somerville defends it off the back foot. |
| 101.4 : S Afridi to Somerville, Bouncer from Afridi. William somehow manages to duck underneath it. |
| 101.5 : S Afridi to Somerville, Yorker this time from Shaheen. The batsman at the last moment digs it out. Good from the young fast bowler. |
| 101.6 : S Afridi to Somerville, Bouncer from Shaheen. William ducks it nicely underneath it. Ends a good over from Afridi. |
| 102.1 : Y Shah to Watling, Good delivery from Yasir. Nice loopy delivery on middle, Bj leans forward and tries to defend it. But gets an outside edge which falls just short of the first slip fielder. Lucky escape for Watling. |
| 102.2 : Y Shah to Somerville, Tossed up again around off, the batsman tries to drive it but misses it completely. |
| 102.3 : Y Shah to Somerville, Google this time from Yasir. Flatter on middle, William reads it and defends it off the back foot. |
| 102.4 : Y Shah to Somerville, Floats it up on middle, Somerville defends it by presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 102.5 : Y Shah to Somerville, A tad full on this occasion, the batsman drives it straight to mid off. |
| 102.6 : Y Shah to Somerville, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 103.1 : S Afridi to Watling, Good length delivery outside off, Watling offers no shot. |
| 103.2 : S Afridi to Watling, Length delivery on middle, Watling defends off the back foot. |
| 103.3 : S Afridi to Watling, Bowls a bouncer, Watling does well to duck under it. |
| 103.4 : S Afridi to Watling, Length delivery on middle, Watling looks to defend but gets it of the thigh pad. |
| 103.5 : S Afridi to Watling, BEATEN! Good length delivery on off, Watling looks to defend but misses it and gets beaten on this one. Good inward movement by Shaheen Afridi. |
| 103.6 : S Afridi to Watling, Good length delivery on middle, the batsman defends off the back foot. |
| Bilal Asif comes to the attack. |
| 104.1 : B Asif to Somerville, Full delivery on off, Somerville drives it to mid off. |
| 104.2 : B Asif to Somerville, Tossed up on off, Somerville blocks it well. |
| 104.3 : B Asif to Somerville, Flighted delivery on off, the batsman defends off the back foot. |
| 104.4 : B Asif to Somerville, Floated on leg, the batsman flicks it to the leg side. |
| 104.5 : B Asif to Somerville, Flighted delivery on leg, William pushes it to the leg side. |
| 104.6 : B Asif to Somerville, Tossed up on off, Somerville blocks it well. |
| 105.1 : S Afridi to Watling, Length delivery on middle, Watling defends off the back foot. |
| 105.2 : S Afridi to BJ Watling, 3000 Test runs for Watling.Length delivery on off, Watling drives it towards covers for a single. |
| 105.3 : S Afridi to Somerville, BEATEN! Length delivery on off, Somerville looks to drive but misses it and gets beaten on this one. |
| 105.4 : S Afridi to Somerville, BEATEN AGAIN! Good length delivery outside off, Somerville again goes for the drive but is beaten on this one. Excellent bowling by Shaheen Afridi. |
| 105.5 : S Afridi to Somerville, Bowls full on off, William plays it to covers. |
| 105.6 : S Afridi to Somerville, Good length delivery on middle, William defends off the back foot. |
| Drinks - It has been good first hour of play for the Kiwis. BJ Watling has played really well and scored his fifty. Somerville is nicely complementing him. The hosts have bowled well so far but not managed to get a wicket so far. |
| 106.1 : B Asif to Watling, Flighted delivery on middle, BJ flicks it to the leg side. |
| 106.2 : B Asif to Watling, A tad fuller around off, Watling tries to sweep it but did not get the connection he wanted and the ball goes towards leg slip. |
| 106.3 : B Asif to Watling, Tossed up delivery on middle,the batsman flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 106.4 : B Asif to Somerville, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 106.5 : B Asif to Somerville, OUT! TIMBER! Asif gets his man. It was bowled quicker and flatter on middle, William hangs back and tries to cut it. But he misses the ball completely and hits the middle stump. 3rd wicket for the offie. A good partnership comes to an end. |
| Ajaz Patel is the new man in. |
| 106.6 : B Asif to Patel, Floats it up outside off, Patel lets it go. |
| 107.1 : Y Shah to Watling, Flighted delivery on middle, BJ defends it off the front foot. |
| 107.2 : Y Shah to Watling, Flatter trajectory on middle, BJ punches it through covers for a couple of runs. |
| 107.3 : Y Shah to Watling, Again flatter on middle, the batsman cuts it towards point for a run. |
| 107.4 : Y Shah to Patel, Tossed up delivery down leg, Sarfraz fails to collect it and the ball goes towards fine leg. The batsmen gets easy runs. |
| 107.5 : Y Shah to Watling, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 107.6 : Y Shah to Watling, Fuller delivery on middle, BJ defends it with a straight bat. |
| 108.1 : B Asif to Patel, Flighted delivery on middle, Patel defends it with a straight bat. |
| 108.2 : B Asif to Patel, Tossed up delivery on middle, the batsman plays it with a dead bat. |
| 108.3 : B Asif to Patel, FOUR! SHOT! Nice loopy delivery on middle, Ajaz goes over mid on for a boundary. Aggression from Patel. |
| 108.4 : B Asif to Patel, FLlaots it up on middle, the batsman plays it with a dead bat. |
| 108.5 : B Asif to Patel, Gives it a bit of air outside off, Patel lets it go. |
| 108.6 : B Asif to Patel, Identical delivery, the batsman shoulders arms to it. |
| 109.1 : Y Shah to Watling, Fuller delivery on middle, BJ leans forward and pushes it towards point for a couple of runs. |
| 109.2 : Y Shah to Watling, Tossed up delivery on middle, the batsman drives it straight to the bowler. |
| 109.3 : Y Shah to Watling, On middle, Watling plays it with a dead bat. |
| 109.4 : Y Shah to Watling, Gives it a bit o air on middle, Watling tries to defend it off the front foot, but gets an inside edge on to the pads and the ball goes towards leg slip. |
| 109.5 : Y Shah to Watling, A Tad fuller on middle, Watling watchfully blocks it out. |
| 109.6 : Y Shah to Watling, Flatter trajectory on middle, the batsman hangs back and punches it off the back foot to point. |
| 110.1 : B Asif to Patel, Tosses it up on middle, the batter blocks it out. |
| 110.2 : B Asif to Patel, Flighted delivery on off, the batsman is solid in defense. |
| 110.3 : B Asif to Patel, On the stumps again, the batter keeps it out. |
| 110.4 : B Asif to Patel, This is on the pads, it is worked to the man at square leg. |
| 110.5 : B Asif to Patel, On the middle pole again, the batsman works it to mid-wicket. |
| 110.6 : B Asif to Patel, Tosses it above the eye line but it is bowled outside off, Patel makes a leave. |
| 111.1 : Y Shah to Watling, Quicker on middle, BJ drives it straight to the cover fielder. |
| 111.2 : Y Shah to Watling, Flighted delivery around off, Watling pushes it towards point. |
| 111.3 : Y Shah to Watling, Flatter around off, the batsman punches it off the back foot towards point for a run. |
| 111.4 : Y Shah to Patel, Floats it up on middle, Patel defends it with a straight bat. |
| 111.5 : Y Shah to Patel, A tad quicker on middle and leg, Patel flicks it towards square leg for a single. |
| 111.6 : Y Shah to Watling, Flatter trajectory on middle, Bj hangs back and tucks it straight to the short fine leg fielder. |
| 112.1 : B Asif to Patel, Nice loopy delivery on middle, Patel guides it towards third man for a single. |
| 112.2 : B Asif to Watling, Fuller delivery on middle, BJ defends it with a straight bat. |
| 112.3 : B Asif to Watling, Flaater on middle, the batsman works it to the leg side for a run. |
| 112.4 : B Asif to Patel, Tossed up delivery on middle, Patel defends it by presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 112.5 : B Asif to Patel, Identical delivery, Patel blocks it out. |
| 112.6 : B Asif to Patel, Loopy delivery around off, the batsman watchfully defends it. |
| 113.1 : Y Shah to Watling, Flighted delivery around off, BJ pushes it towards point. |
| 113.2 : Y Shah to Watling, Tossed up on middle, Watling leans forward and guides it towards point for a run. |
| 113.3 : Y Shah to Patel, Loopy delivery around off, Patel gets to the pitch of the ball and drives it towards mid off. |
| 113.4 : Y Shah to Patel, Flighted delivery around off, the ball spins back a bit. Patel leans forward and tries to defend it but was hit high on the pad and the ball lobs it to first slip. |
| 113.5 : Y Shah to Patel, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 113.6 : Y Shah to Patel, DROPPPED! Sharp chance but should have caught it. Floated delivery around off, Patel prods forward and tries to defend it but gets a inside edge and the ball goes straight to the short leg fielder who tries to grab it but could not hold on to it at the last moment. |
| 114.1 : B Asif to Watling, Slightly short and around off, Watling waits for the ball to do its bit and then works it towards fine leg for a run. |
| 114.2 : B Asif to Patel, OUT! EDGED AND TAKEN! Bilal has a four-fer. New Zealand are nine down now and Bilal has another 4 deliveries to get a fifer, also, he will have the last batsman on strike. This is tossed up around off, the ball pitches, turns away and also bounces a touch extra. Patel tries to defend but the ball takes the outside edge and goes into the hands Shafiq who takes it. |
| Trent Boult is the last batsman for the Kiwis. |
| 114.3 : B Asif to Boult, Nicely played by Boult. He walks right across and with the turn works it to mid-wicket. |
| 114.4 : B Asif to Boult, This is played even better than the last delivery. This is a loopy ball on off, Boult reaches out to it and strokes it to mid on. |
| 114.5 : B Asif to Boult, this is eased down to long on. Watling has no interest in going for a run. |
| 114.6 : B Asif to Boult, Another flighted ball on off, the batsman keeps it out. So Boult survives. |
| 115.1 : Y Shah to Watling, Fuller delivery from Yasir, BJ flicks it towards mid on. |
| 115.2 : Y Shah to Watling, Floated delivery on middle, Watling drives it towards mid off. The batsmen take a run. |
| 115.3 : Y Shah to Boult, Flighted delivery on middle, Trent defends it with a straight bat. |
| 115.4 : Y Shah to Boult, Sharp turn there. Nice loopy delivery around off, Boult tries to defend it off the front but the ball spins away from him. Luckily for him he did not get the outside edge of the bat. |
| 115.5 : Y Shah to Boult, Full on midddle, the batsman blocks it out. |
| 115.6 : Y Shah to T Boult, Gives it a bit of air on middle, Trent drives it towards mid off and they a take a run. |
| 116.1 : B Asif to Boult, OUT! TIMBER! Well floated delivery around off, the ball spins back a bit. Boult comes down the track and tries to whack it but misses he ball completely and the ball hits the middle stump. Fif-er for Bilal as he completely deserves it. There was a doubt before the match of selecting him but he makes full justice. BJ Watling would have like to Boult to hang on a bit he could not. Kiwis are all out for 274. |
| Bilal Asif walks off to a standing ovation and he deserves every bit of it. There were questions raised about his performances before the game but he has silenced the critics in style. Picks all the three wickets which had to be taken today and ends with a fifer. However, New Zealand have added 45 handy runs and they will surely be happy with where they are placed in the game. |
| The day started with BJ Watling and Somerville frustrating the Pakistanis. The latter blocked everything that came his way and the former was the one who did the job of scoring. The wicket-keeper got to his half ton and revived hopes of New Zealand getting to the 300-run mark. Bilal Asif though had different ideas as he ran through the tail. Pakistan though would feel they took longer than they would have liked to wrap the innings up. |
| A commendable effort in the end by New Zealand. Not many would have thought they would get to the total they have especially when they were reeling at 72-4. However, their skipper stepped up, he along with Watling first stitched a 104-run stand. Williamson perished 11 short of a ton but Watling continued with the tail and has helped New Zealand to put a competitive total on the board. |
| The Pakistan bowling began brilliantly as Yasir Shah ran through the top order. However, as Day 1 progressed the Pakistan bowling lost gas. |
| 0.1 : Tim Southee to Imam, Starts off with a fuller delivery down leg. Imam does not need to play at those. |
| 0.2 : Tim Southee to Imam, Length delivery outside off, Imam lets it leave. |
| 0.3 : Tim Southee to Imam, Identical delivery, the batsman shoulders arms to it. |
| 0.4 : Tim Southee to Imam, Fuller delivery on middle, Imam drives it sweetly but straight to the mid on fielder. |
| 0.5 : Tim Southee to Imam, Bowls it full down leg, Imam still tries to flick it but misses it completely. |
| 0.6 : Tim Southee to Imam, Back of a length delivery on middle, the batsman defends it off the back foot. |
| Trent Boult to bowl from the other end. |
| 1.1 : T Boult to Hafeez, Boult starts off with a length delivery around off, Hafeez taps it towards point. |
| 1.2 : T Boult to Hafeez, Fuller delivery on middle, the batsman defends it with a straight bat. |
| 1.3 : T Boult to Hafeez, In the channel outside off, Hafeez lets it go. |
| Has the catch been taken cleanly? Hafeez is the man in question here. Kiwis are confident. Soft signal is OUT. |
| 1.4 : T Boult to Hafeez, OUT! Yes, it is clean as a whistle! Early Breakthrough for the Kiwis. Ideal start for them. Boult lands it on a Good length delivery around off and angles it away. Hafeez pokes at it and gets an outside edge. The ball goes low towards the second slip fielder. Southee there, dives forward and he seems to have taken it. Hafeez though feels the catch is not clean and stands his ground. The umpires are not sure and they have taken it upstairs. The soft signal is OUT. Time for |
| New Zealand's session it has been. They added vital 45 runs first and have also dismissed Hafeez for a duck. The visitors are right on top at the moment. They also have momentum on their side and would like to continue the same after the break. Pakistan on the other hand, are under pressure at the moment. They need a couple of partnerships after the break. Will the hosts fightback after Lunch or will the visitors chip away with the wickets? |
| ... Day 2, Session 2 ... |
| The umpires and players are out in the middle. Azhar Ali is the new batsman at the crease. Boult will continue with his over after Lunch. |
| 1.5 : T Boult to Ali, Boult goes for the fuller delivery around off, Ali leans forward and drives it towards covers. |
| 1.6 : T Boult to Ali, Length delivery on middle, Azhar taps it towards point. |
| 2.1 : Tim Southee to Imam, Fuller delivery around off, Imam defends it with a straight bat. |
| 2.2 : Tim Southee to Imam, Fuller delivery on middle, the batsman flicks it to the leg side. |
| 2.3 : Tim Southee to Imam, Short of a length around off. Imam nicely evades it. |
| 2.4 : Tim Southee to Imam, Fuller length on off, Imam leans forward and drives it towards covers. |
| 2.5 : Tim Southee to Imam, In the channel outside off, the batsman shoulders arms to it. |
| 2.6 : Tim Southee to Imam, FOUR! Streaky. Full length delivery on middle, Imam tries to defend it but gets a thick outside edge and the ball goes towards vacant third slip area for a boundary. First boundary of the innings. |
| 3.1 : T Boult to Ali, Length delivery outside off, Ali lets it go. |
| 3.2 : T Boult to Ali, A tad fuller on middle and leg, the batsman flicks it but straight to the square leg fielder. |
| 3.3 : T Boult to Ali, Good delivery that. Length delivery just around off. Ali stands firm on the crease and lets it go to the keeper. |
| 3.4 : T Boult to Ali, Fuller length around off, Ali pushes it towards cover. |
| 3.5 : T Boult to Ali, Back of a length on middle, Azhar defends it from within the crease. |
| 3.6 : T Boult to Ali, Strays on his pads, Ali misses the flick and was hit on the pad and the ball goes towards fine leg. The Batsmen take a run. |
| 4.1 : Tim Southee to Ali, Length delivery on middle, Ali defends it from within the crease. |
| 4.2 : Tim Southee to Ali, Full around middle and leg, Azhar flicks it through square leg for a three runs. |
| 4.3 : Tim Southee to Imam, Back of a length on middle, Imam defends it with a straight bat. |
| 4.4 : Tim Southee to Imam, In the channel around off, Imam shoulders arms to it. |
| 4.5 : Tim Southee to Imam, FOUR! Short and wide outside off, Imam hangs back and cuts it through point for a boundary. That ball deserved a boundary. |
| 4.6 : Tim Southee to Imam, Fuller delivery on middle, Imam pushes it towards point for a single. |
| 5.1 : T Boult to Imam, FOUR BYES! Some chin music from Boult this time. The ball skids off the wicket and Imam had no time to duck it and hits him on the helmet and the ball goes towards fine leg for a boundary. |
| 5.2 : T Boult to Imam, OUT! Boult gets his second. Good game plan by Boult here. Imam was hit on the ball before and Boult wanted him to be on the backfoot and that gave him the wicket on the next ball. Lovely length delivery on middle, Imam leans forward, gets a thick outside edge of the ball and the ball goes straight to the third slip fielder Tim Southee who takes another brilliant catch. Two quick wickets from the lefty. |
| Haris Sohail is the new batsman in. |
| 5.3 : T Boult to Sohail, Bouncer from Boult. Sohail nicely evades it. |
| 5.4 : T Boult to Sohail, Around off, the batsman lets it go. |
| 5.5 : T Boult to Sohail, Drifts on his pads, Haris flicks it towards square leg but straight to the fielder. |
| 5.6 : T Boult to Sohail, Fuller on mdidle, Haris defends it off the front foot and on to the ground. |
| 6.1 : Tim Southee to Ali, Full delivery on leg, Azhar flicks it to short mid-wicket. |
| 6.2 : Tim Southee to Ali, Good length delivery outside off, Azhar offers no shot. |
| 6.3 : Tim Southee to Ali, FOUR! Poor delivery from Southee. Full on the pads, Azhar flicks it towards fine leg for a boundary. |
| 6.4 : Tim Southee to Ali, Full delivery on leg, Azhar flicks it to the leg side. |
| 6.5 : Tim Southee to Ali, Length delivery on middle, the batsman flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 6.6 : Tim Southee to Ali, Good length delivery outside off, the batsman offers no shot. |
| 7.1 : T Boult to Sohail, Full on middle, Sohail flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 7.2 : T Boult to Ali, Length delivery on middle, Azhar looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 7.3 : T Boult to Ali, Full outside off, Azhar drives it through covers. The fielder chases and makes a comfortable stop. The batsmen get three runs. |
| 7.4 : T Boult to Sohail, Length delivery on leg, Sohail flicks it towards mid-wicket. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 7.5 : T Boult to Sohail, Length delivery on off, Sohail cuts it towards point. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 7.6 : T Boult to Sohail, Length delivery again on off, Sohail cuts it towards point. The batsmen pick up a couple. 10 runs came of this over. A big over for Pakistan. |
| Colin De Grandhomme is brought on to the attack. |
| 8.1 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Good length delivery outside off, Azhar lets it go. |
| 8.2 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Again on a good length outside off, Azhar shoulders his arms to this one. |
| 8.3 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Bowls a length delivery on leg, Azhar flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 8.4 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Good length delivery outside off, Azhar offers no shot. |
| 8.5 : de Grandhomme to Ali, FOUR! Good shot. Full outside off, Azhar drives it firmly through cover-point for a boundary. |
| 8.6 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Good length delivery on off, the batsman defends off the back foot. |
| 9.1 : T Boult to Sohail, Good length delivery on off, Sohail defends off the back foot. |
| 9.2 : T Boult to Sohail, Good length delivery outside off, the batsman lets it go. |
| 9.3 : T Boult to Sohail, Bowls a bouncer, Sohail does well to duck under it. |
| 9.4 : T Boult to Sohail, Good length delivery outside off, Sohail lets it go. |
| 9.5 : T Boult to Sohail, Length delivery on off, Sohail cuts it towards point for a single. |
| 9.6 : T Boult to Ali, Good length delivery on off, Azhar defends off the front foot. |
| 10.1 : de Grandhomme to Sohail, Good length deliver moving away from the batsman and Sohail lets it go. |
| 10.2 : de Grandhomme to Sohail, Good length delivery around off, Sohail defends it off his back foot. |
| 10.3 : de Grandhomme to Sohail, In the channel around off, Harris offers no shot. |
| 10.4 : de Grandhomme to H Sohail, Length delivery on off, Sohail leans forward and tries to drive it, but gets an inside edge on to it and the ball goes towards fine leg for a run. |
| 10.5 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Length delivery on middle, Ali opens the face of the bat and guides it towards gully for a couple of runs. |
| de Grandhomme to Ali, Around off, Azhar shoulders arms to it. |
| 10.6 : de Grandhomme to Ali, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 11.1 : T Boult to Sohail, Length delivery on off, Sohail drives it through covers. The fielder makes an excellent stop just before the ropes. The batsmen get three runs. |
| 11.2 : T Boult to Ali, Good length delivery on middle, Azhar defends off the back foot. |
| 11.3 : T Boult to Ali, Length delivery on leg, Azhar flicks it towards the leg side for a single. |
| 11.4 : T Boult to Sohail, Good length delivery on middle, Sohail defends off the back foot. |
| 11.5 : T Boult to Sohail, FOUR! Best shot of the morning. Full on off, Sohail drives it through mid off for a boundary. |
| 11.6 : T Boult to Sohail, Length delivery on leg, Sohail flicks it through mid-wicket. The batsmen get three runs. |
| 12.1 : de Grandhomme to Sohail, Good length delivery outside off, Sohail offers no shot. |
| 12.2 : de Grandhomme to Sohail, Full on off, Sohail drives it straight back towards the bowler. |
| 12.3 : de Grandhomme to Sohail, Length delivery on off, Sohail cuts it towards point for a single. |
| 12.4 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Full delivery on off, Azhar drives it to covers. |
| 12.5 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Full again on off, the batsman plays it to covers. |
| 12.6 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Good length delivery outside off, Azhar shoulders his arms to this one. |
| Ajaz Patel is brought in to the attack. |
| 13.1 : A Patel to Sohail, Full on middle, Sohail flicks it towards mid on for a single. |
| 13.2 : A Patel to Ali, Tossed up on off, Azhar drives it to short cover. |
| 13.3 : A Patel to A Ali, Flighted delivery on off, Azhar drives it between the gap of short cover and cover. Excellent placement from Azhar Ali. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 13.4 : A Patel to A Ali, Floated on middle, Azhar hits it to mid on. |
| 13.5 : A Patel to Ali, Tossed up on middle, the batsman flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 13.6 : A Patel to Ali, Loopy delivery on off, Azhar defends off the front foot. |
| 14.1 : de Grandhomme to Sohail, Fuller outside off, Haris pushes it towards point. |
| 14.2 : de Grandhomme to Sohail, Fuller again on middle, Sohail drives it straight to the mid off fielder. |
| 14.3 : de Grandhomme to Sohail, In the channel outside off, HS lets it go. |
| 14.4 : de Grandhomme to Sohail, Back of a length on middle, the batsman defends it with a straight bat. |
| 14.5 : de Grandhomme to Sohail, Around off, Haris shoulders arms to it. |
| 14.6 : de Grandhomme to Sohail, A tad fuller on his occasion, the batsman pushes it to the point region. |
| Drinks! |
| 15.1 : A Patel to Ali, Flighted delivery on middle, Azhar keeps it out. |
| 15.2 : A Patel to Ali, Flighted delivery on middle, Azhar plays a paddle sweep towards fine leg. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 15.3 : A Patel to Ali, Tossed up on middle, Azhar defends off the front foot. |
| 15.4 : A Patel to Ali, Gives a bit of air, Azhar blocks it well. |
| 15.5 : A Patel to Ali, Floated on off, Azhar defends off the front foot. |
| 15.6 : A Patel to Ali, Tossed up on off, the batsman blocks it well. |
| William Somerville, the debutant, is brought on. |
| 16.1 : W Somerville to Sohail, Starts off with a quicker delivery around off, Haris lets it go. |
| 16.2 : W Somerville to Sohail, Flighted delivery on middle, the batsman defends it with a straight bat. |
| 16.3 : W Somerville to Sohail, Tossed up around off, Haris offers no shot to it. |
| 16.4 : W Somerville to Sohail, A tad fuller on middle, Sohail pushes it towards cover for a run. |
| 16.5 : W Somerville to Ali, Drifts on his pads, Ali has tucks it to the leg side. |
| 16.6 : W Somerville to A Ali, Quicker on middle, Azhar flicks it towards mid on for a single. Good start by the debutant. He just needs to slower his pace here. The more he bowls slower he might get purchase from this wicket. |
| 17.1 : A Patel to Ali, Works it with the angle to the man at mid-wicket. |
| 17.2 : A Patel to Ali, Nicely tossed up on off, Ali defends it. |
| 17.3 : A Patel to Ali, The batsman lets the ball go outside his off stump. |
| 17.4 : A Patel to Ali, This is fired on off, it pitches and straightens a touch. Ali gets right behind the line and blocks it out. |
| 17.5 : A Patel to Ali, This is tossed up on middle, Ali tries to drive it with the turn through the off side but gets it off the inner half towards the bowler. |
| 17.6 : A Patel to Ali, Very full again and it is driven back to the bowler. Patel was guilty of bowling too full in this over, just like William, he too needs to slow it up a bit and drag his length back. |
| 18.1 : W Somerville to Sohail, Tossed up delivery on middle, Haris defends it with a straight bat. |
| 18.2 : W Somerville to Sohail, Slower through the air this time, Haris pushes it towards point. |
| 18.3 : W Somerville to Sohail, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 18.4 : W Somerville to Sohail, Flighted delivery on middle, Haris defends it by presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 18.5 : W Somerville to Sohail, FOUR! Good timing on this occasion. It was a tad full on middle, Haris drives it straight past the bowler and the ball races away to the boundary. |
| 18.6 : W Somerville to Sohail, Flatter on middle, the batsman keeps it out. |
| 19.1 : A Patel to A Ali, Flighted delivery on middle, Azhar drives it to mid off. |
| 19.2 : A Patel to Ali, Tossed up on off, Azhar defends off the front foot. |
| 19.3 : A Patel to Ali, Flighted delivery on off, Azhar defends off the front foot. |
| 19.4 : A Patel to Ali, Flighted delivery on middle, Azhar hits it straight towards the bowler. |
| 19.5 : A Patel to Ali, Floated on off, Azhar cuts it to point. |
| 19.6 : A Patel to Ali, FOUR! Good shot. Tossed up again on middle, Azhar sweeps it hard and fine towards the boundary. That brings up the 50 partnership between Azhar Ali and Haris Sohail. A much-needed partnership for Pakistan after they were two down in no time. Pakistan trail by 207 runs. |
| 20.1 : W Somerville to Sohail, Flighted delivery around off, Haris defends it by presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 20.2 : W Somerville to Sohail, Slower outside off, Sohail lets it go. |
| 20.3 : W Somerville to Sohail, Identical delivery, Haris decides not to play at that. |
| 20.4 : W Somerville to Sohail, A tad quicker around off, Haris taps it towards point. |
| 20.5 : W Somerville to Sohail, Flatter on middle, HS hangs back and punches it off the backfoot towards point. |
| 20.6 : W Somerville to Sohail, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. Maiden for the debutant. |
| 21.1 : A Patel to Ali, Flighted on middle, Ali defends it with a straight bat. |
| 21.2 : A Patel to Ali, A tad fuller on middle, Ali goes down on one knee and paddles it through fine leg for a single. |
| 21.3 : A Patel to Sohail, Flatter this time around off, the batsman hangs back and punches it through point for a couple of runs. |
| 21.4 : A Patel to H Sohail, Fuller on middle, Haris flicks it towards mid on for a run. |
| 21.5 : A Patel to Ali, Slower through the air on middle, Ali tries to push it towards point but gets an inside edge onto it and hits the pad. |
| 21.6 : A Patel to Ali, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 22.1 : W Somerville to Sohail, Bowls full on middle, Sohail blocks it well. |
| 22.2 : W Somerville to Sohail, Tossed up on middle, Sohail defends off the back foot. |
| 22.3 : W Somerville to Sohail, Flighted delivery on off, Sohail defends off the front foot. |
| 22.4 : W Somerville to Sohail, Gives it a bit of air, the batsman cuts it to point. |
| 22.5 : W Somerville to Sohail, Short on off, Sohail cuts it to point. |
| 22.6 : W Somerville to Sohail, Floated on off, Sohail drives it to mid off. |
| 23.1 : A Patel to Ali, Full on middle, Azhar hits it to mid on. |
| 23.2 : A Patel to Ali, Short on off, Azhar makes room and cuts it to point. |
| 23.3 : A Patel to Ali, Short again on off, Azhar cuts it to point. |
| Umpire goes upstairs to check for a run out appeal. Sohail is the man in question here. He seems relaxed, however, you can be sure with direct hits. |
| 23.4 : A Patel to Sohail, NOT OUT! Tossed up on middle, Azhar flicks it to mid-wicket. The non-striker is halfway down but is sent back by Azhar Ali. There was a direct hit but the players appeal. The umpire takes it upstairs and Sohail is well in. There was never a single there. Run out is the last thing Pakistan would want. |
| 23.5 : A Patel to Ali, Flighted delivery on off, the batsman defends off the front foot. |
| 23.6 : A Patel to Ali, Tossed up on off, Azhar blocks it well. |
| 24.1 : W Somerville to Sohail, Flighted delivery on middle, Haris defends it with the straight bat. |
| 24.2 : W Somerville to Sohail, Slower through the air on middle, Sohail tries to go for the drive but it spins away as he misses the shot completely. First signs of spin here. |
| 24.3 : W Somerville to Sohail, Back of a length on middle, Haris defends it from within the crease. |
| 24.4 : W Somerville to Sohail, A tad fuller on middle, the batsman plays it with a dead bat. |
| 24.5 : W Somerville to Sohail, Flatter on middle, Haris defends it by presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 24.6 : W Somerville to Sohail, Around off, the batsman lets it go. |
| Tim Southee is back on. |
| 25.1 : Tim Southee to Ali, Starts off his new spell with a length delivery around off, Ali offers no shot. |
| 25.2 : Tim Southee to Ali, Identical delivery, the batsman lets it go. |
| 25.3 : Tim Southee to Ali, Length delivery on middle, Azhar defends it with a straight bat. |
| 25.4 : Tim Southee to Ali, LEG BYE! Drifts on his pads, Azhar tries to flick it but was hit on the pad and the ball goes towards fine leg for a run. |
| 25.5 : Tim Southee to H Sohail, Fuller on middle, Haris drives it straight to the cover fielder. |
| 25.6 : Tim Southee to Sohail, Length delivery on middle, Haris defends it off the front and onto the ground. |
| 26.1 : W Somerville to Ali, Tossed up on middle, Azhar defends off the front foot. |
| 26.2 : W Somerville to Ali, Tossed up on middle, Azhar comes forward and defends it. |
| 26.3 : W Somerville to Ali, Flighted delivery on off, the batsman keeps it out. |
| 26.4 : W Somerville to Ali, Floated on middle, Azhar drives it towards mid on for a single. |
| 26.5 : W Somerville to Sohail, Loopy delivery outside off, Sohail lets it go. |
| 26.6 : W Somerville to Sohail, Flighted delivery on middle, Sohail flicks it to the leg side. |
| 27.1 : Tim Southee to Ali, Good length delivery outside off, Azhar lets it go. |
| 27.2 : Tim Southee to Ali, Good length delivery on off, the batsman defends off the back foot. |
| 27.3 : Tim Southee to Ali, LEG BYE! Length delivery on middle, Azhar looks to flick but goes off the pads towards square leg. The batsmen take a run. |
| 27.4 : Tim Southee to Sohail, Good length delivery outside off, Sohail lets it go. |
| 27.5 : Tim Southee to Sohail, Full on middle, Sohail drives it to mid on where the fielder makes an excellent stop diving to his right. |
| 27.6 : Tim Southee to Sohail, BEATEN! Length delivery outside off, Sohail looks to cut but misses it and gets beaten on this one. |
| 28.1 : W Somerville to Ali, Fuller on middle and leg, Azhar tucks it to the leg side for a run. |
| 28.2 : W Somerville to Sohail, Flighted delivery on middle, Haris defends it with a straight bat. |
| 28.3 : W Somerville to Sohail, Flatter on middle, Haris hangs back and punches it off the back foot towards point. |
| 28.4 : W Somerville to Sohail, Flatter again, Haris punches it towards point for a single. |
| 28.5 : W Somerville to Ali, A tad fuller on middle and leg, Ali flicks it to the on side for a run. |
| 28.6 : W Somerville to Sohail, Around off, the batsman shoulders arms to it. |
| 29.1 : Tim Southee to Ali, Back of a length on middle, Ali punches it off the back foot towards point. |
| 29.2 : Tim Southee to Ali, Southee goes short this time on middle, Azhar pulls it towards fine leg for a single. |
| 29.3 : Tim Southee to Sohail, Superb delivery that. Length delivery angling across, Haris tries to push at it but missed the ball completely. |
| 29.4 : Tim Southee to Sohail, In the channel around off, Sohail lets it go. |
| 29.5 : Tim Southee to Sohail, Tim bowls it way outside off. HS does not need to play at those. |
| 29.6 : Tim Southee to H Sohail, Fuller on middle, the batsman drives it straight to the mid off fielder. |
| 30.1 : W Somerville to A Ali, Flighted delivery on off, Azhar looks to defend but gets an outside edge towards third man. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 30.2 : W Somerville to Ali, Full on middle, Azhar drives it towards mid on for a run. |
| 30.3 : W Somerville to Sohail, Flighted delivery on off, Haris defends off the back foot. |
| 30.4 : W Somerville to Sohail, Floated on off, Sohail blocks it well. |
| 30.5 : W Somerville to Sohail, Flighted delivery outside off, Sohail shoulders arms to this one. |
| 30.6 : W Somerville to Sohail, Tossed up on off, Sohail defends off the back foot. THAT IS TEA ON DAY 2. |
| The first session was dominated by New Zealand and the second one has been dominated by the hosts. It did not start for them in the best of manner as they lost Imam early. Azhar Ali and Haris Sohail though are steadying the ship. They are amidst a 64-run stand and both look well-set out there. The two will need to continue however, as Pakistan still trail by another 193 runs. |
| The Kiwi bowlers did give it their all but the wicket seems to have eased out a little. Also, the spinners of New Zealand may not be bowling at the right pace as they haven't got a lot of purchase from the surface. New Zealand need to break this partnership as quickly as possible. Who will take the last session? Join us in a few minutes to find out. |
| ... Day 2, Session 3 ... |
| We are back after the Tea break. The umpires and the players are out in the middle. Haris Sohail and Azhar Ali are at the crease. Ajaz Patel to start the proceedings after Tea break. |
| 31.1 : A Patel to Ali, Tossed up on off, Azhar defends off the front foot. |
| 31.2 : A Patel to Ali, Flighted delivery on middle, Azhar looks to defend but gets a leading edge. |
| 31.3 : A Patel to Ali, Short on off, Azhar cuts it to point. |
| 31.4 : A Patel to Ali, Tossed up on middle, Azhar comes forward and defends it. |
| 31.5 : A Patel to Ali, Floated on middle, Azhar blocks it well. |
| 31.6 : A Patel to Ali, Tossed up on off, the batsman defends off the front foot. |
| Tim Southee to bowl from the other end. |
| 32.1 : Tim Southee to Sohail, Wide outside off, Sohail lets it go. |
| 32.2 : Tim Southee to Sohail, Again wide outside off, Sohail offers no shot. |
| 32.3 : Tim Southee to Sohail, Back of a length delivery on off, Sohail defends off the front foot. |
| 32.4 : Tim Southee to Sohail, Good length delivery again outside off, Sohail shoulders his arms to this one. |
| 32.5 : Tim Southee to Sohail, Length delivery on off, Sohail cuts it towards point for a single. |
| 32.6 : Tim Southee to Ali, Wide outside off, Azhar offers no shot. |
| 33.1 : A Patel to Sohail, Tossed up on off, Sohail looks to cut but it turned in middle and it goes towards point. Azhar Ali was late to respond and they get the single. |
| 33.2 : A Patel to Ali, Flighted delivery on middle, Azhar blocks it well. |
| 33.3 : A Patel to Ali, Full on off, Azhar drives it straight back towards the bowler. |
| 33.4 : A Patel to Ali, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 33.5 : A Patel to Ali, Tossed up outside off, Azhar lets it go. |
| 33.6 : A Patel to A Ali, Flighted delivery on off, Azhar drives it to mid off. |
| 34.1 : Tim Southee to Sohail, Length delivery outside off and Sohail lets it go. |
| 34.2 : Tim Southee to Sohail, Length delivery this time on the line of the stumps, Sohail defends off his front foot. |
| 34.3 : Tim Southee to Sohail, A well directed bouncer by Southee, Sohail ducks underneath it. |
| 34.4 : Tim Southee to H Sohail, Good length delivery around off and Sohail punches it towards covers for a couple of a runs. |
| 34.5 : Tim Southee to Sohail, OUT! EDGED AND TAKEN! Loose, very loose from Haris Sohail there. He has thrown away the start he got off to. He walks back disgusted and rightly so. This was short and wide outside off. Sohail probably should have left the delivery but he throws his bat at it. The ball takes the edge and goes into the mitts off Watling. He takes it, appeals and the umpire raises his finger. End of the 68-run stand and an early wicket after the break, just what they would have wanted. |
| Asad Shafiq is the next man in for Pakistan. |
| 34.6 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Good length on off, Shafiq keeps it out. |
| Trent Boult is the next bowler in. |
| 35.1 : T Boult to Ali,Length delivery outside off and Azhar doesn't disturb the ball |
| 35.2 : T Boult to Ali, Length delivery on the off stump, Azhar blocks it on the front foot. |
| 35.3 : T Boult to Ali, Length delivery outside off, Azhar is not tempted to drive it. |
| 35.4 : T Boult to Ali, Inside edge and the ball goes towards fine leg for a single. The ball was pitched on a good length and luckily Azhar's edge doesn't go on to hit the stumps. |
| 35.5 : T Boult to Shafiq, Boult drifts on his pads, Shafiq tickles it to the square leg fielder. |
| 35.6 : T Boult to Shafiq, Wide down the leg side, Shafiq does not need to play at those. |
| 36.1 : Tim Southee to Ali, Good length delivery on off, Azhar defends off the back foot. |
| 36.2 : Tim Southee to Ali, Short delivery on middle, Azhar pulls it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 36.3 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Good length delivery on off, Shafiq defends off the back foot. |
| 36.4 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Full on middle, Shafiq flicks it towards mid-wicket. Two runs taken. |
| 36.5 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Length delivery on off, Shafiq blocks it well. |
| 36.6 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Good length delivery on middle, Shafiq defends off the back foot. |
| 37.1 : T Boult to Ali, Length delivery on leg, Azhar flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 37.2 : T Boult to Shafiq, Bowls a bouncer, Shafiq does well to duck under it. |
| 37.3 : T Boult to Shafiq, Good length delivery on off, Shafiq defends off the front foot. |
| 37.4 : T Boult to Shafiq, Wide outside off, Shafiq lets it go. |
| 37.5 : T Boult to Shafiq, Again wide outside off, Shafiq offers no shot. |
| 37.6 : T Boult to Shafiq, Comes back with the angle, Shafiq flicks it to short mid-wicket. |
| 38.1 : Tim Southee to Ali, Length delivery pitched outside off, the ball moves in after pitching. defended on the back foot by Ali. |
| 38.2 : Tim Southee to Ali, Bowled short and pulled away comfortably by Ali towards square leg for a single. It was not a well-directed bouncer by Southee. |
| 38.3 : Tim Southee to A Shafiq, Length delivery outside off, Shafiq cuts it towards the point region. |
| 38.4 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Bouncer. A better directed bouncer this time from Boult. Shafiq ducks underneath it. |
| 38.5 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Shafiq has punched the ball off the backfoot. |
| 38.6 : Tim Southee to Shafiq,Full this time and the ball has been defended on the front foot by Shafiq. |
| 39.1 : T Boult to Ali, Length delivery on middle, Azhar taps it to covers. |
| 39.2 : T Boult to Ali, Bowls a bouncer, Azhar ducks underneath it. |
| 39.3 : T Boult to Ali, Good length delivery outside off, Azhar looks to pull but gets a low bounce and goes to the keeper. |
| 39.4 : T Boult to Ali, Again on a good length on off, Azhar defends off the front foot. |
| 39.5 : T Boult to A Ali, Short of a length delivery outside off, Azhar cuts it towards point. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 39.6 : T Boult to Ali, Length delivery on leg, Azhar flicks it towards the leg side for a run. |
| 40.1 : Tim Southee to Ali, Good length delivery outside off, Azhar lets it go. |
| 40.2 : Tim Southee to Ali, Good length delivery on off, Azhar defends off the front foot. |
| 40.3 : Tim Southee to A Ali, Bowls short of a length delivery, Azhar pulls it towards square leg for a single. |
| 40.4 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Full on leg, Shafiq flicks it towards fine leg. Two runs taken. Good running between the wickets. |
| 40.5 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Length delivery on off, Shafiq blocks it well. |
| 40.6 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Wide outside off, the batsman lets it go. |
| 41.1 : T Boult to Ali, Length delivery on middle and leg, Azhar tickles it to fine leg for a single. |
| 41.2 : T Boult to Shafiq, Full on off, Shafiq drives it to mid off. |
| 41.3 : T Boult to Shafiq, Full outside off, Shafiq drives it towards covers for a single. |
| 41.4 : T Boult to Ali, Length delivery on off, Azhar looks to defend but gets it off the toe end of the bat. |
| 41.5 : T Boult to Ali, Wide outside off, Azhar offers no shot. |
| 41.6 : T Boult to Ali, Full on off, the batsman drives it to mid off. |
| Colin de Grandhomme comes to the attack. |
| 42.1 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, The batsman shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 42.2 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, Wide outside off, Shafiq lets it go. |
| 42.3 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, Length delivery on middle, Shafiq flicks it towards square leg for a single. 100 up for Pakistan. They trail by another 173 runs. |
| 42.4 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Good length delivery on off, Azhar defends off the back foot. |
| 42.5 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Length delivery on off, Azhar drives it towards covers for a single. |
| 42.6 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, Length delivery on leg, Shafiq flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 43.1 : T Boult to Ali, Full length pitching outside off, the ball moves in a bit but Azhar defends off his front foot with ease. |
| 43.2 : T Boult to Ali, Length delivery, the batsman defends with a straight bat. |
| 43.3 : T Boult to Ali, Length delivery on middle and leg, flicked away by Azhar towards square leg for a single. |
| 43.4 : T Boult to Shafiq, Back off a length around off, Shafiq taps it towards point. |
| 43.5 : T Boult to Shafiq, Full on middle, Shafiq keeps it out. |
| 43.6 : T Boult to Shafiq, Identical delivery, Asad blocks it out. |
| 44.1 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Full down the leg side, Azhar still goes after it. |
| 44.2 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Full on middle, Azhar flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 44.3 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, Good length delivery outside off, Shafiq offers no shot. |
| 44.4 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, Length delivery on off, Shafiq defends off the front foot. |
| 44.5 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, Full on middle, Shafiq hits it straight towards the bowler where de Grandhomme fails to collect it cleanly. |
| 44.6 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, Length delivery on off, Shafiq looks to drive but gets a bottom edge towards point. |
| Drinks - An even hour of play for both the teams. After an early set back, Kiwis have managed to keep it tight. They will be little bit happier after picking up the wicket of Haris Sohail. New Zealand would like to pick up couple of wickets before the end of play. |
| Ajaz Patel is back on. |
| 45.1 : A Patel to Ali, Tossed up on leg, Azhar flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 45.2 : A Patel to Shafiq, Flighted delivery on middle, Shafiq defends off the front foot. |
| 45.3 : A Patel to Shafiq, Tossed up on middle, the batsman defends off the back foot. |
| 45.4 : A Patel to Shafiq, Floated on middle, Shafiq keeps it out. |
| 45.5 : A Patel to Shafiq, Flighted delivery on middle, the batsman defends off the back foot. |
| 45.6 : A Patel to Shafiq, Full on off, Shafiq drives it to covers. |
| 46.1 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Full on off, Azhar drives it towards covers for a single. |
| 46.2 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, Length delivery on middle, Shafiq blocks it well. |
| 46.3 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, Length delivery on off, the batsman defends off the back foot. |
| 46.4 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, Length delivery on middle, Shafiq flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 46.5 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, Good length delivery on off, Shafiq defends off the front foot. |
| 46.6 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, Good length delivery on middle, Shafiq easily keeps it out. |
| 47.1 : A Patel to Ali, Tosses it up on middle, Ali flicks it towards fine leg for a single. |
| 47.2 : A Patel to Shafiq, Flatter on middle, the batsman punches it off the back foot towards point for a run. |
| 47.3 : A Patel to Ali, Drifts on his pads, Ali works it to the on side for a run. Brings up his 32nd fifty. Brilliant innings so far from Azhar. He needs to make this count and score a big one now. |
| 47.4 : A Patel to Shafiq, Fuller on middle, the batsman flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 47.5 : A Patel to Shafiq, Slower through the air on middle, Asad defends it off the front foot. |
| 47.6 : A Patel to Shafiq, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 48.1 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Some chin music from Colin. Azhar nicely ducks underneath it. |
| 48.2 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Second bouncer on the trot from the bowler, Ali evades it. |
| 48.3 : de Grandhomme to Ali, In the channel around off, Ali lets it go. |
| 48.4 : de Grandhomme to Ali, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 48.5 : de Grandhomme to Ali, A tad fuller on middle, Ali drives it past the bowler but a good stop on the mid on region by the fielder. He saves a certain boundary. |
| 48.6 : de Grandhomme to Ali, FOUR! Delightful shot. Fuller delivery from Colin, Azhar drives it nicely past the bowler and the ball races away to the boundary. This time the mid on fielder had no chance of cutting that down. |
| 49.1 : A Patel to Shafiq, Tossed up on off, Shafiq defends off the front foot. |
| 49.2 : A Patel to Shafiq, Flighted delivery on off, Shafiq keeps it out. |
| 49.3 : A Patel to Shafiq, Floated on middle, Shafiq defends off the back foot. Shafiq wanted the single but he is rightly sent back by Azhar Ali. |
| 49.4 : A Patel to Shafiq, FOUR! Poor delivery from Ajaz Patel. Short on off, Shafiq cuts it through point for a boundary. |
| 49.5 : A Patel to Shafiq, Tossed up on off, Shafiq sweeps it towards square leg for a single. |
| 49.6 : A Patel to Ali, Floated on middle, Azhar defends off the back foot. |
| 50.1 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, Length delivery around off, Asad taps it towards point. |
| 50.2 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, Fuller delivery on middle, the batsman defends it with a straight bat. |
| 50.3 : de Grandhomme to A Shafiq, A tad fuller on middle, Shafiq flicks it towards mid on. |
| 50.4 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, Length delivery around off, the batmsan tries to cut but the ball hits the inside half of the bat and it goes towards off side. |
| 50.5 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, Back of a length on off, Asad tries to cut it but misses it. |
| 50.6 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, Outside off, the batsman lets it go. |
| 51.1 : A Patel to Ali, Tossed up on middle, Ali sweeps it fine through fine leg for a couple of runs. |
| 51.2 : A Patel to Ali, Flighted delivery around off, Ali lets it go. |
| 51.3 : A Patel to Ali, Flatter and quicker on middle, Azhar punches it off the back foot towards point for a single. |
| 51.4 : A Patel to Shafiq, On middle, the batsman plays it with a dead bat. |
| 51.5 : A Patel to Shafiq, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 51.6 : A Patel to A Shafiq, Quicker and flatter around off, Shafiq cuts it hard but straight to the backward point fielder. |
| Trent Boult comes into the attack. |
| 52.1 : T Boult to Ali, Starts off with a fuller delivery around off, Ali defends it with soft hands. |
| 52.2 : T Boult to Ali, Identical delivery, Azhar defends it with a straight bat. |
| 52.3 : T Boult to Ali, A tad fuller on off, the batsman defends it by presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 52.4 : T Boult to A Ali, Goes short this time around off, Ali pulls it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 52.5 : T Boult to Shafiq, Strays on his pads, Shafiq flicks it straight to the square leg fielder. |
| 52.6 : T Boult to Shafiq, In the channel around off, the batsman lets it go. |
| William Somerville is back on. |
| 53.1 : W Somerville to Ali, Quicker around off, Ali defends it with a straight bat. |
| 53.2 : W Somerville to Ali, Tosses it up on middle, the batsman defends it by presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 53.3 : W Somerville to Ali, Flatter on middle, Ali punches it off the back foot towards point. |
| 53.4 : W Somerville to Ali, Flighted on middle, Ali plays it with a dead bat. |
| 53.5 : W Somerville to Ali, Quicker around off, Azhar opens the face of the bat and guides it through third man for a couple of runs. |
| 53.6 : W Somerville to Ali, Flatter trajectory on middle, Ali defends it off the back foot and onto the ground. |
| 54.1 : T Boult to Shafiq, Good length delivery on middle, Shafiq defends off the back foot. |
| 54.2 : T Boult to Shafiq, Good length delivery outside off, Shafiq lets it go. |
| 54.3 : T Boult to Shafiq, Good length delivery on off, the batsman blocks it well. |
| 54.4 : T Boult to Shafiq, Wide outside off, Shafiq lets it go. |
| 54.5 : T Boult to Shafiq, Length delivery on off, the right-hander keeps it out. |
| 54.6 : T Boult to Shafiq, Comes around the wicket, Shafiq defends off the front foot. |
| 55.1 : W Somerville to Ali, Tossed up on leg, Azhar defends off the front foot. |
| 55.2 : W Somerville to Ali, Flighted delivery on middle, Azhar flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 55.3 : W Somerville to Ali, Gives it a bit of air, Azhar flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 55.4 : W Somerville to Ali, Floated on leg, the batsman flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 55.5 : W Somerville to Ali, Tossed up again on middle, Azhar defends off the back foot. |
| 55.6 : W Somerville to Ali, Loopy delivery on middle, Azhar keeps it out. |
| 56.1 : T Boult to Shafiq, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 56.2 : T Boult to Shafiq, Good length delivery on off, Shafiq defends off the front foot. |
| 56.3 : T Boult to A Shafiq, FOUR! Short of a length delivery, Shafiq pulls it through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 56.4 : T Boult to Shafiq, Good length delivery outside off, Shafiq offers no shot. |
| 56.5 : T Boult to Shafiq, FOUR! Bowls full on off, Shafiq looks to drive but gets an inside edge and it goes past the keeper for a boundary. |
| 56.6 : T Boult to Shafiq, Good length delivery on off, Shafiq defends off the front foot. 8 runs came off the over. Good over for Pakistan. They trail by another 143 runs. |
| 57.1 : W Somerville to Ali, Fuller down leg, Ali tucks it to the leg side. |
| 57.2 : W Somerville to Ali, Strays on his pads, the batsman nudges it to the square leg region. |
| 57.3 : W Somerville to Ali, Wide down leg, Ali tries to flick it but misses it completely. |
| 57.4 : W Somerville to Ali, Flighted on middle and leg, Azhar works it to the on side. |
| 57.5 : W Somerville to Ali, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 57.6 : W Somerville to Ali, On middle, the batsman clips it to the fine leg region for a run. Somerville has been wayward this over. |
| Ajaz Patel is back on. |
| 58.1 : A Patel to Ali, Flighted on middle and leg, the batsman nudges it to the leg side. Batsmen cross ends. |
| 58.2 : A Patel to Shafiq, Tosses it up on off, Asad taps it to point. |
| 58.3 : A Patel to Shafiq, On middle, Asad defends it with a straight bat. |
| 58.4 : A Patel to A Shafiq, FOUR! Half tracker this time from Patel, Asad rocks back and pulls it through mid-wicket and the ball races away to the boundary. |
| 58.5 : A Patel to Shafiq, Gives it a bit of air outside off, the batsman lets it go. |
| 58.6 : A Patel to Shafiq, Floats it up on middle, Asad keeps it out. |
| 59.1 : W Somerville to Ali, Tossed up on leg, Shafiq flicks it to square leg. |
| 59.2 : W Somerville to Ali, Tossed up on leg, Azhar pushes it to the leg side. |
| 59.3 : W Somerville to Ali, Flighted delivery on leg, Azhar nudges it to the leg side. |
| 59.4 : W Somerville to Ali, Floated on middle, the batsman flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 59.5 : W Somerville to Ali, Loopy delivery on middle, Azhar blocks it well. |
| 59.6 : W Somerville to Ali, Gives it a bit of air, Azhar keeps it out. |
| 60.1 : A Patel to Shafiq, Turns from middle to off, Shafiq blocks it well. |
| 60.2 : A Patel to Shafiq, Short on off, Shafiq rocks back and cuts it towards point. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 60.3 : A Patel to Shafiq, Flighted delivery on middle, Shafiq keeps it out. |
| 60.4 : A Patel to Shafiq, Tossed up on off, the batsman defends off the front foot. |
| 60.5 : A Patel to Shafiq, Wide outside off, Shafiq lets it go. |
| 60.6 : A Patel to Shafiq, Bowls flatter on middle, Shafiq nudges it fine to the leg side and negotiates the last ball of the day. THAT IS STUMPS ON DAY 2. |
| It has been a good day of Test cricket. The hosts will be happy going into the dressing room after the day's play. The home team did lose the wicket of Haris Sohail early on after Tea. But Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali steadied the ship and have given the home side the edge. |
| Earlier in the day, BJ Watling's excellent knock helped New Zealand get to a competitive total. Bilal Asif was the key man for the hosts picking up five wickets. In reply, Pakistan lost both their openers cheaply, courtesy, Trent Boult. Haris Sohail and Azhar Ali, then, added 68 and took Pakistan to safer shores. The latter continued after the wicket of the former and got to his fifty. Also, Azhar's partnership with Asad is turning out to be a threatening one. |
| What will the two teams be looking for on Day 3? Both the sides will be eager for a lead. New Zealand need wickets quickly and Pakistan need one big partnership. Who will have the advantage at the end of the 'moving day'? Join us to find out as the action resumes on Wednesday at 1000 local (0600 GMT) ADIOS! TAKE CARE! |
| ... Day 3, Session 1 ... |
| Welcome to Day 3 of this final Test between Pakistan and New Zealand. Some breaking news for those who have missed out - Mohammad Hafeez has decided to draw the curtains on his 15-year long Test career after this final game. Pretty sure it's going to be an emotional affair for the Pakistan camp. Talking about the game, it is evenly poised as things stand. Both sides will fancy their chances, and would like to start off this day with a bang. A few wickets for the visitors would set the alarm bell |
| We are ready to begin. The Black Caps are in a huddle by the boundary line and now, make their way on to the field. Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq will continue from where they left off. Trent Boult will take the ball first up this morning. A lone slip and a gully in place for him. Here we go... |
| 61.1 : T Boult to Ali, FOUR! The first ball of the day goes to a boundary. It was short and wide outside off, and Azhar Ali just puts his bat at it and guides it in the gap between gully and point. Good start for Pakistan. |
| 61.2 : T Boult to Ali, Outside off but fuller this time, it's left alone. |
| 61.3 : T Boult to Ali, Short of a length and on top of off stump, Azhar stands tall and defends it straight back. |
| 61.4 : T Boult to Ali, On the pads and it is flicked away by Ali for three in front of square on the leg side. Good running, that. |
| 61.5 : T Boult to Shafiq, Good ball first up to Shafiq, it is on a length and on middle. The batsman is half forward and defends it comfortably. |
| 61.6 : T Boult to Shafiq, Fuller and outside off, he shoulders arms to this one. 7 runs off the first over of the day. |
| Ajaz Patel to bowl from the other end. |
| 62.1 : A Patel to Ali, Around the wicket, flatter ball and pushed quicker on middle. Azhar defends it to point. |
| 62.2 : A Patel to A Ali, Quicker again outside off, Ali cuts it away behind point for another three. |
| 62.3 : A Patel to A Shafiq, Shafiq cuts this one to point. No run. |
| 62.4 : A Patel to Shafiq, Looped up outside off on this occasion. The batsman comes ahead and defends it. |
| 62.5 : A Patel to Shafiq, Fuller and on middle, pushed to mid on with a straight bat. |
| 62.6 : A Patel to Shafiq, Flighted ball again, defended showing the full face of the bat. |
| 63.1 : T Boult to A Ali, Full ball outside off, Azhar takes a step forward and drives it to mid off. |
| 63.2 : T Boult to Ali, Short ball outside off, Ali drops it onto the off side and runs through for a quick single. It is the 150 up for the hosts. |
| 63.3 : T Boult to Shafiq, Bouncer to Shafiq! Effort ball that. Asad calmly ducks under it. |
| 63.4 : T Boult to Shafiq, Good length ball outside off, left alone by the batsman. |
| 63.5 : T Boult to Shafiq, Good length outside off, Shafiq is half ahead and defends it toward short cover. Slightly away from the body. |
| 63.6 : T Boult to Shafiq, Another bouncer to end the over. This one does not rise as much. Shafiq does well to duck under it. |
| 64.1 : A Patel to Ali, Flatter ball outside off, Azhar pushes it to point. |
| 64.2 : A Patel to Ali, FOUR! Swept away beautifully! The ball was slightly looped outside off, Azhar comes ahead and smokes it away for a four. Good shot that! |
| 64.3 : A Patel to Ali, Flatter ball and sliding down on the pads, Azhar works it towards fine leg and runs to the other end. |
| 64.4 : A Patel to Shafiq, Flighted ball on middle, Shafiq comes down the pitch and pushes it to mid-wicket but no run available here. |
| 64.5 : A Patel to Shafiq, Flatter ball going down leg, Asad tries to defend it but misses and gets hit on the pad. No risk though as it was sliding down. |
| 64.6 : A Patel to Shafiq, Flatter ball on middle this time, the batsman has defended it back to the bowler. |
| 65.1 : T Boult to Ali, Around the wicket, Azhar plays this wide ball outside off towards point. |
| 65.2 : T Boult to Ali, FOUR! Looked lovely! And is lovely. Full ball on middle and Azhar hits it straight down the ground wonderfully! The mid on fielder dives to stop it but only gets a finger on it. The ball is slowed down but still has enough to reach the fence. Azhar Ali into the 80s now. |
| 65.3 : T Boult to Ali, Good length ball outside off, Azhar defends it to cover. |
| 65.4 : T Boult to Ali, Bouncer outside off, Azhar ducks out of the way easily. |
| 65.5 : T Boult to Ali, On top of off stump, Azhar stays inside his crease and defends. |
| 65.6 : T Boult to Ali, Short ball at the hips, worked away off the back foot by Ali towards deep square leg for a single. Keeps the strike. |
| 66.1 : A Patel to Ali, Over the wicket, reverse sweep comes out from Ali. There is protection in the deep and only a single is taken to deep backward point. |
| 66.2 : A Patel to Shafiq, Back to around the wicket, short and outside off. Shafiq cuts it away to sweeper and gets to the other end. |
| 66.3 : A Patel to Ali, Over the wicket to Ali, pitched outside leg. Azhar doesn't offer a shot and pads it away. |
| 66.4 : A Patel to Ali, Another one outside leg and no shot offered again. |
| 66.5 : A Patel to Ali, Flatter and full outside leg, goes for the reverse sweep but misses the ball. Slight appeal from behind but nothing on it. |
| 66.6 : A Patel to Ali, Outside leg and Ali pads it away. Not interested in playing a shot. |
| William Somerville into the attack now. |
| 67.1 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Flatter ball on middle and spins down the leg side after landing. Shafiq misses his flick and the keeper grasses the take too. But there was nothing on it. |
| 67.2 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Flatter ball on middle, defended watchfully by Shafiq. |
| 67.3 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Outside off and on a length, Shafiq is confused as to come ahead or stay back but adjust well in the end as he defends it with a straight bat. |
| 67.4 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Fuller and outside off, it is defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 67.5 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Oooh! So close! Shafiq works this fine but there is a leg slip in position. There are shouts of 'Catch it' as the ball just drops short. |
| 67.6 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Maiden over to start off for Somerville. Full ball and Shafiq gets well behind and defends it. Good over for New Zealand. |
| Tim Southee is into the attack. |
| 68.1 : Tim Southee to Ali, Starts off with a back of a length ball around off, Ali stands tall and punches it through covers for a single. Pakistan trail by 'nelson'. |
| 68.2 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, This one stays low! On off and on a length, the ball does not bounce as one would anticipate it to. Shafiq though adjusts well and defends it. |
| 68.3 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Width on offer outside off, Shafiq slaps it through covers and takes a run. Southee needs to bowl a straighter line, especially on this wicket where there is uneven bounce. |
| 68.4 : Tim Southee to Ali, Works it with the angle to the man at mid-wicket. Better from Southee, this is exactly the line he should be bowling. |
| 68.5 : Tim Southee to Ali, Even better! Length and on off, Ali goes back and guides it to point. |
| 68.6 : Tim Southee to Ali, Outside off and it is left alone. |
| 69.1 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Flighted on middle, Shafiq pushes it on the leg side towards mid-wicket. No run. |
| 69.2 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Flatter ball on middle, Shafiq comes down the track and pushes it to long on for another single. |
| 69.3 : W Somerville to Ali, Looped up on middle, Azhar plays it straight back down toward deepish mid on and runs through to the other end. |
| 69.4 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Flatter delivery on off, Shafiq is drawn forward as he plays this to short mid-wicket. |
| 69.5 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Full and looped on the pads, Shafiq flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 69.6 : W Somerville to Shafiq, FOUR! Down the wicket and smashes above mid on for a boundary. Just falls inside the fence. Good way to end the over for Pakistan. 6 runs off it. |
| 70.1 : Tim Southee to Ali, Outside off and on a length, defended by coming half forward. |
| 70.2 : Tim Southee to A Ali, Edged but safe! This ball is outside off, Azhar Ali not in control as he tries to guide it wide of the wicket keeper. He ensures that he plays it with soft hands and the ball runs away wide of the wicket keeper and fine for a boundary. Into the 90s now. |
| 70.3 : Tim Southee to Ali, Full and on middle, defended by Ali coming half forward. |
| 70.4 : Tim Southee to Ali, Full and drifting onto the pads, flicked away for a couple to deep mid-wicket. The lead is below 100 now. |
| 70.5 : Tim Southee to Ali, Again full and at the pads, a similar shot and the ball is misfielded by de Grandhomme at short mid-wicket. The batsmen run through for one. |
| 70.6 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Defended from within the crease and back to the bowler. Another expensive over this. |
| 71.1 : W Somerville to A Ali, Full ball outside off, pushed towards mid on. The batsmen want a single but the fielder is quick this time and prevents it. |
| 71.2 : W Somerville to Ali, Flatter outside off, Azhar pushes it off the front foot to mid on. |
| 71.3 : W Somerville to Ali, This is quicker outside off, Ali pushes it towards cover and gets to the other end. |
| 71.4 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Drifting down the leg side and Shafiq gets into position quickly and sweeps it very fine for four. The runs are flowing here. |
| 71.5 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Flatter ball at the pads again, the batsman works it down the leg side but fails to find the gap. |
| 71.6 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Way down the leg side. Asad tries to get some bat on it to turn it down fine but misses the ball. |
| 72.1 : Tim Southee to Ali, Short and wide outside off, Ali cuts hard but straight to point. Kane at point, misfields and the batsmen are allowed to exchange strike. |
| 72.2 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Fuller ball on the pads, flicked to short mid-wicket. No run. |
| 72.3 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Outside off and left alone by the batsman. |
| 72.4 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Closer to off stump this time and on a length. Shafiq takes a stride ahead and defends to cover. |
| 72.5 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Good length ball outside off, Shafiq defends from within the crease. |
| 72.6 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Well outside off to end the over. Asad decides to let that one go through. |
| 73.1 : W Somerville to Ali, FOUR BYES! Around the wicket and well down leg side. Azhar leaves it alone and Watling cannot collect it. The ball runs away to the fence. It brings up the 100-run stand between these two. |
| 73.2 : W Somerville to Ali, Another ball outside leg, collected well by the keeper on this occasion. |
| 73.3 : W Somerville to Ali, Short and aimed at leg stump, Azhar pushes it toward cover and gets to the other end. |
| 73.4 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Down the leg side again, left alone by Shafiq. |
| 73.5 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Fuller and at the pads, played toward mid-wicket. No run. |
| 73.6 : W Somerville to Shafiq, The ball is going down leg again and Asad offers no shot to it. |
| Colin de Grandhomme to bowl now. |
| 74.1 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Outside off and on a length. The ball keeps low and Azhar gets it at the bottom of his bat as he defends it to cover. |
| 74.2 : de Grandhomme to Ali, FOUR! 100 comes up for Ali! What an innings! The landmark comes not in a very convincing manner though! The ball was outside off and Azhar goes for the drive and gets an edge which runs wide of the keeper for four runs. He will take it and so will Pakistan. Very important innings in the context of the game. |
| 74.3 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Full and outside off, Ali starts concentrating again after celebrating. He defends this watchfully and with a straight bat. |
| 74.4 : de Grandhomme to Ali, On the pads and flicked away in the air slightly. No fielder close by though. The batsmen run through for a single. |
| 74.5 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, Full and outside off, defended into the ground on the off side. |
| 74.6 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, Another solid defense to end the over as Pakistan end the first hour of play unscathed. |
| Drinks break. Pakistan's hour all the way and comprehensively so! New Zealand's bowlers have looked toothless and desperately need a breakthrough. They will be waiting for the new ball which will be available in 5 overs. Will things continue how they are now or will we see a Black Caps' resurgence? |
| 75.1 : W Somerville to Ali, Flatter and short on the leg stump, Azhar makes room and pushes it to cover for a single. |
| 75.2 : W Somerville to Shafiq, A rush of blood there! Shafiq wanted to hit it over mid-wicket but gets the inner half of the bat and the ball runs to deep square leg for a run. |
| 75.3 : W Somerville to Ali, Another short ball on leg stump, Azhar pushes it to cover point and gets to the other end. |
| 75.4 : W Somerville to Shafiq, The ball is on middle and turns sharply. Asad misses his attempted flick and the ball goes fine on the leg side after hitting his pad. The batsmen come back for 2 leg byes. |
| 75.5 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Full and on middle, Asad comes ahead to defend it. |
| 75.6 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Short and well outside off, cut away behind point. Big boundaries here and an easy three there. |
| 76.1 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, FOUR! Smashed away through cover. Good length outside off but the ball is doing nothing. Asad stands tall and crashes it through the covers for a four. No stopping that! |
| 76.2 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, Full and outside off, Asad is happy to just defend this one to cover. |
| 76.3 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, Full and at the pads, he plays it to short mid-wicket. |
| 76.4 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, Slightly short of a good length, Asad stays back and guides it to the left of deep point for a couple. Good hands there from the right-hander. |
| 76.5 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, Full and outside off, Shafiq comes forward and defends it with a straight bat. |
| 76.6 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, Pushes this full one to cover and retains strike. |
| 77.1 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Full ball and flatter outside off, Asad covers the spin and defends it back to the bowler. |
| 77.2 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Another full ball outside off and Shafiq defends it on the front foot to cover. |
| 77.3 : W Somerville to Shafiq, What happened here? The ball seems to have suddenly gripped and turned. Shafiq is beaten by that one. |
| 77.4 : W Somerville to Shafiq, This is full and on middle, drives it towards mid on and gets to the other end. Shafiq gets to 49 now! |
| 77.5 : W Somerville to Ali, Outside leg and Azhar removes his front leg out of the way and defends it into the ground. |
| 77.6 : W Somerville to Ali, Another one on the pads and Ali is happy to defend it into the pitch. |
| Ajaz Patel is back on to bowl. |
| 78.1 : A Patel to Shafiq, Tossed up outside leg, it spins as Shafiq looks to flick it away. It pops up the leading edge and falls safely. |
| 78.2 : A Patel to Shafiq, 22nd Test fifty for Asad Shafiq! An important knock from him as well for his side. He gets low and brings out the reverse sweep to place it behind point. Comes back for the second to get to the landmark. The deficit is down to 63 now. |
| 78.3 : A Patel to Shafiq, Down leg, Shafiq lets it be and Watling can't collect. It goes behind as the batsmen take a bye. |
| 78.4 : A Patel to Ali, Pitched down the leg side again, another leave. |
| 78.5 : A Patel to Ali, Wide down the leg side, no trouble at all for the batsman. |
| 78.6 : A Patel to Ali, Fuller and quicker on the stumps, blocked off the inner half on the leg side. |
| 79.1 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Full ball at the pads, Shafiq defends it onto the leg side. |
| 79.2 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Flatter one at the leg stump, the batsman pushes it to mid wicket. |
| 79.3 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Full ball on middle, Shafiq whips it straight to mid-wicket. |
| 79.4 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Another one on middle and looped up, Asad comes ahead and dead bats it. |
| 79.5 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Slightly shorter outside off, Shafiq cuts it toward sweeper cover and runs to the other end. |
| 79.6 : W Somerville to Ali, Full and on the pads, defended easily by Ali. |
| New ball is available now and New Zealand have taken it. Tim Southee comes on to bowl straightaway with the new cherry. |
| 80.1 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Some shape straightaway. The ball is outside off and moves away after landing. Lft alone by Shafiq. |
| 80.2 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, This one is on top of middle, Asad closes the face of the bat and plays it to square leg. |
| 80.3 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Another one on middle and leg, the batsman flicks it away but straight to the fielder. |
| 80.4 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, A fraction fuller and on middle, Shafiq gets to the other end after working it to deep backward square leg for a run. |
| 80.5 : Tim Southee to Ali, Wide outside off, Ali shoulders his arms to this one. |
| 80.6 : Tim Southee to Ali, Fuller length delivery on off stump, Azhar is half ahead and dead bats it. |
| Trent Boult to share the new ball with Southee. This next phase of play is going to be crucial for New Zealand. |
| 81.1 : T Boult to Shafiq, The ball is on a length and at the pads. Swings in a bit after landing. Shafiq misses his flick and gets hit on the thigh pad. |
| 0.0 : Review time. The new ball already making things happen. It's for a caught behind appeal against Asad Shafiq. He seems to be safe though. |
| 81.2 : T Boult to Shafiq, NOT OUT! Nothing on it, absolutely nothing. New Zealand seem to have taken the review out of frustration. The ball was well away from the edge, and the review is lost. The slight noise was the bat hitting the pad as it came down. |
| 81.3 : T Boult to Shafiq, Full and outside off, Asad drives it to the right of mid off for a single. |
| 81.4 : T Boult to Ali, Short ball outside off, Azhar Ali stands tall and punches it to mid off. No run. |
| 81.5 : T Boult to Ali, Short again and holding its line this time, Azhar punches it to cover. |
| 81.6 : T Boult to Ali, On a good length and top of off stump, Azhar defends it comfortably with a straight bat. |
| 82.1 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Outside off and some shape on it, but the batsman leaves it alone easily. |
| 82.2 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Closer to off stump this time, Asad defends it away from the body. |
| 82.3 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Some swing there! Full and outside off, it shapes away. Shafiq makes a leave. |
| 82.4 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Another one outside off, the batsman has no interest in playing at those. Need to make the batsman play, for now they are bowling too wide. |
| 82.5 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Third leave in a row! Wasting the new ball for now is New Zealand. Outside off, it is shouldered arms. |
| 82.6 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Slightly straighter this time, this is worked through mid-wicket and the batsmen take a run. A tight over but not a threatening one. |
| 83.1 : T Boult to Shafiq, Well outside off, Asad goes for the expansive drive through the covers, but the ball takes the inside part of the bat and rolls to mid-wicket. |
| 83.2 : T Boult to Shafiq, Just outside off, the batsman gauges the swing on it and lets it go through. |
| 83.3 : Boult to Shafiq, Around the wicket, the ball jags into Shafiq and he was in no position to play that one. It hits him on the pad, goes onto his elbow and rolls so close to his off pole. Very lucky for the batsman. |
| 83.4 : T Boult to Shafiq, Another one coming in with the angle and swinging more, Shafiq doesn't look too comfortable as he somehow manages to play it to square leg. |
| 83.5 : T Boult to Shafiq, Well outside off this time, left alone easily. |
| 83.6 : T Boult to Shafiq, Over the wicket agaim, the ball holds it's line and Shafiq shoulders his arms to it. |
| 84.1 : Tim Southee to Ali, Outside off and the ball keeps pretty low as it goes through to the keeper who is down on his knees as he collects this one. Southee needs to make the batsman play. |
| 84.2 : Tim Southee to Ali, That's much better! On a length and top of off stump, Azhar defends it with a straight bat. |
| 84.3 : Tim Southee to Ali, Just outside off on a length, Ali defends it toward point. |
| 84.4 : Tim Southee to Ali, Well outside off, Ali decides he wants nothing to do with it. |
| 84.5 : Tim Southee to Ali, This one is delivered from a little wider from the crease, but the ball is well outside off again. Left alone by the batsman. |
| 84.6 : Tim Southee to Ali, Azhar flicks it off his hips but straight to square leg. No run. Maiden over. |
| 85.1 : T Boult to Shafiq, Swinging back in from outside off, pushed off the front foot to the cover area. |
| 85.2 : T Boult to Shafiq, Cutting into the batsman off the seam, Shafiq stays inside his crease and blocks it out. |
| 85.3 : T Boult to Shafiq, In the channel outside off, on a good length, left alone by the batsman. |
| 85.4 : T Boult to Shafiq, Shaping back in from around off, Shafiq presents a tight defensive shot in response. |
| 85.5 : T Boult to Shafiq, Brings out the short one and hits the deck hard. It's accurate and angling in, the batsman ducks and evades. |
| 85.6 : T Boult to Shafiq, Bowls it a bit fuller on this occasion, played back down the track in the bowler's direction. Maiden over from Boult. |
| Colin de Grandhomme back into the attack. |
| 86.1 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Well outside off, left alone by the batsman. |
| 86.2 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Good ball! On a good length and in the corridor of uncertainty. Azhar decides to pull out of his shot at the last moment. Could have been dangerous. |
| 86.3 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Another good ball to follow it up, outside off and slightly moving away. Azhar pokes at it and gets to the other end as the ball rolls to cover. |
| 86.4 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, A swinging ball outside off, defended away from the body by Asad. |
| 86.5 : de Grandhomme to Shafiq, Closer to the off stump now, Shafiq has played that on the front foot and into the ground. |
| 86.6 : de Grandhomme to A Shafiq, Full ball outside off, Shafiq drives it straight to short cover. |
| 87.1 : T Boult to Ali, Around the wicket, effort ball from Boult. But it is well outside off and left alone. |
| 87.2 : T Boult to Ali, Short ball outside off, Azhar jumps and tries to punch it through covers. The ball moves in after landing and gets the inside half of the bat. It goes to short mid-wicket. |
| 87.3 : T Boult to Ali, Short ball outside off. Defended straight back to the bowler off the back foot. |
| 87.4 : T Boult to Ali, Short of a length and on middle, pushed away to short mid-wicket. |
| 87.5 : T Boult to Ali, Over the wicket now, Ali stands tall and flicks it away to deep square leg for a run. |
| 87.6 : T Boult to Shafiq, Back to around the wicket, Shafiq gets hit on the thigh pad as he tries to defend it coming half ahead. |
| 88.1 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Full and outside off, Azhar comes ahead and defends it toward cover. |
| 88.2 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Fuller in length, Ali drives it to mid off. |
| 88.3 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Another ball on a length and it is dead batted by Azhar who is on the front foot. |
| 88.4 : de Grandhomme to A Ali, Slightly overpitched, Azhar Ali goes for the drive. He finds Williamson at cover who dives to stop it but can't stop it completely. The batsmen run through for a couple till the ball comes back. |
| 88.5 : de Grandhomme to Ali, FOUR! Flicked away beautifully and beats a diving mid on to his right. The lead of New Zealand has come down to 50. Pakistan in a very strong position here. Ali has moved to 111. |
| 88.6 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Wide outside off, left alone by Azhar. Smart batting, no need to play at that. |
| 89.1 : T Boult to Shafiq, Angles this one down the leg side, Shafiq tries to flick but misses to get hit on the pads. A muted appeal follows but the umpire shakes his head. |
| 89.2 : T Boult to Shafiq, Slightly fuller around off, Shafiq lunges and strokes it crisply towards mid off. The fielder there makes a good stop diving to his right. |
| 89.3 : T Boult to Shafiq, Bends his back on this one and also shortens the length. The ball though bounces at a comfortable height for the batsman. Shafiq stands tall and defends it onto the ground. |
| 89.4 : T Boult to Shafiq, Another bumper, this time from over the wicket. It is down the leg side, ducked under. |
| 89.5 : T Boult to Shafiq, BEAUTY! Two short balls and then follows it up with a peach. Length around middle, it pitches and then seams away. Also gets good bounce off the surface. Shafiq has a poke at it and luckily for him, he gets beaten. |
| 89.6 : T Boult to Shafiq, A dot to end a very good over. On a length and on off, the batsman keeps it out. That will be LUNCH ON DAY 3! |
| Pakistan's session without a doubt. In 29 overs, 85 runs were scored without the loss of a wicket. The two batsmen who were there overnight are still out there in the middle and they haven't looked in trouble at any point during the session. The runs have come at a faster rate than yesterday and the deficit has been trimmed down to a mere 50. The highlights of the session were Azhar Ali's 15th Test hundred and Asad Shafiq also getting to his 22nd Test fifty. Even the new ball has not done any ma |
| ... Day 3, Session 2 ... |
| Welcome back to the second session. The players are strolling back to the field of play. The stand is worth 139 already, how much more can these two add? Azhar Ali to face the first ball after resumption. Ajaz Patel to bowl. |
| 90.1 : A Patel to Ali, Starts off with a delivery outside off, Ali lets it be. |
| 90.2 : A Patel to A Ali, Gives it a little more air around off, Ali strokes it to mid off. |
| 90.3 : A Patel to Ali, Another very full delivery around off, the spin is out of contention as it is very full, Ali drives it through covers for a single. |
| 90.4 : A Patel to Shafiq, Better! This is flatter and lands it around off, it is not very full and hence, the ball is given a chance to turn. The ball does not though, Asad lunges and blocks it out. |
| 90.5 : A Patel to Shafiq, Similar length but the line is a little too straight this time. It is worked to mid-wicket. |
| 90.6 : A Patel to A Shafiq, A good delivery to end the over! It is tossed up around off, this one straightens a touch. Shafiq plays inside the line with soft hands. The ball takes the outside edge and goes towards third man for a single. |
| Tim Southee to bowl from the other end. |
| 91.1 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Good length outside off, Shafiq lets it be. The ball does not even carry to the keeper who collects the ball with a dive. |
| 91.2 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Another ball outside off, Asad shoulders arms to it. |
| 91.3 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Down the leg side this time, Southee has not got it right to begin with. Asad does not bother playing at it. |
| 91.4 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Gets it right this time. On middle and straightening a touch. Asad tries to defend but it goes off the inner half through square leg for a single. |
| 91.5 : Tim Southee to Ali, Good length around off, Ali gets right behind the line of the delivery and blocks it out. |
| 91.6 : Tim Southee to Ali, Nice looking cover drive but only for a run. Full and around off, Ali leans into the stroke and times it towards extra cover for a single. Keeps strike. |
| 92.1 : A Patel to Ali, Flatter and a touch shorter, skids off the sruface. Ali goes back and tries to flick but misses to get hit on the pads. A stifled appeal but the ball seems to be going down leg. |
| 92.2 : A Patel to Ali, Another one which skids after pitching around off, Ali pushes it to covers. |
| 92.3 : A Patel to Ali, Slower through the air this time, Ali blocks it out. |
| 92.4 : A Patel to Ali, FOUR! Swept and swept well! Ali goes down on one knee and then nails the sweep shot through square leg for a boundary. He has really played this shot well. |
| 92.5 : A Patel to Ali, Well bowled! Ali though did not need to go after that. It is a loopy ball around off, it pitches and then turns away. Ali is drawn into a defensive stroke but the away turn beats his outside edge. |
| 92.6 : A Patel to Ali, On the shorter side outside off, Ali punches it through covers for a single. |
| 93.1 : Tim Southee to Ali, A good delivery to begin his second over after the break. Good length and around off, Ali's feet are rooted to the crease, he tries to defend but the ball goes off the inner half towards mid-wicket. |
| 93.2 : Tim Southee to Ali, Back of a length around off, Ali easily blocks it out. |
| 93.3 : Tim Southee to Ali, A little too straight this time, it is flicked through square leg and a run is taken. They now only trail by 10 less than 50. |
| 93.4 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, A bumper but too easy for the batsman to duck under on this wicket. There is just no pace at all. |
| 93.5 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Another bouncer! This one though hurries onto the batsman. Shafiq mistimes his pull towards fine leg for a run. 150-run stand is up between the two. This is taking the game away from New Zealand. |
| 93.6 : Tim Southee to Ali, OHHHH! The inside edge saves Ali there. This pitches around off and then jags back in. Ali at the very end gets some part of the bat to the ball and it deflects onto his unmentionable area. He is down on his haunches. |
| The physio is out to have a check on him. Ali though now seems fine to continue. |
| 94.1 : A Patel to Shafiq, FOUR! The sweep shot is brought out once again and it has been hit really well through square leg. No stopping those. |
| 94.2 : A Patel to Shafiq, FOUR! Consecutive boundaries! Asad may have decided to step on the gas. He uses his feet, gets to the pitch of it and hits it hard past the diving mid off fielder. |
| 94.3 : A Patel to Shafiq, Loopy ball on off, Shafiq lunges and keeps it out. |
| 94.4 : A Patel to Shafiq, Very full on the pads, this is eased down to long on and a run is taken. |
| 94.5 : A Patel to Ali, Loopy delivery on off, Ali pushes it to covers. |
| 94.6 : A Patel to Ali, Flatter and on the pads, Ali works it around the corner and gets to the other end. 10 from the over and the trail is below 30. |
| 95.1 : Tim Southee to Ali, Goes wide of the crease and angles it into the batter, Ali flicks it through square leg for a run. |
| 95.2 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Good carry there! Not seen a lot of deliveries bounce like the last one. Southee may have really given it all on that delivery. It is short and on the body. Asad ducks under it and the keeper collects it at head height. |
| 95.3 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Another short ball and it is ducked under with ease. Two bouncers, now time for a yorker? |
| 95.4 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Nope, he goes back to bowling length. Asad pushes it towards covers for a run. |
| 95.5 : Tim Southee to Ali, Another length ball around off, Ali this time times it through covers and gets to the other end. |
| 95.6 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Third bouncer from Southee in the over, good energy from him. Shafiq ducks under. |
| 96.1 : A Patel to Ali, On the shorter side, the batter punches it through covers for a single. |
| 96.2 : A Patel to Shafiq, FOUR! Shafiq is looking to go after Patel. He scored two boundaries in his last over and now scores one on the first ball he faces in this over. Excellent use of the feet and wrists here. Gets to the pitch of it and then whips it through mid-wicket. 250 up. |
| 96.3 : A Patel to A Shafiq, Strokes it down to long off for a run. |
| 96.4 : A Patel to Ali, On off, kept out. |
| 96.5 : A Patel to Ali, On middle this time, it is easily negotiated. |
| 96.6 : A Patel to Ali, On the shorter side this, Ali goes back and pushes it to covers. 6 from this one and 10 from Patel's last. |
| 97.1 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Good length again around off, Shafiq guides it to point. |
| 97.2 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Back of a length around off, Asad stands tall and keeps it out. |
| 97.3 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Pulled nicely but finds the fielder! Short and on middle, the batsman pulls it hard to the fielder at square leg. |
| 97.4 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, This seems to be a ploy! Another short one outside off, Asad lets it go through to the keeper. |
| 97.5 : Tim Southee to A Shafiq, EDGED BUT FOUR! Full marks to the bowler here but runs to the batsman! Frustrating this for New Zealand. Luck is just not favoring them at the moment. On a length and around off, Asad tries to defend but does so with hard hands. The ball takes the outside edge and flashes past the diving gully fielder and into the third man fence. |
| 97.6 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 98.1 : A Patel to Ali, Gives it air on off, Ali finds the cover fielder with a drive. |
| 98.2 : A Patel to Ali, Flatter around off, Ali waits for the ball to come to him and then guides it through cover-point for a single. |
| 98.3 : A Patel to A Shafiq, This is eased down to long on for a single. |
| 98.4 : A Patel to Ali, Punched off the back foot by the batsman. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 98.5 : A Patel to Shafiq, Bounce and turn! This is tossed up outside off, the ball pitches and turns away. Also takes off after pitching. Asad is beaten as he tries to defend. The keeper whips the bails off and appeals. The bowler is appealing for a caught behind but nor the square leg umpire and nor the umpire is interested. |
| 98.6 : A Patel to Shafiq, Tosses it on middle, it is kept out. So the balls which are pitched outside the off pole are misbehaving, not a worry for the batters. |
| 99.1 : Tim Southee to Ali, Fuller outside off, Asad tries to drive it but misses the ball. |
| 99.2 : Tim Southee to Ali, Length delivery outside off, a bit of movement off the pitch away from the batsman and Azhar lets it go. |
| 99.3 : Tim Southee to Ali, Length delivery outside off and Azhar shoulders arms to it. |
| 99.4 : Tim Southee to Ali, Southee is bowling on length this over but Azhar is not tempted to disturb those. |
| 99.5 : Tim Southee to Ali, Length delivery outside off and Ali is patient and not going after those. |
| 99.6 : Tim Southee to Ali, Length delivery on the off stump this time and Azhar drives it towards the fielder at cover. |
| 100.1 : A Patel to Shafiq, Short and outside off, cut away to point. No run. |
| 100.2 : A Patel to Shafiq, Flatter and at the pads, the ball is worked away behind square leg for a single. |
| 100.3 : A Patel to A Ali, Short and wide outside off, Azhar plays it very late and it goes to the left of point for another couple. |
| 100.4 : A Patel to Ali, Well outside off, the ball is left alone by the batsman. |
| 100.5 : A Patel to Ali, This is sliding down the leg side and is played fine but straight to short fine leg fielder. |
| 100.6 : A Patel to Ali, Over the wicket for this one, Azhar comes ahead and lets the ball go outside his off stump. |
| 101.1 : Tim Southee to A Shafiq, Edged and FOUR! Fuller delivery outside off, Shafiq tries to defend off his front foot but finds an outside edge. The ball bounces just short of the gully fielder, he gets fingers to it but he's unable to stop it and the ball races away for a four. Pakistan now trail by just 6 runs. |
| 101.2 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Shaping back in on middle and leg, it goes off the pads and the batsmen take a leg bye. |
| 101.3 : Tim Southee to Ali, Outside off on a good length, no shot offered. |
| 101.4 : Tim Southee to Ali, Touch fuller in length, just outside off, met with the full face of the bat. |
| 101.5 : Tim Southee to Ali, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 101.6 : Tim Southee to Ali, Fullish in length on off stump, Azhar is half forward and blocks it rather safely. |
| William Somerville returns to the attack. |
| 102.1 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Spinning down from leg stump, left alone. |
| 102.2 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Spinning into the batsman, from around off, Shafiq looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto his pads. |
| 102.3 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Going down leg again, another leave by the batsman. |
| 102.4 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Short and wide outside off, Asad backs away and punches it square of the wicket on the off side. One run taken. |
| 102.5 : W Somerville to Ali, Straighter one on off, some pace on this one, Azhar stays right behind the line and defends it well. |
| 102.6 : W Somerville to A Ali, Leans ahead to this full ball and knocks it towards mid on. |
| 103.1 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Length delivery outside off, Shafiq lets it go. |
| 103.2 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Short of a length and pulled it away towards fine leg for a single. |
| 103.3 : Tim Southee to Ali, Length delivery on middle and leg, Azhar flicks it away towards square leg and rotates the strike. |
| 103.4 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Length delivery outside off, the ball moves away from the batsman and Shafiq leaves it alone. |
| 103.5 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Short of a length by Southee and Shafiq ducks underneath it. Southee is trying to trouble Shafiq with the bouncers but Asad is not having any problems dealing with those. |
| 103.6 : Tim Southee to Shafiq, Length delivery outside off and Asad lets it go. |
| Drinks! These two have continued in their merry way. The trail is just 2 runs now and Pakistan are surely in the driver's seat now. Will they start getting more aggressive now? |
| 104.1 : W Somerville to Ali, Flicks it with the turn through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 104.2 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Flatter and on off, the batsman defends it. |
| 104.3 : W Somerville to Shafiq, FOUR! Hammered! The ball is tossed above the eye line. Shafiq's eyes lit up on seeing the flight, uses his feet and smashes it through mid on for a boundary. Pakistan are into the lead now. |
| 104.4 : W Somerville to Shafiq, On the pads, the batsman works it around the corner for a run. |
| 104.5 : W Somerville to Ali, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. One run added to the total. |
| 104.6 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Tosses it up on off, Shafiq defends it. |
| Trent Boult is back on. |
| 105.1 : T Boult to Ali, Length delivery on middle and leg, Azhar defends it. |
| 105.2 : T Boult to Ali, Full outside off and Azhar defends once again. |
| 105.3 : T Boult to Ali, FOUR! Slightly shorter this time and Azhar punches it off his back foot towards the third man fence. The ball races away to the boundary and with that, Azhar has scored more than 300 runs this series. He is really having a good series. |
| 105.4 : T Boult to Ali, A huge appeal from behind the stumps but nothing from Boult as he knows it is going down leg. An in-dipper from around leg. The batsman tries to flick but misses to get hit on the pads. |
| 105.5 : T Boult to Ali, Good shot and well fielded! Full and on middle, the batsman strokes it back right off the middle towards the bowler. Boult gets down quickly and makes a half-stop. |
| 105.6 : T Boult to Ali, Full and outside off, once again it is shaping back in. Ali tries to drive it through covers but it goes off the inner half towards mid-wicket. |
| 106.1 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Nicely done. Seeing the ball land on middle and spinning down, Shafiq gets forward and across before paddling it fine down the leg side. A couple of runs are taken and the 200-run stand between these two is up. |
| 106.2 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Spinning well down leg, Shafiq looks to go after it but misses. |
| 106.3 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Brings out the broom but sweeps it straight to the man at square leg. |
| 106.4 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Good running. Shafiq taps this to covers and both batsmen take off quickly. A single is collected. |
| 106.5 : W Somerville to Ali, OUT! First wicket of the day and the first of William Somerville's Test career. It's come at a crucial time too, as he breaks this marathon partnership of 201. He'll remember this one for a long time. New Zealand celebrate as they finally get their breakthrough. Tossed up on leg, Azhar Ali gets low to sweep but gets a top edge which goes straight to Ajaz Patel at backward square leg. Ali departs, but not before playing a superb knock. He's set his team up nicely and p |
| Babar Azam to bat next. |
| 106.6 : W Somerville to Azam, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 107.1 : T Boult to A Shafiq, Full outside off. Asad drives it towards mid-off. |
| 107.2 : T Boult to Shafiq, Length delivery on middle and leg, Shafiq flicks it towards deep backward square leg for a couple. |
| 107.3 : T Boult to Shafiq, Length delivery on middle and off, Asad blocks it away. |
| 107.4 : T Boult to Shafiq, Fuller this time by Boult, Asad confidently defends it off his front foot. |
| 107.5 : T Boult to Shafiq, Full length delivery outside off and Asad lets it go. |
| 107.6 : T Boult to Shafiq, Once again full outside off, Asad is being tempted to drive but he calmly leaves it alone. |
| 108.1 : W Somerville to Azam, Slower through the air on off, the batsman stroked it to mid off. |
| 108.2 : W Somerville to Azam, Another loopy ball on middle, the batter works it to short leg. |
| 108.3 : W Somerville to Azam, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 108.4 : W Somerville to Azam, Another floated delivery on off, it is blocked. |
| 108.5 : W Somerville to Azam, This is shorter around off, Azam punches it through covers for a run. |
| 108.6 : W Somerville to Shafiq, This is fired on off, Azam taps it towards point for a single. |
| 109.1 : T Boult to Shafiq, Full length outside off, Asad shoulders arms to it. |
| 109.2 : T Boult to Shafiq, Full on the off stump, Asad defends off his front foot. |
| 109.3 : T Boult to Shafiq, Shorter in length this time, Shafiq blocks it away. |
| 109.4 : T Boult to Shafiq, Comes round the wicket and bowls it on length outside off, Asad has no troubles keeping it out. |
| 109.5 : T Boult to Shafiq, Short of a length outside off this time, Shafiq pushes it towards the third man region for a single. He moves onto 97 with that single. |
| 109.6 : T Boult to Azam, Comes back over the wicket and bowls on length outside off, Azam leaves it alone. |
| 110.1 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Tossed up on off, it is defended. |
| 110.2 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Punched off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 110.3 : W Somerville to Shafiq, This is worked towards short fine leg for a run. |
| 110.4 : W Somerville to Azam, Uses his feet and then hits it hard onto the ground. William gets a hand to it and deflects it to mid off. |
| 110.5 : W Somerville to Azam, On the stumps, it is kept out. |
| 110.6 : W Somerville to Azam, Risky shot but nicely played in the end! It was on the stumps, Azam goes back and then opens the face of the bat. He guides it through point for a couple. |
| 111.1 : T Boult to Shafiq, Length delivery outside off, Shafiq lets it go. |
| 111.2 : T Boult to Shafiq, Length delivery on the off stump, Asad pushes it towards midwicket for a single. Moves to 99 with that single. |
| 111.3 : T Boult to Azam, Bouncer! Short this time and Azam ducks underneath it. |
| 111.4 : T Boult to Azam, Length delivery outside off, Azam blocks it off his back foot. |
| 111.5 : T Boult to B Azam, Lucky! Short and outside off by Boult. Asad tries to defend off his back foot but the ball finds the inside half of the bat and luckily misses the stumps and goes towards the fine leg region for a boundary. |
| 111.6 : T Boult to Azam, Length delivery outside off, Azam shoulders arms to it. |
| 112.1 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Tosses it up on middle, it is kept out. |
| 112.2 : W Somerville to Shafiq, This is worked with the turn to short leg. |
| 112.3 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Uses his feet and swings but it goes off the inner half towards mid-wicket. Nerves getting to Shafiq here, he has started to get a little fidgety now. |
| 112.4 : W Somerville to Shafiq, A muted appeal! Another full ball, it drifts into the batter, Shafiq tries to flick but misses to get hit on the boot. Going down leg. |
| 112.5 : W Somerville to Shafiq, Another dot as it is flicked to the man at mid-wicket. One ball to go in this over and one run is what Asad needs. |
| 112.6 : W Somerville to Shafiq, He does get it off the last ball! 12th Test ton for Asad Shafiq. He was eager to get this run and scrambles to the other end to get to it after stroking it to mid on. Takes his helmet off and soaks in the applause by his teammates. Just like all the top scorers from this game, this too has been a gritty innings. He though would want to continue. Also the 300 is up for Pakistan. |
| Ajaz Patel is back into the attack. |
| 113.1 : A Patel to Shafiq, On the stumps, it is kept out. |
| 113.2 : A Patel to Shafiq, On middle, blocked. |
| 113.3 : A Patel to Shafiq, FOUR! Up and over! Dances down the track and lofts it over mid off. The ball races away. |
| Shafiq is a goner! He has been judged out LBW but goes for the review. Only an inside edge can save him there. |
| 113.4 : Patel to Shafiq, OUT! AS PLUMB AS IT GETS! Shafiq falls shortly after getting to his ton. Takes a review with him. Ajaz Patel gets his first and now both the centurions are back in the hut. This is tossed up on middle, the ball pitches and straightens a touch. Asad plays outside the line, misses and the ball hits his front pad. The appeal follows and the umpire raises his finger. Shafiq walks upto his partner and then signals the 'T'. Hawk Eye returns with three reds. He walks off to a st |
| Sarfraz Ahmed is the next batsman in. |
| 113.5 : A Patel to Ahmed, Flatter and on off, Ahmed defends it. |
| 113.6 : A Patel to Ahmed, Tossed up on off, it is blocked. |
| 114.1 : W Somerville to Azam, Shorter on length, the ball drifts away on the leg side. Babar flicks it away. |
| 114.2 : W Somerville to Azam, Tossed up on off by Somerville, Azam defends it with a straight bat. |
| 114.3 : W Somerville to Azam, Four! Punched away off the back foot by Babar through covers. Somerville bowls it short of a length, it was a loose delivery by Somerville and punished rightly by Babar Azam. |
| 114.4 : W Somerville to Azam, Works it through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 114.5 : W Somerville to Ahmed, On the pads again, Ahmed flicks it to square leg. |
| 114.6 : W Somerville to Ahmed, On the shorter side, Ahmed goes back and then guides it through point for a run. |
| 115.1 : A Patel to Ahmed, Shorter and outside off, Sarfraz cuts it away but straight to the fielder. |
| 115.2 : A Patel to Ahmed, Full and on middle, the skipper comes ahead and dead bats it. |
| 115.3 : A Patel to S Ahmed, Flighted outside off, the batsman drives it to short cover. |
| 115.4 : A Patel to S Ahmed, Another drive to short cover. |
| 115.5 : A Patel to Ahmed, Sarfraz comes down the track and plays this towards mid on. |
| 115.6 : A Patel to Ahmed, Maiden over as Ahmed stays back in the crease and defends this ball. |
| 116.1 : W Somerville to Azam, Tosses it up around off, the batsman lunges and keeps it out. |
| 116.2 : W Somerville to Azam, Another loopy ball on off, Babar comes forward and keeps it out. |
| 116.3 : W Somerville to Azam, This is floated up on middle, Azam flicks it through mid-wicket and a run is taken. |
| 116.4 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 116.5 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Uses his feet and then clips it to mid-wicket. |
| 116.6 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Slower through the air around off, Sarfraz lunges and blocks it out. |
| 117.1 : A Patel to Azam, Tossed up on middle and leg, pushed towards the on side for a single. |
| 117.2 : A Patel to Ahmed, Tossed up again this time on middle, Sarfaraz defends it off his front foot. |
| 117.3 : A Patel to Ahmed, Floats it up on middle, it is driven back to the bowler. |
| 117.4 : A Patel to Ahmed, Well bowled! Gives it a lot more air outside off, Ahmed looks to drive away from his body but gets beaten by the away turn and bounce. |
| 117.5 : A Patel to Ahmed, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 117.6 : A Patel to Ahmed, On the stumps, it is blocked and Sarfraz starts walking back towards the dressing room as it is TEA ON DAY 3! |
| A much better session for the Kiwis. 88 runs were scored in 28 overs, and Pakistan do have a lead of 38 at this moment in time, but they will be pleased to see the backs of Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq, who scored their respective centuries and made a 201-run partnership. Somervile picked up his maiden Test wicket by removing the former and the latter was dismissed by Patel, who got his first of the game too. This is the perfect moment for New Zealand to make further inroads, but they still could f |
| ... Day 3, Session 3 ... |
| We are back for the final session of the day. Babar Azam and Sarfraz Ahmed will continue their innings. Will Somerville to start the proceedings after the break. Here we go... |
| 118.1 : W Somerville to Azam, Loopy delivery on the off stump. Defended well by Babar. |
| 118.2 : W Somerville to Azam, This is bowled very full on off, Azam tries to jam it out with a |
| 118.3 : W Somerville to Azam, OUT! William strikes! One brings two, that is exactly the case in the debutant's case. A lucky wicket you can say. This is bowled very full on off, Azam tries to jam it out with a close face of the bat. He manages to hit it onto his boot and then the ball rolls onto the stumps. The Kiwis are ecstatic as they have struck three balls post the Tea break. Azam walks back dejected and New Zealand fighting back here. |
| Bilal Asif is the next batsman in. |
| 118.4 : W Somerville to Asif, Tosses it up on off, it is kept out. |
| 118.5 : W Somerville to Asif, Another flighted ball on off, it is blocked. |
| 118.6 : Somerville to Asif, A yorker to end, it is jammed out. |
| Ajaz Patel to bowl from the other end. |
| 119.1 : A Patel to Ahmed, Flighted on off, Sarfraz pushes it to mid off and sets off for a quick single. The mid off fielder gets a direct hit at the striker's end but Bilal is safely inside. |
| 119.2 : A Patel to Asif, Looped up outside off, Bilal prods ahead and defends. |
| 119.3 : A Patel to Asif, FOUR! Such a tease for Tom Latham. The ball wins the race though. Width given by Patel, Bilal cuts it late and behind point. The ball runs away from the fielder and to the fence. |
| 119.4 : A Patel to Asif, Looped up outside off, Asif pushes it to cover. |
| 119.5 : A Patel to Asif, Full and outside off, Asif comes ahead and covers the line of the ball as he defends it. |
| 119.6 : A Patel to Asif, Flatter delivery outside off, the batsman is comfortable in defense. |
| 120.1 : W Somerville to Ahmed, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 120.2 : W Somerville to S Ahmed, Tossed up on middle, Sarfaraz pushes it towards mid on. |
| 120.3 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Drifts away on the leg side, Sarfaraz leaves it alone. |
| 120.4 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Short off length, the ball is defended by Sarfaraz on the back foot. |
| 120.5 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Tossed up on the middle, Sarfaraz has no trouble defending on his front foot. |
| 120.6 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Tossed up again outside off, The skipper pushes it towards cover for a single. He will keep the strike. |
| 121.1 : A Patel to Ahmed, Flatter and shorter around off, the batsman goes back and then guides it to point. |
| 121.2 : A Patel to Asif, This is floated on off, Asif lunges and blocks it out. |
| 121.3 : A Patel to Asif, Another tossed up ball on off, the batsman is solid in defense. |
| 121.4 : A Patel to Asif, On the shorter side, Asif goes back and then guides it towards third man for a single. |
| 121.5 : A Patel to Ahmed, Has that been dropped? Replays show there was no edge. This is bowled slower through the air around off, Sarfraz goes back, waits for the ball to come to him and then tries to guide it down towards the third man region. He though is beaten by the extra bounce and the keeper too fails to collect it. |
| 121.6 : A Patel to Ahmed, Flatter and around off, Ahmed guides it towards point. He wants a run but is sent back. |
| 122.1 : W Somerville to Asif, Round the wicket, tossed up on his leg blocked on the front foot. |
| 122.2 : W Somerville to Asif, Tossed up on the middle stump, Asif blocks it away. |
| 122.3 : W Somerville to Asif, Pitched outside leg, Bilal shoulders arms to it but the ball hits his front pad. |
| 122.4 : W Somerville to Asif, Tossed up on off, defended off his front foot. |
| 122.5 : W Somerville to Asif, No run. |
| 122.6 : W Somerville to Asif, Short of a length this time, Asif pushes it away off his back foot towards the third man region for a brace. |
| 123.1 : A Patel to Ahmed, Looped up outside off, Sarfaraz pushes it towards cover and runs through for a quick single. |
| 123.2 : A Patel to Asif, Flatter and on middle, Bilal stays tall and plays it towards short mid-wicket. |
| 123.3 : A Patel to B Asif, Outside off, Bilal does well to play it with soft hands as it takes an outside edge and drops short of slip. |
| 123.4 : A Patel to Asif, Sharp turn after landing on middle, the ball turns just enough to beat the outside edge of Asif who was trying to defend. Beautiful ball, lucky for Bilal. |
| 123.5 : A Patel to Asif, Short of a length delivery outside off, it has been cut away behind point on the off side. Good fielding, saves a run for his team. |
| 123.6 : A Patel to Ahmed, FOUR! There's no stopping this one though! Flighted on middle, Sarfraz pushes it beautifully straight down the ground and to the fence. Looked really elegant. |
| 124.1 : W Somerville to Asif, Tossed up outside off, Bilal tries to defend off his front foot but the ball finds the inside edge and goes towards short fine leg. A quick single is taken. |
| 124.2 : W Somerville to S Ahmed, Ahmed now eases it down to long on for a run. |
| 124.3 : W Somerville to Asif, It is worked towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| Review taken. Bilal Asif is caught leg before and given out. He's quick to take the DRS. Looks out to the naked eye, but it just could be turning down leg. Let's see now... |
| 124.4 : Somerville to Asif, NOT OUT! It is turning down leg! Excellent use of the review. This is tossed up around off, it spins back in sharply. Bilal tries to defend but misses to get hit on the pads. An appeal follows, the umpire raises his finger. Asif has a chat with his skipper and then reviews. Hawk Eye shows the on-field call has to be overturned. Bilal survives to fight another day. |
| 124.5 : W Somerville to Asif, Tosses it up on off, Asif defends it. |
| 124.6 : W Somerville to Asif, Floats it outside off, Asif blocks it. |
| 125.1 : A Patel to Ahmed, Drifts it away down the leg, the ball hits Sarfraz's pads outside leg. |
| 125.2 : A Patel to Ahmed, Tossed up outside off, Sarfraz tries to defend it off his front foot but the ball hits the inner half of the bat and goes to the first slip on a bounce. |
| 125.3 : A Patel to Ahmed, Tossed up on middle leg, Sarfaraz pushes it towards mid on for a single. |
| 125.4 : A Patel to Asif, This ball is flatter and on the pads, it is worked towards fine leg. |
| 125.5 : A Patel to Asif, OUT! This one is not gonna change! Ajaz gets his second of the innings. Bilal has to depart. The ball is looped up generously outside off and Bilal can't hold back his drive. He gets a thick edge and Ross Taylor at slip takes a really smart catch. 333-7 now! The lead is 59. |
| Yasir Shah is the new man in. |
| 125.6 : A Patel to Shah, Flatter ball on middle, Yasir comes ahead to defend but gets a thick inside edge that rolls to square leg. Lucky he got some bat on that, else he would have been plumb in front. |
| 126.1 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Tossed up on middle, defended off his front foot. |
| 126.2 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Tossed up on middle and leg, pushed away by Sarfraz towards mid on for a single. |
| 126.3 : W Somerville to Shah, Drifts away on the leg side, Yasir leaves it alone. |
| 126.4 : W Somerville to Shah, Tossed up by Somerville, Yasir hits it straight back at the bowler |
| 126.5 : W Somerville to Shah, Tossed up on the off stump, Yasir tries to defend off his front foot, the ball finds the outside edge and goes towards the third man region for a single. |
| 126.6 : W Somerville to Ahmed, FOUR! Taking the charge! Sarfraz charges down the pitch and lifts it over long on for a boundary. Initially it looked like the ball crossed the fence but replays show that it bounced just in line. |
| 127.1 : A Patel to Shah, Flighted on off, the batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 127.2 : A Patel to Shah, Flatter at the pads, the ball is jammed away to short mid-wicket. |
| 127.3 : A Patel to Shah, Quicker one at middle, Shah has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 127.4 : A Patel to Shah, Shorter ball outside off, Yasir stays back and pushes it to point. |
| 127.5 : A Patel to Shah, Blocked out very comfortably. |
| 127.6 : A Patel to Shah, Flatter ball outside off, Shah covers his stumps and leaves the ball. |
| 128.1 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Tossed up on off, Sarfaraz pushes it towards long on for a single. |
| 128.2 : W Somerville to Shah, Tossed up again, Yasir defends off his front foot. |
| 128.3 : W Somerville to Shah, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 128.4 : W Somerville to Shah, Tossed up outside off, Yasir leaves it alone. The ball kept low and reached the keeper. |
| 128.5 : W Somerville to Shah, Tossed up on middle, Yasir easily blocks it away. |
| 128.6 : W Somerville to Shah, Pitched up on the off Yasir hits it towards the fielder at mid wicket. |
| 129.1 : A Patel to S Ahmed, Sarfraz comes ahead to defend this one that is drifting down at the pads. He misses the ball and it hits him on his pad but impact is well outside leg. |
| 129.2 : A Patel to Ahmed, Full and outside off, Ahmed has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 129.3 : A Patel to Ahmed, Shorter and outside off this time, Sarfraz gets to the other end with a punch through the covers. |
| 129.4 : A Patel to Shah, Good ball just on off stump, Yasir comes ahead and defends the ball. The ball takes the inside half and rolls on to the leg side. |
| 129.5 : A Patel to Shah, Beaten outside off! Yasir prods ahead to defend but the turn after landing is just enough to beat his edge. |
| 129.6 : A Patel to Shah, There is much more assurance in this defense as Yasir comes ahead and dead bats this looped one on middle. |
| 130.1 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Tossed up outside off, Sarfraz tries to defend off his front foot. The ball finds the outside edge and goes towards the third man region for a single. |
| 130.2 : W Somerville to Shah, Tossed up once again by Somerville, Yasir pushes it back towards the bowler. |
| 130.3 : W Somerville to Shah, Loopy delivery outside off, Yasir tries to block it but misses the ball. The ball kept low there and missed the edge and the stumps. |
| 130.4 : W Somerville to Shah, Played to mid-wicket region by the Shah. |
| 130.5 : W Somerville to Shah, Tossed up outside off and Yasir defends it with a straight bat. |
| 130.6 : W Somerville to Shah, Tossed up once again outside off, the ball turns in after pitching and finds the inside half of Yasir's bat. |
| 131.1 : A Patel to Ahmed, Shorter ball outside off, Sarfraz plays it very late, almost off the stumps and finds the gap to the left of point. The batsmen come back for two. |
| 131.2 : A Patel to S Ahmed, Looped up on off, driven straight to short cover. |
| 131.3 : A Patel to Ahmed, So close! The skipper goes to repeat the shot that he played off the first ball. This time though, he gets a thick under edge that rolls to the left of slip. He could've easily played on. |
| 131.4 : A Patel to Ahmed, Flatter ball outside off, Sarfraz gets to the other end by punching the ball to sweeper cover for a run. |
| 131.5 : A Patel to Y Shah, Yasir is well ahead to defend this fuller one but gets an thin inside edge onto the pads. |
| 131.6 : A Patel to Shah, Outside off, left alone by Yasir. |
| 132.1 : Somerville to Y Shah, OUT! Suicidal from Pakistan. There was never a second run in that! Sarfraz sit down disappointed with that call. The ball is taken on the full and played to deep mid-wicket. Yasir is slow on his first run and even slips a little while turning. Sarfraz calls him back for the second and the tail-ender couldn't say no. He is well short of the crease as de Grandhomme fires in a quick, flat throw at the non-striker's end. Pakistan are throwing away their position of absol |
| 0.0 : Hasan Ali is the new man in. |
| 132.2 : W Somerville to Ahmed, This is flatter around off, it is kept out. |
| 132.3 : W Somerville to Ahmed, On off again, blocked. |
| 132.4 : W Somerville to Ahmed, This is eased through mid off for a run. |
| 132.5 : W Somerville to Ali, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 132.6 : W Somerville to H Ali, OUT! TIMBER! No. 9 is down now! Second wicket in the over for New Zealand. This is bowled flatter on off. Hasan Ali plays for the non-extant turn. The ball goes past his outside edge and hits the off pole. Ali bags a duck and William gets his third. |
| Shaheen Afridi is the last batsman in. |
| 133.1 : A Patel to Ahmed, Tossed up by Ajaz, Sarfraz tries to defend off his font foot. The ball finds the edge and goes towards the third man region there was an easy single there but Sarfraz refuses to give the strike to the debutant on the other end. |
| 133.2 : A Patel to Ahmed, Tossed up on off, The skipper defends it off his front foot. |
| 133.3 : A Patel to S Ahmed, Loopy delivery by Patel, the ball finds the inside edge of Sarfraz and hits this pads. |
| 133.4 : A Patel to S Ahmed, Tossed up once again, Ahmed finds the edge and this time he takes the single. |
| 133.5 : A Patel to Afridi, Tossed up by Ajaz, the debutant does well to keep it out. |
| 133.6 : A Patel to Afridi, Looped up by Ajaz, Afridi does well to keep it away from the danger. |
| 134.1 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Gives it air on off, the batsman keeps it out. |
| 134.2 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Tosses it above the eye line. Tempting Sarfraz to go for a big hit. Ahmed resists and defends it out. |
| 134.3 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Fires this on the stumps now, it is blocked out. |
| 134.4 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Down the leg side, Sarfraz lets it be. |
| 134.5 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Fires it on the pads, it is worked towards square leg. |
| 134.6 : W Somerville to Ahmed, OUT! That is it! William Somerville finishes with a four-fer. A soft dismissal this. It is bowled quicker and fuller on middle, Sarfraz tries to chip it into the gap but is not successful in doing so. He manages to find Jeet Raval at short mid-wicket who takes an easy catch. PAKISTAN ARE BOWLED OUT FOR 348! |
| New Zealand will be really happy with what has just happened over the last hour or so. The Pakistan innings has folded for 348 from 286-3. 7 wickets for 62 runs. Once again, the spinners of the visitors and some poor decisions by the Pakistani batsmen has caused this sudden slide. Somerville was the wrecker in chief, as he got 4 wickets. As for the hosts, Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq both reached their centuries but fell soon after that. Pakistan end with a lead of 74 but they could have surely got |
| 0.1 : H Ali to Raval, Length delivery on the off stump, the ball moves away from the batsman after pitching. Raval lets it go. |
| 0.2 : H Ali to J Raval, Full this time and Raval drives it through covers. The fielder dives and saves a certain boundary there. |
| 0.3 : H Ali to Raval, Length delivery outside off, Raval shoulders arms to it. |
| 0.4 : H Ali to Raval, length delivery on middle and offs stump, the ball comes back in after pitching. Raval leaves it alone. |
| 0.5 : H Ali to Raval, Length delivery once again this time Raval blocks it away with a straight bat off his backfoot. |
| 0.6 : H Ali to Raval, Length ball outside off, Raval lets it go. Good start by Ali here. |
| Shaheen Afridi to share the new ball. |
| 1.1 : S Afridi to Latham, Good length ball on off, Latham pushes it to mid on and gets off the mark. |
| 1.2 : S Afridi to Raval, Overpitched and outside off, Raval drives it straight to mid off. |
| 1.3 : S Afridi to Raval, Length ball, well outside off this time. The batsman chooses to leave it. |
| 1.4 : S Afridi to Raval, This was coming in! And so close to the off pole. Raval decides to leave it again but luckily for him, the ball doesn't come back enough. |
| 1.5 : S Afridi to Raval, Short of a length outside off, Raval stands inside his crease and defends it. |
| 1.6 : S Afridi to Raval, Full and outside off, Raval prods ahead and defends it into the ground. |
| 2.1 : H Ali to Latham, Length delivery on the stums angles away from the batsman, Jeet lets it alone. |
| 2.2 : H Ali to Latham, Identical delivery, Jeet shoulders arms to it. |
| 2.3 : H Ali to Latham, What A beauty! Coming around the wicket, Ali bowls it a bit shorter and it jags back in. Misses the stumps. |
| 2.4 : H Ali to Latham, Length delivery outside off, Raval leaves it alone. |
| 2.5 : H Ali to Tom Latham, Length delivery outside off the ball moves back in and finds the inside edge of Latham's bat onto the pads. A few shouts for lbw but not a confident appeal. |
| 2.6 : H Ali to Latham, Length delivery outside off, jags back in and once again finds the edge f Latham's bat who tries to block it away. |
| 3.1 : S Afridi to Raval, Short of a length and on middle, Raval pushes it to short mid-wicket. |
| 3.2 : S Afridi to Raval, Just short of a good length outside off, Raval defends this from within the crease. |
| 3.3 : S Afridi to Raval, Outside off and the ball jags in after landing. Raval decides to leave it but the ball comes in and hits his knee roll on the way to Sarfraz. The Pakistanis appeal but the impact was outside off. Raval needs to be more careful with the ball swinging so much. |
| Review time! Raval has been given out LBW. He has gone for a review. Looks out to the naked eye. |
| 3.4 : Afridi to Raval, OUT! Jeet Raval will have to go. The ball lands outside off and jags in late after landing. The leftie can't adjust and gets rapped on the knee roll. The umpire raised his finger after thinking for a bit. Jeet consults his partner and goes for the review. The Snickometer shows that there is no bat involved and the Ball Tracker shows that the impact and stumps would have been Umpire's call. The decision stays and New Zealand lose their first wicket. The review is retained th |
| 3.5 : S Afridi to Williamson, A full ball outside off to welcome the NZ skipper, he defends it calmly to cover. |
| 3.6 : S Afridi to K Williamson, FOUR! Wide outside off, Kane goes fishing and gets a thick outside edge that goes wide of the slips and to the fence for a boundary. Williamson gets off the mark in streaky fashion. |
| 4.1 : H Ali to Latham, Good length on off, the batsman is solid in defense. |
| 4.2 : H Ali to Tom Latham, Very full this time on off, Latham does not get it through and finds the fielder at covers. |
| 4.3 : H Ali to Latham, Back of a length around off, Latham goes back and keeps it out. Hasan is not getting the same amount of movement like Afridi. |
| 4.4 : H Ali to Latham, The bumper on middle, the batsman ducks under it. |
| 4.5 : H Ali to Latham, On the stumps, it is kept out. |
| 4.6 : H Ali to Latham, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 5.1 : S Afridi to Williamson, Length delivery outside off, Willaimson doesn't get in the way of the ball. |
| 5.2 : S Afridi to Williamson, Length again and Williamson shoulders arms to it. |
| 5.3 : S Afridi to Williamson, Length delivery outside off, Williamson beautifully punches it off his back foot through cover point for 3 runs. |
| 5.4 : S Afridi to Latham, Full on the middle stump and Latham punches it through the mid wicket region. The fielder gives it a good chase and saves a run for his side. The batsman take 3 runs there. |
| 5.5 : S Afridi to Williamson, Full outside off, Williamson defends it off his front foot. |
| 5.6 : S Afridi to Williamson, Length delivery on off, the Kiwi skipper blocks it off his back foot. |
| 6.1 : H Ali to Latham, Works it with the angle down to fine leg for a single. |
| 6.2 : H Ali to Williamson, Good length around off, the ball stays a touch low. Williamson does well to keep it out. |
| 6.3 : H Ali to K Williamson, Fuller and around off, Williamson strokes it towards wide mid off for a run. |
| 6.4 : H Ali to Latham, On a length again and it is kept out nicely. |
| 6.5 : H Ali to Latham, Attacks the off pole, the batsman gets right behind the line and defends it onto the ground. |
| 6.6 : H Ali to Latham, A little too straight by Hasan, Latham tries to flick but misses to get hit on the pads. It goes towards fine leg. A leg bye is taken. |
| Yasir Shah is into the attack. |
| 7.1 : Y Shah to Latham, Flatter and around off, the batsman is solid in defense. |
| 7.2 : Y Shah to Latham,Brings out the paddle sweep towards fine leg for a single. |
| 7.3 : Y Shah to Williamson, It is slightly on the shorter side, it is slapped through covers for a run. |
| 7.4 : Y Shah to Latham, Latham works it with the turn through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 7.5 : Y Shah to Williamson, Floats it up on off, the batsman is solid in defense. |
| 7.6 : Y Shah to Williamson, The batsman drives this through the covers. |
| Bilal Asif is into the attack now. |
| 8.1 : B Asif to Latham, The slider on middle, Latham goes back and pushes it to mid-wicket. |
| 8.2 : B Asif to Latham, Flatter again on off, Latham is solid in defense. |
| 8.3 : B Asif to Latham, Nice! This is what he should be bowling. Loopy and lands it around off, it pitches and then turns away. Latham however, keeps it out nicely. |
| 8.4 : B Asif to Latham, A little more straighter than this one. This is outside off, it is left alone. |
| 8.5 : B Asif to Tom Latham, Just like that! The edge was induced but away from the first slip fielder. Floats it up on off, pitches and turns away. Latham tries to defend but gets an outside edge towards third man for a brace. |
| 8.6 : B Asif to Latham, On the stumps, it is kept out. |
| 9.1 : Y Shah to K Williamson, This is stroked towards mid off for no runs. |
| 9.2 : Y Shah to K Williamson, This is flatter and outside off, Williamson cuts it to point. |
| 9.3 : Y Shah to Williamson, Tosses it up on off, the batter pushes it to covers. |
| 9.4 : Y Shah to Latham, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 9.5 : Y Shah to Latham, Tosses it up outside off, the ball pitches and turns back in. Latham tries to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| Babar Azam is going to come in close to the batsman. He's called for a helmet and extra shin guards. |
| 9.6 : Y Shah to Latham, Tries to sweep but misses to get hit on the pads. An appeal follows but the umpire shakes his head. The impact was outside off. |
| 10.1 : B Asif to Williamson, This is flatter and around off, this is pushed through covers for a run. |
| 10.2 : B Asif to Latham, A little too full and outside off, the batter times it through covers for a run. |
| 10.3 : B Asif to Williamson, Williamson walk right across and flicks it to square leg for a run. |
| 10.4 : B Asif to Latham, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 10.5 : B Asif to Latham, On the stumps and it is kept out. |
| 10.6 : B Asif to Latham, Outside off, left alone. |
| 11.1 : Y Shah to Williamson, Short, spinning away from outside off, it's placed through the covers from the back foot for a single. |
| 11.2 : Y Shah to Latham, Loud shout for a leg before, turned down. The inside edge saves him there. Yasir comes from around the wicket and tosses it up outside off, it spins and catches Latham on the front pad. The appeal is denied though, as the ball first takes the inside edge. Good call from the umpire. |
| 11.3 : Shah to Tom Latham, Coming in once more, Latham looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto his pads. |
| 11.4 : Y Shah to Latham, OUT! Gone. That's actually a poor shot from Tom Latham. There isn't much time before end of day's play, should have been more cautious. Played right into Pakistan's hands really. Shah loops it up around off and it turns into the batsman, Latham gets low to sweep. Can't keep it down and it's straight towards Haris Sohail at deep square leg. He runs in, dives and takes a safe catch. |
| William Somerville is in as the nightwatchman. |
| 11.5 : Y Shah to W Somerville, Shorter and flatter outside off, forced away off the back foot to covers. |
| 11.6 : Y Shah to Somerville, Pushes it into the same region to end the over. |
| 12.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Works it with the turn towards short fine leg and the batsmen take a run. |
| 12.2 : B Asif to Somerville, Tosses it up outside off, William blocks it out. |
| 12.3 : B Asif to Somerville, Down the leg side, Somerville misses the flick, the keeper too fails to collect but no runs taken. |
| 12.4 : B Asif to Somerville, A huge appeal but not given! This is tossed up around middle, William lunges and tries to defend with bat and pad close. Not sure what it hit first. The Pakistan players appeal. The umpire shakes his head. Bilal really likes it but Sarfraz says it seems to be going down leg. |
| 12.5 : B Asif to Somerville, The batsman has punched that ball through the off side. They pick up a single. |
| 12.6 : B Asif to Williamson, Floated up on middle, it is kept out. |
| 13.1 : Y Shah to Somerville, Flatter around off, Somerville goes back and defends it onto the ground. |
| 13.2 : Y Shah to W Somerville, Tosses it up on off, Somerville strokes it to mid off. |
| 13.3 : Y Shah to Somerville, On the stumps, it is kept out. |
| 13.4 : Y Shah to Somerville, On the stumps again, another defensive shot on offer. |
| 13.5 : Y Shah to Somerville, Floats it up outside off, the batsman drives it to covers. |
| 13.6 : Y Shah to Somerville, The last ball has been negotiated nicely! Floated up on off, Somerville meets it with the full face of the bat. STUMPS ON DAY 3! |
| A session of two halves, the first hour was dominated by New Zealand and the second by Pakistan. But it is surely the hosts who walk off the field as the happier side. After their remaining 5 wickets fell for not a lot, they had around 14 overs to have a go at the Kiwi batsmen and they have managed to get rid of the two openers. |
| They are in the driver's seat at the moment but could have been in an even better position had their middle and lower-order capitalized on the platform laid by Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq. The duo, earlier in the day, stitched a mammoth 201-run stand, with both scoring a ton. Pakistan looked set to take a huge lead but Somerville weaved his magic and helped New Zealand fight back. However, wickets from Yasir Shah and Shaheen Afridi has once again seen them go on the back foot. |
| 48 more is what New Zealand trail by, they have their skipper out there and the tourists would hope, he bats long and the rest give him able support. Pakistan on the other hand, will want to bundle the visitors out quickly as anything above 150 could be a tricky chase with the wicket worsening. Will Pakistan continue their domination on Day 4 or will New Zealand fight back? Join us to find out at 1000 local (0600 GMT). Till then goodbye and take care. |
| ... DAY 4, SESSION 1 ... |
| The great Matthew Hayden had once remarked - 'In India, there could be hours of play where nothing seems to be happening. Then, all of a sudden, the Test match turns on its head.' Might as well change that part from India to Asia. For hours on Tuesday and Wednesday, it seemed like nothing is going to happen. And then suddenly, we are into a possibility of another quick finish. Hello and a warm welcome to the fourth day of the third Test between Pakistan and New Zealand in Abu Dhabi. |
| When Azhar and Shafiq raised their double century stand, one felt that they have batted the Kiwis out of this Test match. Or set the platform to. But a collapse from 285/3 to 348 all out meant that this game has now turned into a one-inning shootout. The Black Caps have lost their openers already but they still have some decent batting to come. A target of around 200 would be more than a handful. |
| That was from New Zealand's point of view. Let us now see how Pakistan view it. A wicket early this morning - that of Kane Williamson - and we have a realistic chance of getting a holiday tomorrow. The pitch is turning square and Yasir and Bilal become threats again. Do not forget the Professor, Mohammad Hafeez. |
| Will Somerville is having a chat with Danny Morrison. The spinner says that he is extremely excited to contribute to the team's cause. Hopes that he now does some bit with the bat too. On his childhood days, he says that he grew up in Wellington and watched Martin Crowe play cricket, who was his inspiration. Then adds further that he went to Australia to improve his cricket and then came back and played for Otago. On the current surface, Somerville says that it is a good surface but very difficu |
| The players are slowly making their way out to the middle. It will be Hasan Ali to start the proceedings today to Kane Williamson. Here we go! |
| 14.1 : H Ali to Williamson, Full and outside off, driven straight to cover. |
| 14.2 : H Ali to Williamson, Tighter line, closer to the off stump, Williamson defends stoutly. |
| 14.3 : H Ali to Williamson, Slightly wider outside off, which means Kane can free his arms a touch and punch i through then covers. First runs of the morning as the batsmen amble back for the third. Might have even run four, had they gone for it quickly. |
| 14.4 : H Ali to Somerville, Full and outside off, pushed straight to mid off. |
| 14.5 : H Ali to W Somerville, Oohh... Somerville stays back to defend this but the ball stays a touch low, takes the inside edge and hits him on his pads. |
| 14.6 : H Ali to Somerville, Once again Will stays back to defend and this time, does so properly. |
| Shaheen Afridi to bowl from the other end. |
| 15.1 : S Afridi to Williamson, On a length around off, watchfully punched back to the bowler. |
| 15.2 : S Afridi to Williamson, Similar ball, once again a tight compact defense from the skipper. |
| 15.3 : S Afridi to Williamson, A slower bouncer, around leg, Kane ducks. |
| 15.4 : S Afridi to Williamson, Beauty. The length is a touch fuller and the skipper is beaten. Beautiful seam presentation, held upright, dangerous channel, around middle and leg, then getting it to seam away as KW feels for the ball. |
| 15.5 : S Afridi to Williamson, Around off, angling away, punched towards cover. |
| 15.6 : S Afridi to Williamson, Around off again, watchfully defended from the crease. |
| Straightaway a change. Just the one over for Hasan Ali this morning. Here comes Yasir Shah. One away from becoming the fastest to 200 Test wickets... |
| 16.1 : Y Shah to Somerville, Full and down the leg side, Somerville misses his flick and is hit on the pads. |
| 16.2 : Y Shah to Somerville, Looks to flick again but gets a bit of an inside edge onto his pads. |
| 16.3 : Y Shah to Somerville, Around middle, worked straight to short leg. |
| 16.4 : Y Shah to Somerville, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. |
| 16.5 : Y Shah to Somerville, A little bit of drift, coming into the batsman, Somerville gets across and defends. |
| 16.6 : Y Shah to Somerville, Full and outside off, Will looks to flick but misses and gets a leading edge towards cover. A single taken. |
| A bit of an issue with the ball. |
| Ian Gould gets his scissors and takes some leather off the ball. Hey hey... we have a pacer from the other end! I thought it will be spin from both ends... |
| 17.1 : S Afridi to Somerville, Ahh.... a play and a miss. Full and outside off, Somerville looks to drive but misses. |
| 17.2 : S Afridi to Somerville, Full and outside off, driven straight to cover. |
| 17.3 : S Afridi to Somerville, Beaten! This bloke is bowling really well. Lands this on the seam, around off, Will looks to defend but the late away movement squares him and beats the outside edge. |
| 17.4 : S Afridi to Somerville, Another play and a miss from the night watchman. |
| 17.5 : S Afridi to Somerville, This time he watches the ball really closely and opens the face of the bat at the right time, pushing the ball to point. |
| 17.6 : S Afridi to Somerville, This is pitched outside leg, with the aim of moving the ball away, but Somerville defends it watchfully. Consecutive maidens for Afridi. |
| 18.1 : Y Shah to K Williamson, Full and outside off, eased through the covers for an easy single. That is a run given. Pakistan clearly want the night watchman facing as many balls as possible. |
| 18.2 : Y Shah to Somerville, Full and around off, Somerville stays back and defends. |
| 18.3 : Y Shah to Somerville, Beauty. Full and around off, Will is drawn forward into the defense but the ball spins away past the outside edge. |
| 18.4 : Y Shah to Somerville, Outside off, punched back to the bowler. |
| 18.5 : Y Shah to Somerville, Sloppy from Pakistan. They have now allowed an easy single to Somerville. He just gets across and taps this to the on side, crossing over. Can they prevent Williamson from retaining the strike? |
| 18.6 : Y Shah to Williamson, Yes, they can. Full and around middle, watchfully pushed towards mid-wicket. |
| 19.1 : S Afridi to Somerville, Landed around off, shaping away, left alone. |
| 19.2 : S Afridi to Somerville, Punches this off the back foot for a single. |
| 19.3 : S Afridi to Williamson, On a length around middle and leg, angling away, pushed towards point. |
| 19.4 : S Afridi to K Williamson, FOUR! SWEET! Kane Williamson at his best. Full and outside off, Williamson leans into the shot, uses the angle from the bowler and drives it through the covers for a boundary. Textbook shot. The deficit is now 37. The skipper moves to 22 with his second boundary and the stand is now worth 13. |
| 19.5 : S Afridi to Williamson, Around off, solidly defended. |
| 19.6 : S Afridi to Williamson, A bouncer to end the over, Kane ducks. |
| Has Yasir got his 200th? Somerville has been adjudged plumb in front. He has taken a review though. Oh no, he hasn't. He was just walking across to his skipper for a chat. Is sent on his way. |
| 20.1 : Y Shah to Somerville, OUT! 200TH TEST WICKET FOR YASIR SHAH! The fastest ever to do so! Take a bow, maestro. In just 33 matches. Only the 7th Pakistan player to achieve this feat. Pitched around leg stump, Somerville looks to play that from the crease but misses and is hit right in front. A big appeal ensues and the umpire raises his finger! The night watchman has a bit of a chat with his skipper but not for long. Is sent back. Plumb in front. |
| 0.0 : Ross Taylor walks in at number 5, replacing Somerville. |
| 20.2 : Y Shah to R Taylor, Full and outside off, driven straight to mid off. |
| 20.3 : Y Shah to Taylor, CLOSE CALL! Full and around off, Taylor dances down the track and pushes it towards mid on. Takes the fielder on and is in a bit of a strife but beats the throw as it misses the stumps at the bowler's end. |
| 20.4 : Y Shah to Williamson, That ball has taken the inside edge onto the pads. |
| 20.5 : Y Shah to Williamson, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 20.6 : Y Shah to Williamson, Comes out this time to block. Superb over from Yasir. |
| 21.1 : S Afridi to R Taylor, UPPISH, BUT SAFE! A bit loose from Taylor. He needs to stitch a partnership here. Full and outside off, a touch wide, shaping away, Rosco plays away from his body and nearly spoons a catch to short extra cover. Luckily for him, it evades the fielder and the batsmen get a couple. |
| 21.2 : S Afridi to R Taylor, FOUR! Much better from Taylor. Afridi overpitches on this occasion and this time Taylor makes good use of his feet. Gets close to the pitch of the ball and drives it past mid off. |
| 21.3 : S Afridi to Taylor, Full and straight, watchfully defended. |
| 21.4 : S Afridi to Taylor, FOUR! Counter-attacking, is he? Looks like we are gonna have fun. Full and outside off, Taylor reaches out this time and drives it between cover and mid off for the second boundary of the over! |
| 21.5 : S Afridi to Taylor, FOUR! Oh ho ho! This is even better! Third boundary of the over and already tea pots are boiling in Sarfraz' face. On a length around off, angling away, Taylor waits for the ball to come to him and then opens the face of his bat to guide it past gully towards third man! 50 UP FOR NEW ZEALAND! They trail by 22 now. |
| 21.6 : S Afridi to Taylor, Around off, blocked from the crease. 14 from the over! |
| 22.1 : Y Shah to Williamson, Outside off, punched off the back foot for a single. |
| 22.2 : Y Shah to Taylor, Comes down the track and whips it wide of mid on for three. The deficit is now 19. |
| 22.3 : Y Shah to Williamson, The batsman rocks onto the back foot and punches the ball. |
| 22.4 : Y Shah to Williamson, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 22.5 : Y Shah to Williamson, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 22.6 : Y Shah to Williamson, The googly to end the over, Kane misses his defense and is hit on the pads. Pakistan straightaway appeal but that was missing leg. |
| 23.1 : S Afridi to Taylor, On a length outside off, slanting away, Taylor pushes but misses. |
| 23.2 : S Afridi to Taylor, Around off, solidly defended. |
| 23.3 : S Afridi to R Taylor, FOUR! Terrific shot! Taylor is taking the bull by the horns. A short ball, around middle, Taylor swivels and pulls it behind square leg. There is a man in the deep, at square leg, but he cannot get there! |
| 23.4 : S Afridi to Taylor, Outside off, good change of pace, Rosco looks to cut but misses. |
| 23.5 : S Afridi to Taylor, OUT! Taylor has come and Taylor has gone! You live by the sword, so you die by it as well. Rosco's counter-attacking intent has not lasted long. A short ball, around middle, Ross has been looking to attack right from the time he arrived, so he does not bother to restrain himself. Goes after the pull but cannot quite keep it down. Gets a bit of a top edge which balloons in the air but hang on, where is Bilal Asif going? The ball is coming straight to him at deep square l |
| Henry Nicholls walks in at number 6, replacing Taylor. |
| 23.6 : S Afridi to Williamson, Outside off, left alone. |
| 24.1 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Full and around middle, chipped uppishly, but wide of the bowler towards mid on. |
| 24.2 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Comes down the track and watchfully blocks it out. |
| 24.3 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Around middle and off, well blocked out. |
| 24.4 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Full and outside off, pushed through the covers for a single. |
| 24.5 : Y Shah to Williamson, On middle and leg, helped through mid-wicket for three runs. |
| 24.6 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Pitches this miles outside off and Nicholls still goes after it, only to pad it away. Misses. |
| 25.1 : S Afridi to Williamson, A bouncer, around middle, Williamson ducks. |
| 25.2 : S Afridi to Williamson, The batsman works it down the leg side. They pick up a single. |
| Howzzat? Howzzat? Howzzat? Pakistan are supremely confident that Nicholls has nicked one behind. He has not been given out though. The hosts take a review... |
| 25.3 : Afridi to Nicholls, NOT OUT! The noise was of the bat hitting the back pad! Cannot blame Pakistan. On the first look, it seemed like there was a big edge. Full and outside off, Nicholls looked to drive but missed. There was a big noise and Sarfraz, along with the slip cordon, came charging towards the umpire in an appeal. But Ian Gould was as calm as a camel in a sandstorm. Did not panic at all. Shook his head and the skipper immediately went for the review. Sadly for him, Snickometer did |
| 25.4 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Outside off, pretty full, just outside off, but left alone. |
| 25.5 : S Afridi to Nicholls, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 25.6 : S Afridi to Nicholls, One more leave outside off. |
| 26.1 : Y Shah to Williamson, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 26.2 : Y Shah to Williamson, Full and outside off, driven through the covers where the fielder does well to stop it with a dive to his left. |
| 26.3 : Y Shah to Williamson, THAT IS A GRUBBER! Holy me, Williamson is surely lucky to still be out there. Full and around off, the googly, Kane stays back to work it to the leg side but the ball shoots low and just about takes the bottom half of his bat, enroute short leg. |
| 26.4 : Y Shah to Williamson, On middle and leg, flicked straight to short mid-wicket. |
| 26.5 : Y Shah to Williamson, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 26.6 : Y Shah to Williamson, Full and around off, well blocked out. |
| DRINKS BREAK. What an entertaining hour of cricket. 13 overs, 2 wickets and 39 runs. Those runs came because of Taylor's counter-attack but otherwise Pakistan have been as frugal as they possibly could have been. The Kiwis are into the middle order now and only Williamson is their possible hope. Can they play around him and at least set a target of 100 for the home side? |
| 27.1 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Down the leg side, left alone. |
| 27.2 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Wide down the leg side, no trouble at all for the batsman. |
| 27.3 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Outside off, left alone again. |
| 27.4 : S Afridi to Nicholls, One more leave outside off. |
| 27.5 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Full and around off, pushed towards cover. |
| 27.6 : S Afridi to Nicholls, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| Bilal Asif into the attack now. 3-0-7-0 so far. |
| 28.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Full on middle, flicked straight to short mid-wicket. |
| 28.2 : B Asif to K Williamson, Pushes this towards mid on, takes the fielder on and completes a quick single. |
| 28.3 : B Asif to Nicholls, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 28.4 : B Asif to Nicholls, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 28.5 : B Asif to Nicholls, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 28.6 : B Asif to Nicholls, Full and around off, well defended. |
| Yasir Shah is back on. Change of ends for him. 10-2-17-2 so far. |
| 29.1 : Y Shah to Williamson, On middle and leg, helped through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 29.2 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Full and around off, spinning in, watchfully defended. |
| 29.3 : Y Shah to Nicholls, On middle and leg, flicked through square leg for a couple. |
| 29.4 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Tossed up around off, spinning in, watchfully blocked out. |
| 29.5 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Spins in a long way from outside off, Nicholls gets across, then goes back and looks to flick but misses and is hit on the pads. Comfortably missing leg, hence no appeal. |
| 29.6 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Full and around off, dead-batted nicely. |
| Double change. Hasan Ali finally gets a look-in after a solitary over this morning. 5-3-5-0 so far in this innings. |
| 30.1 : Ali to Williamson, Huge shout for LBW! Turned down! Could be height, could be angle. On a length around off, nipping back in sharply, Williamson looked to defend but was beaten by pace and got hit on the pads. Hasan roared in an appeal, even extended it but umpire Reiffel patiently waited for all that to die down and then shook his head with a NO. Hawk Eye shows that to be clipping the top of leg stump, so the umpire's call would have stayed. |
| 30.2 : H Ali to Williamson, Full and around off, watchfully blocked out. |
| 30.3 : H Ali to Williamson, FOUR! Excellent shot! Fractionally short in length outside off, Williamson rocks back and cuts it through point for a boundary! Moves to 33 with his third boundary. |
| 30.4 : H Ali to Williamson, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 30.5 : H Ali to Williamson, Full and around off, watchfully blocked out. |
| 30.6 : H Ali to Williamson, Very full, around off, nicely blocked out. |
| Interesting. A bit of a delay. Sarfraz wants someone under the lid. He has signalled towards the 12th man who, in turn, signals to the 13th man! Eventually, he too, disappears inside and the field is not changed. |
| 31.1 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 0.0 : Aha. The helmet is found. Both, the 12th and 13th men come out to give that ONE helmet. Azhar Ali goes under the lid at silly point. |
| 31.2 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Full and outside off, Nicholls looks to play the reverse sweep but gets a bit of a bottom edge which rolls towards short third man. |
| 31.3 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Huge shout for LBW, no review taken. Probably doing too much. Full and outside off, Henry looks to play that from his crease but misses and is hit right in front of the stumps. That seemed to be going down leg. NO! HAWK EYE SHOWS IT TO BE HITTING LEG! If only had Pakistan reviewed... |
| 31.4 : Y Shah to Nicholls, On middle and leg, flicked through mid-wicket for a couple. 'PAKISTAN WILL BAT AGAIN!' screams an excited Ramiz Raja on air. |
| 31.5 : Shah to Nicholls, Another shout for LBW, turned down again. Things continue to happen. This was much closer than the previous one. Full and outside off, spinning in, Nicholls looks to play the reverse sweep but misses and is hit on the pads. Impact was outside off on this occasion. |
| 31.6 : Y Shah to Nicholls, FOUR! IMPERIOUS! Slightly short from Yasir and Nicholls pounces. He rocks back and pulls it through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 32.1 : H Ali to Williamson, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 32.2 : H Ali to Williamson, Around off, watchfully defended. |
| 32.3 : H Ali to Williamson, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 32.4 : H Ali to Williamson, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 32.5 : H Ali to K Williamson, FOUR! That is a long hop, around middle. Williamson pulls it through mid-wicket and gets a boundary. The stand is now worth 23. |
| 32.6 : H Ali to Williamson, Full and just outside off, well blocked out. |
| 33.1 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 0.0 : Nicholls has been adjudged LBW! He has taken the review though. |
| 33.2 : Shah to Nicholls, NOT OUT! MISSING LEG! Excellent review from New Zealand. That looked dead plumb. But Hawk Eye disagrees with Ian Gould. Full and outside off, Nicholls goes back to play that one but the ball spins in a mile off the rough and hits him in front of the stumps. Yasir appeals and Gould raises his finger. It does not take long for Williamson to nod his head in response to Nicholls' inquiring look for the review and sure enough - the decision is overturned! |
| 33.3 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Gets the flick shot away this time, for a single through mid-wicket. Both, the lead and Nicholls, move to 10. |
| 33.4 : Y Shah to Williamson, Full and outside off, spinning away, Kane feels for it but misses as the ball turns a mile. |
| 33.5 : Y Shah to Williamson, Outside off, punched off the back foot. |
| 33.6 : Y Shah to Williamson, FOUR. |
| Bilal Asif returns. 4-0-8-0 so far. |
| 34.1 : B Asif to Nicholls, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 34.2 : B Asif to Nicholls, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 34.3 : B Asif to Nicholls, Around off, watchfully kept out. |
| 34.4 : B Asif to Nicholls, Floated outside off, driven straight to cover. |
| 34.5 : B Asif to Nicholls, Full and around off, spinning away, watchfully blocked out. |
| 34.6 : B Asif to Nicholls, Outside off, short in length, chopped straight to point. |
| 35.1 : Y Shah to K Williamson, FOUR! A real half tracker, barely bounces, but Williamson rocks back and pulls it through mid-wicket. Hasan Ali puts in a dive again but fails once more. Gets up gingerly and limps. The stand is now worth 32. |
| 35.2 : Y Shah to Williamson, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 35.3 : Y Shah to Williamson, On middle, flicked wide of mid on, towards deep mid-wicket for a single. |
| 35.4 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Full and around off, watchfully pushed out. |
| 35.5 : Y Shah to Nicholls, FOUR! Finally he connects! Nicholls has tried out umpteen reverse sweeps, only to mistime or miss so far. This time, he connects sweetly and gets it past short third man for a boundary. The lead is now 23. |
| 35.6 : Y Shah to Nicholls, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 36.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Full and outside off, Williamson drives it straight to short extra cover who fumbles and that results in three extra runs. 100 UP FOR NEW ZEALAND. Can they double this score? The lead is now 26. |
| 36.2 : B Asif to Nicholls, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 36.3 : B Asif to Nicholls, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 36.4 : B Asif to Nicholls, Outside off, punched through the covers for a single. |
| 36.5 : B Asif to Williamson, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. |
| 36.6 : B Asif to Williamson, A short ball outside off, Williamson looks to pull but misses. |
| 37.1 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Short and outside off, punched uppishly, wide of the man at silly point, who turns away for cover. A single taken. |
| 37.2 : Y Shah to Williamson, HALF CENTURY FOR WILLIAMSON! His 29th in Tests, 5th against Pakistan and third in the UAE. Nice knock to follow his 89 in the first dig. Around off, Williamson goes back and works it through mid-wicket for a couple. A solid knock. Can he get to a triple? |
| 37.3 : Y Shah to Williamson, Outside off, played straight to point. |
| 37.4 : Y Shah to Williamson, On middle and leg, worked through mid-wicket for three runs this time. |
| 37.5 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Outside off, punched through mid on for a single. |
| 37.6 : Y Shah to Williamson, Full and outside off, Kane dead-bats it. |
| 38.1 : B Asif to Nicholls, Full and outside off, watchfully defended. |
| 38.2 : B Asif to Nicholls, EDGED, BUT SHORT! Nearly the fifth wicket. Full and outside off, Nicholls looks to push but the ball takes the outside edge and drops short of Asad Shafiq at first slip! |
| 38.3 : B Asif to Nicholls, Landed outside off, goes straight on, left alone. |
| 38.4 : B Asif to Nicholls, 50-RUN STAND IS UP. Fine fightback from these two. Short and around off, Nicholls works it wide of mid on to bring up the 50-run stand. |
| 38.5 : B Asif to Nicholls, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 38.6 : B Asif to Nicholls, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 39.1 : Y Shah to Williamson, Full and outside off, Williamson looks to drive but misses. |
| 39.2 : Y Shah to Williamson, The googly, down the leg side, Kane misses his flick and is hit on the pads. |
| 39.3 : Y Shah to Williamson, Outside off, a touch short, punched straight to cover. |
| 39.4 : Y Shah to Williamson, Full and outside off, Kane reaches out to drive and gets it past short extra cover for a single. |
| 39.5 : Y Shah to Nicholls, On middle and leg, flicked through mid-wicket for a run. Moves to 20. |
| 39.6 : Y Shah to Williamson, Around off, spinning away, punched back defensively towards the bowler. LUNCH ON DAY 4, NEW ZEALAND LEAD BY 38! |
| Absorbing session of cricket. 26 overs, 86 runs and 2 wickets. Could have been more but Pakistan will still take it. |
| In reality, the Kiwis have lost only one quality wicket. The fact that Somerville hung around for 34 balls was not bad for them but Ross Taylor's wicket was a big blow. They were lucky that Nicholls survived an LBW call which would have been out had it been reviewed but that is how the game goes. |
| Kane Williamson is the centre of the Kiwi batting wagonwheel. In the first innings, his 89 kept New Zealand afloat while in the second, he has kept Pakistan at bay. However, the Black Caps are not out of troubled waters yet, with the lead well under 50. |
| Full marks to Pakistan. They bowled to a set plan and have been rewarded. They will believe that they are just a wicket away from enforcing a collapse but they need that dismissal soon. Anything close to 150 could be tricky on this surface, as we saw in the first Test. Join us back at 12.40 pm local (0840 GMT) for the second session. |
| ... Day 4, Session 2 ... |
| The players are back onto the field for the 2nd session. Henry Nicholls to face the first ball after resumption. Hasan Ali to bowl. |
| 40.1 : H Ali to Nicholls, Around the wicket, short ball and sliding down leg with the angle. Nicholls misses the flick and gets hit on the hips. |
| 40.2 : H Ali to Nicholls, Fuller and on off this time, Henry is well ahead in defense. |
| 40.3 : H Ali to Nicholls, Another one, slightly more outside off. Nicholls is comfortable in defense. |
| 40.4 : H Ali to Nicholls, On a good length and top of off stump, the batsman is half-ahead as he defends again. |
| 40.5 : H Ali to Nicholls, Similar delivery, Nicholls comes forward to defend but the ball takes the inside half of the bat and rolls down to square leg. |
| 40.6 : H Ali to Nicholls, Maiden over to start off with. Slightly fuller ball outside off, the leftie is ahead in defense. |
| Bilal Asif to bowl from the other end. |
| 41.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Bowls down the leg side, Williamson lets it go. |
| 41.2 : B Asif to Williamson, Flighted delivery on middle, Williamson blocks it well. |
| 41.3 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up on middle, the skipper pushes it to the leg side. |
| 41.4 : B Asif to Williamson, Bowls down the leg side, Williamson lets it go. |
| 41.5 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up on middle, Williamson dances down the track and hits it towards mid on. Williamson goes for the single and the fielder fires a throw at the non-striker's end. The throw is very wayward and it goes towards third man. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 41.6 : B Asif to Williamson, Flighted delivery on leg, the skipper flicks it to the leg side. |
| 42.1 : H Ali to Nicholls, Short of a length and angling into the body, Nicholls works it away in the gap through mid-wicket for a couple. |
| 42.2 : H Ali to Nicholls, Well outside off and the ball holds it's line after landing, the batsman lets it go. |
| 42.3 : H Ali to Nicholls, Was outside off again, this time Henry pokes at it. It takes a thick outside edge that runs away to the left of gully. The batsmen come back for another couple. |
| 42.4 : H Ali to Nicholls, A little bit too straight on this occasion, beautifully worked away square of the wicket on the leg side. The batsmen can come back for three this time. Large boundaries but nevertheless, good running! |
| Review Time! Kane Williamson is rapped on the pad and the ball seems to be going down leg to the naked eye. The Pakistanis after a lot of deliberation, decide to go upstairs. |
| 42.5 : Ali to Williamson, NOT OUT! The ball is missing leg and Pakistan have lost their second review. It was a big wicket and it seemed the hosts were very desperate to get him. The ball landed on middle and was going down with the angle. Williamson goes for the flick but misses and gets hit on the pads. A loud appeal but the umpire is unmoved. After a long discussion, the bowling team goes up for a review. There is no bat involved but the Ball-Tracker shows us that the ball is missing leg. Revi |
| 42.6 : H Ali to Williamson, FOUR! Adding insult to injury, one must say! Well outside off, Williamson gets in position and drives it beautifully through the gap on the offside for a boundary. The lead has gone above 50 with this four. |
| 43.1 : B Asif to Nicholls, Tossed up on off, Nicholls hits it to mid on. |
| 43.2 : B Asif to Nicholls, Flighted delivery on middle, the batsman blocks it well. |
| 43.3 : B Asif to Nicholls, Tossed up on off, Nicholls keeps it out. |
| 43.4 : B Asif to Nicholls, Flighted delivery outside off, Nicholls shoulders his arms to this one. |
| 43.5 : B Asif to Nicholls, Tossed up again on middle, the southpaw defends off the back foot. |
| 43.6 : B Asif to Nicholls, Floated outside off, the left-hander offers no shot. |
| 44.1 : H Ali to K Williamson, Length delivery outside off, Williamson drives it to mid-off. |
| 44.2 : H Ali to Williamson, Length delivery outside off, the ball jags back and Williamson defends it off his front foot. |
| 44.3 : H Ali to Williamson, Once again a length delivery on off, Williamson pushes it towards the mid on region. |
| 44.4 : H Ali to Williamson, Length delivery outside off, KW defends off his front foot. |
| 44.5 : H Ali to Williamson, Hasan Ali is bowling a consistent line and length here but KW has easily defended it. |
| 44.6 : H Ali to Williamson, A tad shorter this time on length delivery,Williamson keeps it away. |
| 45.1 : B Asif to Nicholls, Tossed up on middle, Nicholls defends off the front foot. |
| 45.2 : B Asif to Nicholls, Tossed up again outside off, Nicholls lets it go. |
| 45.3 : B Asif to Nicholls, Flighted delivery outside off, the left-hander offers no shot. |
| 45.4 : B Asif to Nicholls, Loopy delivery outside off, the southpaw lets it go. |
| 45.5 : B Asif to Nicholls, Tossed up on off, Nicholls defends off the front foot. |
| 45.6 : B Asif to Nicholls, Floated outside off, Nicholls offers no shot. Maiden over for Bilal Asif. |
| 46.1 : H Ali to Williamson, Short of a length on the off, the ball comes in and Williamson flicks it away towards the square leg fielder. |
| 46.2 : H Ali to Williamson, Length delivery on off, Williamson defends it off his front foot. |
| 46.3 : H Ali to Williamson, Length delivery on middle and off stump, Williamson nicely flicks it away towards the mid-wicket region for a couple. |
| 46.4 : H Ali to Williamson, Length delivery outside off, KW pushes it towards the cover region. |
| 46.5 : H Ali to Williamson, Once again length delivery outside off, Williamson defends it confidently off his front foot. |
| 46.6 : H Ali to Williamson, Short of a length this time by Hasan, Williamson punches it off his back foot towards extra cover. The ball is timed beautifully but doesn't have the legs behind it to go to the boundary. The batsman comeback for the third. |
| 47.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up on middle, Williamson dances down the track and looks to hit over long on but does not get the distance. Azhar Ali chases from mid on but does not get there. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 47.2 : B Asif to Williamson, Full on middle, the skipper drives it straight back towards the bowler. Bilal Asif makes a diving stop. |
| 47.3 : B Asif to Williamson, Flighted delivery on middle, the skipper drives it towards mid on for a single. |
| 47.4 : B Asif to Nicholls, Floated on off, Nicholls defends off the front foot. |
| 47.5 : B Asif to Nicholls, Loopy delivery on off, the batsman blocks it well. |
| 47.6 : B Asif to Nicholls, Floated again outside off, Nicholls lets it go. |
| Shaheen Afridi has been called on to bowl. Can he break this partnership? |
| 48.1 : S Afridi to Williamson, Afridi from over the wicket, bowls it on length on middle, Williamson blocks it off his front foot. |
| 48.2 : S Afridi to Williamson, Length delivery outside off driven towards the cover fielder by Williamson. |
| 48.3 : S Afridi to Williamson, length delivery once again. Williamson blocks it off his back foot. |
| 48.4 : S Afridi to K Williamson, Fuller this time and the Kiwi skipper beautifully drives it towards cover region but unfortunately for him the ball is straight at the fielder. |
| 48.5 : S Afridi to Williamson, Outside off by Afridi, Williamson has no problem letting that one go. |
| 48.6 : S Afridi to K Williamson, Length delivery outside off, the ball jags back in and finds the inside edge of Williamson's defensive bat. |
| 49.1 : B Asif to Nicholls, Flighted outside off, overpitched. Nicholls jams it out towards cover. |
| 49.2 : B Asif to Nicholls, Well outside off and straightens after landing, left alone by the batter. |
| 49.3 : B Asif to Nicholls, Grip and turn! Nicholls is ahead in defense but the ball turns enough to beat the outside edge. Lots of oohs and aahs around the bat. |
| 49.4 : B Asif to Nicholls, Outside off and the batsman shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 49.5 : B Asif to Nicholls, Flatter delivery on middle, HN comes ahead and defends this into the ground. |
| 49.6 : B Asif to Nicholls, Looped up outside off, Nicholls drives but short cover stops it with an outstretched left arm. |
| 50.1 : S Afridi to Williamson, FOUR! Driven and driven beautifully by Williamson. Typical Williamson drive there. He looks so comfortable out there in the middle. The ball is overpitched outside off and the Kiwi skipper gets on his front foot and drives it superbly through covers. |
| 50.2 : S Afridi to Williamson, Pulls back his length this time and Williamson defends it off his back foot. |
| 50.3 : S Afridi to Williamson, Once again the ball is bowled on length delivery on off, Williamson blocks it off his back foot. |
| 50.4 : S Afridi to Williamson, Good length delivery once again but this time there is width for Williamson to push it off his back foot towards covers for a single. |
| 50.5 : S Afridi to H Nicholls, Length delivery outside off, the ball moves in after pitching and finds the inside edge of the skippers bat. |
| 50.6 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Williamson blocks it off his back foot. |
| 51.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up on middle, Williamson blocks it well. |
| 51.2 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up again on off, the skipper opens the face of the bat and hits it towards point. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 51.3 : B Asif to Williamson, Extra bounce on this one. The captain pushes it past short leg. |
| 51.4 : B Asif to Williamson, Flighted delivery on middle, Williamson defends off the back foot. |
| 51.5 : B Asif to Williamson, Floated on off, Williamson keeps it out. |
| 51.6 : B Asif to Williamson, Loopy delivery on middle, the skipper defends off the back foot. |
| 52.1 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Good length ball that reverses in after landing. Nicholls goes for the flick but gets an inside edge onto the thigh pad. |
| 52.2 : S Afridi to Nicholls, This one is attacking off stump, Nicholls comes half ahead to defend into the pitch. |
| 52.3 : S Afridi to H Nicholls, FOUR! Wide, very wide. And it gets the treatment it deserves. Henry cuts it beautifully behind point and to the fence for four. Such important runs for the visitors these. |
| 52.4 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Pitched fuller and outside off, left alone this time. |
| 52.5 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Another ball outside off that is let go through to the keeper. |
| 52.6 : S Afridi to Nicholls, A good 3 balls after being hit for the boundary. This one is on off stump and slightly coming in after landing. Nicholls deals with it easily though. |
| 53.1 : B Asif to Williamson, FOUR! Williamson goes on his back foot and punches it towards the cover region for a boundary. Brilliant shot which was timed to perfection by the Kiwi skipper to move to 80. A very bad delivery by Bilal. If you give Williamson this much time and width he will punish you everyday. |
| 53.2 : B Asif to Williamson, Flatter ball at the pads and Williamson defends it watchfully. |
| 53.3 : B Asif to Williamson, Much better from Asif, the skipper comes half forward and dead bats it. |
| 53.4 : B Asif to Williamson, Another ball on and around off, KW is solid in defense though. |
| 53.5 : B Asif to Williamson, This one bounces a bit more but Williamson adjusts well and defends it into the ground with soft hands. |
| 53.6 : B Asif to Williamson, Dot ball to end the over, Kane defends it onto the leg side with such soft hands again. Good over after the boundary on the first ball. |
| 54.1 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Good length ball on top of off stump, Nicholls defends it back to the bowler. |
| 54.2 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Length delivery on off defended well by Nicholls. |
| 54.3 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Fuller this time by Shahen, Nicholls gets behind it and defends it off his front foot. |
| 54.4 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Full and outside off once again by Afridi, Nicholls tries to defend it off his front foot but the ball finds the outside edge and move towards the third man region. The batsmen take 2 runs. This brings up 150 for New Zealand and extends their lead to 76. These two would like to continue their partnership and put on a good total for Pakistan to chase. |
| 54.5 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Short by Afridi, Nicholls gets on his back foot ad plays the pull shot towards the fine leg region. They take a comfortable two by the time the ball is thrown back to the keeper. |
| 54.6 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Once again short by Shaheen, this time its quicker and Nicholls ducks underneath it. |
| Drinks Break. New Zealand are slowly draining the life out of the Pakistani bowlers and along with it, taking this Test match away from them too. Solid stuff from the NZ skipper and Henry Nicholls. Since lunch, there hasn't been an occasion where they looked really troubled. Pakistan need to do something here and in quick time. |
| 55.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Around the wicket to the skipper, he calmly pats it away to short mid-wicket. |
| 55.2 : B Asif to K Williamson, DROPPED! Short and on middle, Williamson rocks back and pulls it away hard but in the air! Yasir at square leg seems to have lost the ball and reacts pretty late and cannot hold on to it. Was a regulation catch, should've been taken. How much will this go on to affect the hosts? The batsmen come back for a couple as the ball rolls to deep square leg. |
| 55.3 : B Asif to Williamson, Shorter delivery at the pads, Kane works it behind square leg and gets to the other end. The partnership is worth 95 now. |
| 55.4 : B Asif to Nicholls, Nicholls nudges this one onto the leg side towards mid-wicket and picks up one. |
| 55.5 : B Asif to Williamson, Another drop down by the NZ skipper towardss fine leg but no run available this time. |
| 55.6 : B Asif to Williamson, FOUR! What a shot! Timing at its best. Flighted delivery on middle, Kane dances down the track and just pushes this one through the gap on the leg side for four towards the mid-wicket fence. Such beautiful usage of the wrists here. The ball is timed so well that even on this slow outfield it reaches the fence with just a push. The 100-run stand also comes up between these two with this shot. |
| Yasir Shah is called on to bowl again. |
| 56.1 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Tossed up outside off, Nicholls sweeps it towards fine leg for a single. |
| 56.2 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flighted delivery on middle, Williamson plays it with soft hands towards third man for a single. |
| 56.3 : Shah to Nicholls, APPEAL FOR LBW! NOT OUT! Turns in sharply, Nicholls looks to defend but gets hit on the back pad. The bowler appeals but the umpire shakes his head. Pakistan don't have any review. Replays show that impact was outside off. |
| 56.4 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Tossed up on leg, the batsman pushes it to the leg side. |
| 56.5 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Flighted delivery on off, Nicholls looks to defend but gets hit on the pads. |
| 56.6 : Y Shah to Nicholls, FOUR! Good shot. Floated on middle, Nicholls sweeps it towards fine leg for a boundary. |
| 57.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Looped up outside off, Kane pushes it towards mid-wicket for a run and gets to the other end. |
| 57.2 : B Asif to Nicholls, Flatter delivery on off and middle, Nicholls flicks it towards the square leg fielder. |
| 57.3 : B Asif to Nicholls, Just dropped this one onto the leg side and runs through for a single. |
| 57.4 : B Asif to Williamson, Flatter delivery on middle, Kane shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the backfoot. |
| 57.5 : B Asif to Williamson, Williamson remains in his crease and defends this. |
| 57.6 : B Asif to Williamson, A big stride ahead to this loopy one on middle and pushed to short mid-wicket by the skipper. |
| 58.1 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Shorter on length outside off Nicholls pushes it off his back foot |
| 58.2 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Fuller this time and Nicholls blocks it off his front foot. |
| 58.3 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Tossed up outside off, Nicholls sweeps it away towards the short fine leg fielder. |
| 58.4 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Once again tosses it up outside off, Nicholls has no problem keeping that away. |
| 58.5 : Y Shah to Nicholls, No sharp turn here for Yasir, Nicholls defends it off his back foot. |
| 58.6 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Flighted delivery outside off, Nicholls blocks it away. |
| 59.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up on off, Williamson pushes it to short mid-wicket. |
| 59.2 : B Asif to Williamson, Flighted delivery on off, Williamson defends off the front foot. |
| 59.3 : B Asif to Williamson, Short on off, Williamson rocks back and slaps it through covers. The fielder chases it and the batsmen get three runs. Williamson moves to the 90s. |
| 59.4 : B Asif to Nicholls, Flighted delivery outside off, Nicholls lets it go. |
| 59.5 : B Asif to Nicholls, Tossed up on off, Nicholls keeps it out. |
| 59.6 : B Asif to Nicholls, Floated on off, the left-hander defends off the front foot. |
| 60.1 : Y Shah to Williamson, Around the wicket, Kane pushes it to the vacant mid-wicket area for a single. |
| 60.2 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Flighted ball outside off, Nicholls prods ahead and defends it into the ground. |
| 60.3 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Flatter ball outside off, Henry is well ahead as he keeps it out. |
| 60.4 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Pitches this well outside off and the ball spins a long way in. Nicholls tries to flick it but misses and gets hit on the pad. The ball was doing too much and hence no appeal. |
| 60.5 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Another flat delivery outside off that turns into Henry. He flicks it away on the leg side towards square leg and picks up a couple of runs. The lead is 100 now. |
| 60.6 : Y Shah to Nicholls, The ball does too much again and it beats everyone, including the keeper. The ball runs away fine but is stopped inside the fence. The batsmen come back for three. Valuable runs, all of these. |
| 61.1 : B Asif to Nicholls, Tossed up on off, Nicholls defends off the front foot. |
| 61.2 : B Asif to Nicholls, Flighted delivery outside off, Nicholls lets it go. |
| 61.3 : B Asif to Nicholls, Tossed up on middle, the left-hander defends off the back foot. |
| 61.4 : B Asif to Nicholls, Beautiful delivery from Bilal Asif. Turns into off, Nicholls looks to cut but gets beaten on this one. It missed the off stump by a whisker. |
| 61.5 : B Asif to H Nicholls, Flighted delivery on leg, Nicholls looks to defend but gets an outside edge past slip. The batsmen take a run. |
| 61.6 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up on leg, Williamson pushes it to the leg side. |
| 62.1 : Y Shah to Nicholls, This one is flighted on middle, HN comes forward and defends it well. |
| 62.2 : Y Shah to Nicholls, FOUR! The runs are flowing here now! Flighted generously, Henry is down the track seeing this and lifts it over mid on for a four. The ball just lands inside the fence. Moves to 49. |
| 62.3 : Y Shah to H Nicholls, Down the wicket again and pushed down to long on. That's the fifty for Nicholls! Brilliant innings and what a time to play it. 8th Test fifty and it is helping New Zealand get into a strong position here. |
| 62.4 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flatter and at the pads, Williamson works it towards fine leg for a run. |
| 62.5 : Y Shah to Nicholls, DROPPED! Another one goes down! This was tough but no excuses. Flatter ball at the pads, Henry goes for the flick but gets the inner half. Imam dives to his left and the ball was always going away, but he gets his hand to it and should have held on. Frustration for Pakistan. |
| 62.6 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Watchfully kept out by Nicholls on this occasion. 6 runs off the over. |
| Hasan Ali back on. |
| 63.1 : H Ali to Williamson, Good length outside off from Hasan, Willaimson blocks it away. |
| 63.2 : H Ali to Williamson, FOUR! Classic Williamson! Hasan Ali pitches it on good length outside off no movement for the bowler there, Williamson is well settled and drives it through covers for a boundary. He is just 2 short of another brilliant and well deserved century. |
| 63.3 : H Ali to Williamson, Good length delivery outside off, Williamson tries to defend it but the ball keeps low and misses his bat and goes to the keeper on the bounce. |
| 63.4 : H Ali to Williamson, Fuller this time and the skipper defends it off his front foot. |
| 63.5 : H Ali to Williamson, Length delivery outside off, Williamson pushes it towards the point. |
| 63.6 : H Ali to Williamson, No run. |
| 64.1 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Short on off, Nicholls drives it to covers. |
| 64.2 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Flighted delivery on off, Nicholls hits it straight towards the bowler. |
| 64.3 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Tossed up on middle, the left-hander defends off the back foot. |
| 64.4 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Floated on off, the southpaw defends off the back foot. |
| 64.5 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Flighted delivery on middle, Nicholls tucks it to mid-wicket. |
| 64.6 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Tossed up on middle, Nicholls blocks it well. |
| 65.1 : H Ali to Williamson, FOUR! Test match century no. 19 for King Kane! His first of this series but could just be the most important one. Short and outside off, the skipper rocks onto the backfoot and punches the ball. The ball races to the boundary. Well played and at such a crucial juncture! The first hundred by a Kiwi on this tour too. Might just turn out to be match-winning. |
| 65.2 : H Ali to Williamson, Good length ball on off, he drives it towards mid off. |
| 65.3 : H Ali to Williamson, Punched straight to the cover fielder off the back foot. |
| 65.4 : H Ali to Williamson, Another short of a length delivery and pushed straight back with good timing but no run. |
| 65.5 : H Ali to Williamson, A length delivery just outside off, Williamson defends it staying inside the crease. |
| 65.6 : H Ali to Williamson, Another dot ball to end the over. New Zealand looking really solid here. Lots of dropping shoulders among the fielding team. |
| 66.1 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Tossed up on leg, Nicholls flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 66.2 : Y Shah to Williamson, Good bowling by Yasir Shah. Tossed up on middle, Williamson rocks back and cuts it towards point for a single. |
| 66.3 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Tossed up on leg, Nicholls blocks it well. |
| 66.4 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Flighted delivery on middle, the left-hander flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 66.5 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Tossed up on leg, the southpaw pushes it to the leg side. |
| 66.6 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Floated on middle, Nicholls defends from within the crease. |
| Azhar Ali has been called to roll his arm over. |
| 67.1 : A Ali to Williamson, Short outside off, Williamson slaps it towards covers for a single. |
| 67.2 : A Ali to Nicholls, Tossed up on middle, Nicholls defends off the front foot. |
| 67.3 : A Ali to Nicholls, Tossed up on leg, Nicholls pushes it to the leg side off his pads. |
| 67.4 : A Ali to Nicholls, Floated on leg, the left-hander flicks it towards the leg side for a single. |
| 67.5 : A Ali to Williamson, Flighted delivery on off, Williamson defends off the front foot. |
| 67.6 : A Ali to Williamson, Tossed up again on off, Williamson rocks back and cuts it to point. |
| Mohammad Hafeez to roll his arm over. Should most probably be the last over before Tea. |
| 68.1 : M Hafeez to Nicholls, Drifts on the legs, Nicholls flicks it away on the leg side towards the square leg fielder for a single. |
| 68.2 : M Hafeez to Williamson, Once again drifts on to the pads of Williamson who tries to flick it but the ball misses and hits his pad. |
| 68.3 : M Hafeez to Williamson, Tossed up outside off Williamson blocks it off his front foot. |
| 68.4 : M Hafeez to Williamson, A bit shorter in length this time by Hafeez, Williamson pushes it on his back foot towards the fielder at long on for a single. |
| 68.5 : M Hafeez to Nicholls, Tossed up on the off stump and Nicholls blocks it away off his front foot. |
| 68.6 : M Hafeez to Nicholls, Drifts on the pads, Nicholls comfortably flicks it towards square leg for a single. That's the end of this session and the players will walk in for TEA. |
| What a magnificent session it has been for the visitors. 29 overs, 87 runs and no wicket lost. Almost game-changing one could say. Terrific knock from the New Zealand skipper, Kane Williamson and his partner Henry Nicholls. Their partnership is unbeaten and worth 139 at the moment. The lead has swelled to 125 and the whole momentum of the game has changed. Every question asked by the Pakistani bowlers has been answered with aplomb. Lots of tiring faces and dropping shoulders. |
| One would believe that now the Black Caps are slightly in the driver's seat and they might start being even more aggressive in the next session. As for the hosts, they have to hope for a massive collapse so that the target can be stopped to an achievable one in the fourth innings. With the ghosts of the first Test still fresh in their memory, Pakistan would be vary about chasing anything more than 170-180. Can they come back after Tea and pick up some quick wickets? Join us in a bit for the last |
| ... Day 4, Session 3 ... |
| The umpires and players are strolling on to the field of play. Henry Nicholls, batting on 54 to face the first ball from Bilal Asif. A minimum of 35 overs are remaining to be bowled in the day. |
| 69.1 : B Asif to Nicholls, Tossed up on middle, Nicholls defends off the front foot. |
| 69.2 : B Asif to Nicholls, Flighted delivery on off, Nicholls again defends off the front foot. |
| 69.3 : B Asif to Nicholls, Floated on off, the left-hander taps it towards point for a single. |
| 69.4 : B Asif to Williamson, Flighted delivery on leg, Williamson pushes it to the leg side. |
| 69.5 : B Asif to Williamson, Loopy delivery on middle, the skipper defends off the front foot. |
| 69.6 : B Asif to Williamson, Flighted delivery on middle, Williamson blocks it well. |
| 70.1 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Good length delivery outside off, Williamson blocks it away. |
| 70.2 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Good length delivery once again by Yasir, Nicholls charges down the pitch and defends. |
| 70.3 : Y Shah to Nicholl, Tossed up by Yasir, Nicholls defends it off his front foot. |
| 70.4 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Drifts away on the leg side, Nicholls flicks it towards the short fine leg fielder. |
| 70.5 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Tossed up on middle and off, Nicholls has no problems blocking it off his front foot. |
| 70.6 : Y Shah to Nicholls, The southpaw is having no real trouble blocking Yasir's delivery once again. |
| 71.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up on off, Williamson offers a forward defense on this one. |
| 71.2 : B Asif to Williamson, Flighted delivery on middle, Williamson flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 71.3 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up again on middle, the captain flicks it to the leg side. |
| 71.4 : B Asif to Williamson, Floated on leg, the skipper flicks it to square leg. |
| 71.5 : B Asif to Williamson, Loopy delivery on leg, Williamson flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 71.6 : B Asif to Nicholls, Tossed up again on off, Nicholls blocks it well. |
| 72.1 : Y Shah to Williamson, Tossed up on the middle stump, Williamson tries to defend off his front foot but the ball finds the inner half of the bat. |
| 72.2 : Y Shah to Williamson, Tossed up once again by Yasir, but this time the ball finds the middle of Kane's defensive bat. |
| 72.3 : Y Shah to Williamson, Chance and DROPPED. Tossed up on the line of the stumps, Williamson charges down the pitch and hits it straight back at the bowler. It's in the air and Yasir gets his hands to it but cannot keep hold of it and the ball moves towards long on and the batsmen take a single. Twice Yasir has dropped Kane this innings. Has Yasir dropped the series here? |
| 72.4 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Nicholls pushes it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 72.5 : Y Shah to Williamson, Williamson has blocked this one off his front foot. |
| 72.6 : Y Shah to K Williamson, Williamson pushes it towards the mid off region for a single. |
| 73.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up on leg, Williamson pulls it to square leg. |
| 73.2 : B Asif to Williamson, Flighted delivery on middle, the captain plays it to mid on. |
| 73.3 : B Asif to Williamson, Floated on middle, Williamson flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 73.4 : B Asif to Williamson, Loopy delivery on middle, Williamson flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 73.5 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up on off, the skipper defends off the front foot. |
| 73.6 : B Asif to Williamson, Flighted delivery on leg, Williamson pushes it to the leg side. |
| 74.1 : Y Shah to Nicholls, FOUR! Thick edge that runs away to the third man boundary. Flatter ball outside off, Nicholls goes to push the ball of the back foot but the ball goes off the edge and to the fence. |
| 74.2 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Flatter ball outside off again, pushed to mid off . |
| 74.3 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Flighted on middle and turning a little after landing, Nicholls defends into the ground on the leg side. |
| 74.4 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Flatter ball outside off, it keeps low and Nicholls adjusts well as he defends it to short cover. |
| 74.5 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Shorter ball aimed at the hips, the left-hander rocks back and works it away behind square on the leg side for a single. |
| 74.6 : Y Shah to Williamson, Safely kept out by Williamson to end the over. |
| 75.1 : B Asif to Nicholls, Short outside off, Nicholls looks to cut but gets a bottom edge on that one. |
| 75.2 : B Asif to H Nicholls, Tossed up on off, Nicholls gets an outside edge to point. |
| 75.3 : B Asif to Nicholls, Flighted delivery outside off, the southpaw lets it go. |
| 75.4 : B Asif to H Nicholls, Tossed up on off, Nicholls looks to drive but gets an outside edge towards slips where no slip fielder is there and it goes towards third man. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 75.5 : B Asif to Nicholls, NO BALL! Bilal Asif oversteps. Floated on off, the southpaw defends off the front foot. Very bad cricket from Pakistan. |
| B Asif to Nicholls, Flighted delivery outside off, Nicholls looks to sweep but misses it and gets beaten. |
| 75.6 : B Asif to Nicholls, Loopy delivery outside off, the southpaw shoulders his arms to this one. |
| 76.1 : Y Shah to Williamson, Around the wicket, ball turns to outside off after landing outside leg. Williamson feels for it but doesn't get anything on it. |
| 76.2 : Y Shah to Williamson, Fuller this time and Kane is ahead to it. The ball takes an outside edge but alas, there is no slip. The ball rolls safely to the third man. |
| 76.3 : Y Shah to Williamson, Well outside leg, Kane has no shot to offer to this and pads it away. |
| 76.4 : Y Shah to Williamson, The skipper offers no stroke again and gets hit on the pad. |
| 76.5 : Y Shah to Williamson, A leading edge, but the ball falls where there is no one. Kane has looked circumspect with his footwork this over. But nothing too dangerous so far. Good ploy from Pakistan this. |
| 76.6 : Y Shah to Williamson, Kane pads this one away again to finish the over. Maiden. |
| 77.1 : B Asif to Nicholls, Tossed up outside off, Nicholls lets it go. |
| 77.2 : B Asif to Nicholls, Flighted delivery on middle, the left-hander defends off the back foot. |
| 77.3 : B Asif to Nicholls, Floated on off, the southpaw cuts it to point. |
| 77.4 : B Asif to Nicholls, Full on off, Nicholls drives it towards covers for a single. |
| 77.5 : B Asif to Williamson, Flighted delivery on off, Williamson defends off the front foot. |
| 77.6 : B Asif to Williamson, Floated on middle, the skipper keeps it out. |
| 78.1 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Pitching well outside off, Nicholls offers no shot and shows his pads to the ball. |
| 78.2 : Y Shah to Nicholls, FOUR! Nicholls brings out the reverse sweep and times it brilliantly through backward point for a boundary. |
| 78.3 : Y Shah to Nicholls, FOUR! Identical here. Nicholls has once again brings out the reverse sweep and once again hits it through backward point for a boundary. Yasir is bowling way outside off, he needs to bowl closer to the stumps here. |
| 78.4 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Yasir once again bowls way outside off and Henry tries third consecutive reverse sweep but this time he misses it and the ball hits on his pads, the impact was way outside off stump. |
| 78.5 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Shorter this time and Nicholls flicks it towards the short fine leg fielder. |
| 78.6 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Tossed up on middle, Henry blocks it off his front foot. |
| 79.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up on middle, Williamson flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 79.2 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up on middle, Williamson sweeps it towards square leg for a single. |
| 79.3 : B Asif to Nicholls, BEATEN! Flighted delivery on off, Nicholls looks to drive but misses it and gets beaten on this one. |
| 79.4 : B Asif to Nicholls, Tossed up on off, the left-hander looks to defend but gets beaten on this one. Good bowling by Bilal Asif. |
| 79.5 : B Asif to Nicholls, Floated outside off, Nicholls shoulders his arms to this one. |
| 79.6 : B Asif to Nicholls, Loopy delivery outside off, the southpaw offers no shot. |
| The new ball is available now. Pakistan have chosen not to take it yet. |
| 80.1 : Y Shah to Williamson, Round the wicket and pitches way outside leg, Williamson offers no shot and the ball goes straight to the keeper. |
| 80.2 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flatter by Yasir, Williamson flicks it to the mid-wicket fielder. |
| 80.3 : Y Shah to Williamson, Outside leg, Williamson offers no shot to it. |
| 80.4 : Y Shah to Williamson, Tossed up outside off, Kane easily blocks it off his front foot. |
| 80.5 : Y Shah to Williamson, Pitching outside off, Kane offers no shot to it and the ball hits his front pad. |
| 80.6 : Y Shah to Williamson, The skipper shoulders arms to that one. |
| 81.1 : B Asif to Nicholls, BEATEN! Turns away from the batsman, Nicholls looks to defend but misses it and gets beaten on this one. |
| 81.2 : B Asif to Nicholls, Flighted delivery outside off, the left-hander lets it go. |
| 81.3 : B Asif to Nicholls, Tossed up on off, the southpaw defends off the front foot. |
| 81.4 : B Asif to Nicholls, Floated on off, Nicholls keeps it out. |
| 81.5 : B Asif to Nicholls, Tossed up on leg, Nicholls flicks it towards mid on for a single. |
| 81.6 : B Asif to Williamson, Full on off, the skipper drives it straight towards the bowler. |
| 82.1 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Outside off, Nicholls prods ahead and defends to short cover. |
| 82.2 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Another reverse sweep from the left-hander, there's protection now and it's just a single this time. The lead has touched 150 now. |
| 82.3 : Y Shah to Williamson, Well outside leg, Kane has no interest to play at this one and pads it away. |
| 82.4 : Y Shah to Williamson, Similarly outside leg and similarly padded away again. |
| 82.5 : Y Shah to Williamson, Shorter this time as the skipper rocks back and punches this through covers for a couple. But, well what has happened here? The throw from the deep by Shaheen is wide and Sarfraz cannot collect it. The back up is poor and there are overthrows here. A couple of them. Four runs on this ball. The Pakistan skipper isn't pleased. Very loose cricket from them here. Can't afford this! |
| 82.6 : Y Shah to Williamson, Well outside leg and Williamson pads it away. Doing it very easily here. |
| 83.1 : B Asif to Nicholls, Tossed up on off, Nicholls defends off the front foot. |
| 83.2 : B Asif to Nicholls, Flighted delivery on middle, the left-hander blocks it well. |
| 83.3 : B Asif to Nicholls, Floated on off, Nicholls defends off the front foot. |
| 83.4 : B Asif to Nicholls, Tossed up on off, Nicholls keeps it out. |
| 83.5 : B Asif to Nicholls, Flighted delivery on middle, the southpaw sweeps it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 83.6 : B Asif to Williamson, Floated on leg, Kane pushes it to the leg side. |
| 84.1 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Flighted on middle, Nicholls defends it back to the bowler. |
| 84.2 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Nicholls attempts the reverse sweep again but the ball doesn't come off the middle and just runs to the front of point for a single. |
| 84.3 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flatter and on leg stump, Kane is back in his crease as he jams this towards mid-wicket. |
| 84.4 : Y Shah to Williamson, Fuller outside leg, padded away. |
| 84.5 : Y Shah to Williamson, Another ball to which the skipper offers no stroke. |
| 84.6 : Y Shah to Williamson, Taken on the full and pushed towards mid-wicket. Kane crosses over to the other end and retains strike. |
| 85.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up on middle, Williamson defends off the front foot. |
| 85.2 : B Asif to Williamson, BYES! Flighted delivery down the leg side, the skipper gets it off his pads. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 85.3 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up on middle, Williamson flicks it towards mid on for a single. |
| 85.4 : B Asif to Nicholls, Floated outside off, the left-hander shoulders his arms to this one. |
| 85.5 : B Asif to Nicholls, Flighted delivery on off, Nicholls looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 85.6 : B Asif to Nicholls, Loopy delivery outside off, the southpaw offers no shot. |
| 86.1 : Y Shah to Williamson, Full and outside leg, Kane prods well ahead and defends it into the ground. |
| 86.2 : Y Shah to Williamson, Shorter outside leg, the skipper is inside the crease as he keeps it out. |
| 86.3 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flighted outside leg, padded away. No interest of playing at it. |
| 86.4 : Y Shah to Williamson, Williamson comes well ahead to dig this right into the ground. |
| 86.5 : Y Shah to Williamson, Sharp turn on this flatter delivery pitching outside leg. Williamson defends off the back foot, hits the under part and goes on the bounce to Sarfraz. Lucky! The Pakistan skipper has his hands on his head, seems he has ran out of ideas. |
| 86.6 : Y Shah to Williamson, Well outside leg, padded away to bring the over to an end. Maiden over. |
| 87.1 : B Asif to Nicholls, Tossed up on middle, the ball spins away from Nicholls who defends off his front foot. |
| 87.2 : B Asif to Nicholls, A tad shorter and on middle this time, Henry pushes the ball off his back foot and the batsmen take a quick single. Good running by the batsmen there. |
| 87.3 : B Asif to Williamson, On a length outside off this time by Bilal. Williamson punches it off his back foot through covers and comes back for the second. |
| 87.4 : B Asif to Williamson, Drifts on the leg, the Kiwi skipper tries to flick it away on the leg side but the ball misses the bat and flicks his pads. |
| 87.5 : B Asif to K Williamson, Tossed up on middle, Kane pushes it towards the mid on fielder. |
| 87.6 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up outside off, Williamson easily blocks it off his front foot. |
| Drinks break. A very slow hour of play. The New Zealanders' run rate has dipped as compared to the previous sessions, mainly due to a negative line of attack from Pakistan spinners. The hosts seem to have run out of ploys and are waiting for a mistake from the batsmen. Even the new ball is available but hasn't been taken as it could become easier to score. The lead is 163 and the Kiwis will look to push on faster from here. What target do they have in mind? |
| 88.1 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Tossed up on off, Nicholls hits it towards mid on for a single. |
| 88.2 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flighted delivery on middle, the skipper defends off the back foot. |
| 88.3 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flighted delivery down leg, Williamson lets it go. |
| 88.4 : Y Shah to Williamson, Floated on leg, Williamson flicks it towards mid-wicket. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 88.5 : Y Shah to Williamson, Tossed up on middle, the captain flicks it towards the leg side for a single. |
| 88.6 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Loopy delivery on leg, the left-hander flicks it to the leg side. |
| 89.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up on off, Williamson fends it off his front foot. |
| 89.2 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up on off once again, Kane blocks it away. |
| 89.3 : B Asif to Williamson, Uppish but safe. Williamson brings out the sweep, the ball finds the edge and is in the air but falls in no mans land. They take an easy single towards deep backward square leg region. |
| 89.4 : B Asif to Nicholls, Tossed up outside off by Asif, Nicholls leaves it away. |
| 89.5 : B Asif to Nicholls, Tossed up on off, Nicholls sweeps it towards the fine leg region for a single. |
| 89.6 : B Asif to Williamson, Flighted by Bilal, blocked off his front foot by the skipper. |
| 90.1 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Turns into off, Nicholls looks to defend but gets hit on the pads. |
| 90.2 : Y Shah to Nicholls, APPEAL FOR LBW! NOT OUT! Flighted delivery on off, Nicholls again looks to defend but gets hit on the pads. The bowler appeals but the umpire shakes his head. |
| 90.3 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Tossed up on middle, the left-hander defends off the back foot. |
| 90.4 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Flighted delivery on off, the southpaw plays a reverse sweep to third man. |
| 90.5 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Floated on off, Nicholls defends off the back foot. |
| 90.6 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Loopy delivery on leg, Nicholls flicks it towards square leg. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 91.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up on off, defended off the front foot by Williamson. |
| 91.2 : B Asif to Williamson, Short ball outside off, the NZ skipper is so quick to rock back and punches it through the covers for a couple. Williamson is doing this so easily. |
| 91.3 : B Asif to Williamson, On middle and leg, Williamson defends it towards mid on. |
| 91.4 : B Asif to Williamson, Another rock solid defense meets this ball that is flighted outside off. |
| 91.5 : B Asif to Williamson, Flatter ball outside off, Kane is well ahead to defend this one into the ground. |
| 91.6 : B Asif to Williamson, Shorter ball on middle and leg, Williamson defends it from within the crease. |
| 92.1 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Tossed up on leg, Nicholls flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 92.2 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flighted delivery on leg, Williamson pads it away. |
| 92.3 : Y Shah to Williamson, Short on off, the captain rocks back and cuts it towards point for a single. |
| 92.4 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Tossed up on off, Nicholls plays a reverse sweep to point. |
| 92.5 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Flighted delivery on off, the southpaw cuts it towards point for a single. 250 up for New Zealand. They have a big lead of 176 runs. |
| 92.6 : Y Shah to Williamson, Tossed up down the leg side, Williamson pads it away. |
| 93.1 : B Asif to Nicholls, Short of length, Nicholls pushes it towards mid on for a single. |
| 93.2 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up outside off, Williamson blocks it off his front foot. |
| 93.3 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up once again by Bilal, Williamson defends it off his front foot. |
| 93.4 : B Asif to Williamson, Shorter in length this time by Bilal, Kane has no problem whatsoever keeping that out off his back foot. |
| 93.5 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up on off, Kane gets on his front foot and defends it. The spinners aren't troubling this pair and the new ball has been due. Why has Sarfraz not yet taken the new ball? |
| 93.6 : B Asif to Williamson, Blocked away once again by the Kiwi skipper. |
| 94.1 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Tossed up on middle, Nicholls hits it straight past the bowler for a single towards mid on. |
| 94.2 : Y Shah to Williamson, Tossed up outside leg, Williamson pads it away. |
| 94.3 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flighted delivery on leg, the skipper flicks it towards the leg side for a single. |
| 94.4 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Tossed up on off, Nicholls defends off the front foot. |
| 94.5 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Floated on middle, the left-hander flicks it towards square leg for a single. |
| 94.6 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flighted delivery on middle, Williamson sweeps it towards square leg for a single. |
| 95.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Flatter delivery outside off, Williamson defends it to short mid on. |
| 95.2 : B Asif to Williamson, A bit of loop on this one outside off, Kane comes ahead to defend. |
| 95.3 : B Asif to Williamson, Flatter ball at the pads, the skip plays it with soft hands to leg slip. |
| 95.4 : B Asif to Williamson, Fuller on middle, Kane pushes it away towards deep mid-wicket for a single. Sarfraz seems frustrated as the fielder in the circle dives but can't stop the ball. The stand is worth 196 now. |
| 95.5 : B Asif to Nicholls, Another ball on off, Nicholls is well ahead in defense. |
| 95.6 : B Asif to Nicholls, Well outside off, Henry shoulders his arm to it. End of the 96th over. |
| 96.1 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flighted delivery on leg, Williamson looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 96.2 : Y Shah to Williamson, FOUR! 200 Partnership between Williamson and Nicholls. Short on middle, Williamson pulls it through square leg for a boundary. Pakistan are running out of fuel here. |
| 96.3 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flighted delivery on off, the captain defends off the front foot. |
| 96.4 : Y Shah to Williamson, Tossed up on middle, Williamson blocks it well. |
| 96.5 : Y Shah to Williamson, Floated on middle, the skipper keeps it out. |
| 96.6 : Y Shah to Williamson, Floated on middle, Williamson defends off the back foot. |
| 97.1 : B Asif to Nicholls, Full toss on off, Henry pushes it to mid off. |
| 97.2 : B Asif to Nicholls, Beaten! Out of nowhere! This one lands on off and turns just enough to beat the outside edge of Nicholls who was ahead to defend this. |
| 97.3 : B Asif to Nicholls, Back to business! Nicholls covers the spin this time and defends solidly. |
| 97.4 : B Asif to Nicholls, Well outside off and the leftie opts to leave it. |
| 97.5 : B Asif to Nicholls, Beaten again! Twice in this over! And this one had a lot of bounce to go along with the turn. But beating the outside edge isn't a wicket unfortunately. Well bowled nonetheless. |
| 97.6 : B Asif to Nicholls, Turn and bounce again but wide outside off, Nicholls just lets it go. |
| Shaheen Afridi is coming on to bowl. The new ball hasn't been taken yet. Surprising. |
| 98.1 : S Afridi to Williamson, Length delivery on leg, Williamson flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 98.2 : S Afridi to Williamson, Length delivery on off, the skipper taps it to covers. |
| 98.3 : S Afridi to Williamson, Length delivery on leg, Kane pushes it to the leg side. |
| 98.4 : S Afridi to Williamson, Length delivery on middle, Kane flicks it to square leg. |
| 98.5 : S Afridi to Williamson, Full on off, the captain drives it to covers. |
| 98.6 : S Afridi to Williamson, Full again on off, Williamson drives it to short cover. |
| 99.1 : B Asif to Nicholls, Tossed up on middle, Nicholls sweeps it towards square leg for a single. |
| 99.2 : B Asif to Williamson, Flighted delivery on off, Kane defends off the front foot. |
| 99.3 : B Asif to Williamson, Floated on off, Kane blocks it well. |
| 99.4 : B Asif to Williamson, Flighted delivery on middle, Williamson sweeps it towards square leg for a single. |
| 99.5 : B Asif to Nicholls, Tossed up on off, Nicholls defends off the front foot. |
| 99.6 : B Asif to Nicholls, Bowls wide outside off, Nicholls lets it go. The lead is now 188 runs. Pakistan under serious pressure now. |
| 100.1 : S Afridi to Williamson, Short outside off, Williamson cuts it towards point for a single. |
| 100.2 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Good length delivery on off, Nicholls defends off the back foot. |
| 100.3 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Again on a good length on off, Nicholls defends off the back foot. |
| 100.4 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Good length delivery on off, the left-hander defends off the front foot. |
| 100.5 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Length delivery outside off, Henry taps it through point. Hasan Ali chases it and stops it just before the ropes. The batsmen get three runs. |
| 100.6 : S Afridi to Williamson, Full on off, Williamson drives it through covers. The fielder chases it and stops it comfortably. The batsmen get three runs. |
| 101.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Looped up on the stumps, worked with the spin on the leg side with soft hands. |
| 101.2 : B Asif to Williamson, Full and on the stumps, Williamson stays behind the line and defends it well. |
| 101.3 : B Asif to Williamson, Uses the depth of the crease, stays back and turns it away on the leg side. |
| 101.4 : B Asif to Williamson, Kane gets low and sweeps this behind square leg. Slight hesitation but both batsmen complete the run with ease. |
| 101.5 : B Asif to Nicholls, Tossed up delivery, quite close to off, Nicholls presses forward and dead-bats it. |
| 101.6 : B Asif to Nicholls, Spinning away from outside off, on a driving length, left alone to end the over. |
| Yasir Shah is back into the attack. |
| 102.1 : Y Shah to Williamson, Tossed up on off, Williamson defends off the front foot. |
| 102.2 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flighted delivery on off, the skipper keeps it out. |
| 102.3 : Y Shah to Williamson, Full on middle, Williamson dead-bats it. |
| 102.4 : Y Shah to Williamson, Floated on off, the captain defends off the front foot. |
| 102.5 : Y Shah to Williamson, Flighted delivery on leg, Williamson pushes it towards the square leg for a single. |
| 102.6 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Loopy delivery on off, Nicholls defends off the front foot. |
| 103.1 : B Asif to Williamson, Tossed up on leg, Williamson looks to defend but gets hit on the thigh pad. |
| 103.2 : B Asif to Williamson, Flighted delivery on leg, the captain flicks it towards the leg side for a single. |
| 103.3 : B Asif to Nicholls, Floated outside off, Henry lets it go. |
| 103.4 : B Asif to Nicholls, Tossed up on off, the left-hander defends off the front foot. |
| 103.5 : B Asif to Nicholls, BEATEN! Turns away from the batsman, Nicholls looks to defend but misses it and gets beaten on this one. |
| 103.6 : B Asif to Nicholls, Flighted delivery on middle, Nicholls blocks it well and negotiates the last ball of the day. That is STUMPS ON DAY 4. |
| New Zealand's day hands down. This day hasn't gone as anyone thought. Everyone was expecting Pakistan to run through New Zealand, but Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls have held the fort down and provided stern resistance to defy all odds. The Kiwi skipper scored a fine ton, and had ample support in Nicholls who crafted a fine fifty of his own, and the duo went on to add 212 runs for the 5th wicket, remaining unbeaten at the end of day's play. A lot of credit should go to Williamson. After his |
| Pakistan looked toothless in attack on the whole. Yasir Shah and Shaheen Afridi got a wicket apiece to get things going, but since have been quite playable. Bilal Asif too, who couldn't provide anything different. Some fingers might be pointed towards Sarfraz Ahmed's captaincy, as he just seemed to run out of ideas after a point and didn't try anything different to spark some motivation from somewhere. Hasan Ali isn't a 100 percent either, so that could be the reason why Pakistan never took the |
| So, as things stand, the Black Caps have ensured, or at least minimized the possibility of Pakistan winning this Test match. A result either way, or a draw as well, are possible. Pakistan are up against the wall though. Should be an intriguing Day 5 for sure. Join us at 1000 local (0600 GMT) for all the action. Take care! |
| ... Final Day, Morning Session ... |
| The last day of this series decider is set up to be a good one. All three results are very much possible. New Zealand have a lead of 198, courtesy Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls' double hundred stand. They're going to want to get close to 250, possibly even more, but as quick as possible, so as to give themselves a chance to win this game and the series. Rarely does it happen that Pakistan enter the final day of a Test match in the U.A.E. as second favourites. A draw seems like the best poss |
| We are all set for the game to begin! The Pakistan players are seen giving Mohammad Hafeez a guard of honor! A really nice gesture by the hosts. They now make their way out to the middle. The Kiwi batsmen, Henry Nicholls and Kane Williamson follow them out. The latter will be on strike and he will face Hasan Ali. Also, the home team has taken the new ball straightaway this morning. Can it provide the goods for them? Let's us wait to see. |
| Action straightaway! Williamson has been adjudged LBW but he has had reviewed it. Looks close. The umpire's decision might just play a big role here. |
| 104.1 : H Ali to Williamson, OUT! It is clipping and hence, the umpire's call stays! The new ball does the trick immediately. Pakistan could not have asked for a better start to Day 5. Williamson walks back without adding anything to his overnight score. But he has played a magnificent innings and he walks back to a well-deserved standing ovation by his side. Coming to the delivery now, this is on a length around off, it jags back in. Williamson goes back and tries to keep it out but misses. The |
| 0.0 : Colin de Grandhomme is the new man in. |
| 104.2 : H Ali to Grandhomme, Good length on off, Colin defends it onto the ground. |
| 104.3 : H Ali to Grandhomme, FOUR! Up and over! How easy was that? Slightly straighter and on a length. Colin nonchalantly flicks it over mid-wicket and bags a boundary. |
| 104.4 : H Ali to Grandhomme, Goes even shorter this time, Grandhomme pushes it towards mid on and goes for a run. The fielder there has a shy at the non-striker's end but misses. |
| 104.5 : H Ali to Nicholls, FOUR! Straight as an arrow! Full and on off, Nicholls shows the full face of the bat and strokes it through long off for a boundary. His first runs today is in the form of a boundary, that too right off the first ball he faced. |
| 104.6 : H Ali to Nicholls, That has stayed low! Nicholls tries to keep this ball out which is outside off, he though is beaten by the low bounce. New Zealand might not mind this. An action-packed first over, 9 runs and a wicket from it. |
| Shaheen Afridi to bowl from the other end. |
| 105.1 : S Afridi to Grandhomme, Full on middle, de Grandhomme flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. The fielder fires a direct hit at the non-striker's end but misses it. |
| 105.2 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Four running runs. That's a good shot, lovely timing on that. It's full on the stumps, touch straighter in line, Henry Nicholls flicks this neatly through mid-wicket. The fielder chases it down and pulls it just inside the rope, but the batsmen run all four. |
| 105.3 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Quick run. Nicely done. Nicholls taps this away towards mid off and scampers through to get to the other end. |
| 105.4 : S Afridi to Grandhomme, Good length delivery on middle and leg, worked in front of square leg. |
| 105.5 : S Afridi to Grandhomme, Short ball banged in, left alone. |
| 105.6 : S Afridi to Grandhomme, FOUR! Put away! Touch short in length and too straight in line, de Grandhomme hangs on the back foot and pulls it through square leg to find the fence. |
| 106.1 : H Ali to Nicholls, Century for Henry Nicholls, his third in this format and a very timely one. New Zealand were in big trouble when he walked out and he along with his captain have now put his team in a winning position. A knock full of patience, determination and grit. He scampers across to the other end by stroking it to mid on. He then takes his helmet off and pumps his first in celebration. He now will look to up the ante as he has got to the milestone. |
| 106.2 : Ali to Grandhomme, On the pads, Colin tries to flick but misses to get hit on the pads. The bowler appeals as he runs towards the ball but the umpire shakes his head. |
| 106.3 : H Ali to Grandhomme, Length around off, CdG strokes it to covers. |
| 106.4 : H Ali to Grandhomme, Down the leg side, de Grandhomme goes after it but misses. |
| 106.5 : H Ali to Grandhomme, On the stumps, it is kept out. |
| 106.6 : H Ali to Grandhomme, Excellent running! Good urgency showed! This is flicked on the bounce to the man t deep square leg. The batsmen take one, seeing the fielder taking his own merry time. Colin calls for the second and completes it with ease. |
| 107.1 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Good length delivery on middle, Nicholls flicks it towards square leg for a single. |
| 107.2 : S Afridi to de Grandhomme, FOUR BYES! Bowls a bouncer, de Grandhomme does well to duck under it and it goes over the keeper for a boundary. It is a lifeless pitch but who said the UAE pitches don't have bounce on it. |
| 107.3 : S Afridi to Grandhomme, 300 up for New Zealand. Short of a length delivery, de Grandhomme pulls it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 107.4 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Good length delivery on off, Nicholls looks to defend but misses it and it goes between bat and body of the batsman. |
| 107.5 : S Afridi to H Nicholls, Length delivery on middle, the left-hander plays it to mid on. |
| 107.6 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Length delivery on leg, Nicholls flicks it towards square leg. The fielder goes for the direct hit at the striker's end but misses it. The batsmen take a run. |
| 108.1 : H Ali to Nicholls, Nicholls is going for it now! He stepped down the track and tried to go big in the last over but missed. Tries to do the same this time but mistimes it to mid off. |
| 108.2 : H Ali to Nicholls, The slower ball on middle, the ball grips on the surface and turns away. Nicholls tries to play it with a closed face but gets a leading edge towards cover-point. A run taken. |
| 108.3 : H Ali to Grandhomme, A straighter line and Colin flicks it to deep mid-wicket for a run. |
| 108.4 : H Ali to Nicholls, FOUR! STREAKY! New Zealand will take everything that comes their way! Full and outside off, the batsman tries to stroke it through covers but gets an outside edge down to third man for a boundary. |
| 108.5 : H Ali to H Nicholls, FOUR! Cracked! Picked the bones out of that one did Nicholls. Short and on middle, Nicholls rocks back and pulls it through mid-wicket. The ball races away, runs flowing for the Kiwis. |
| 108.6 : H Ali to Nicholls, Now a triple to end the over! An expensive one as 13 comes from it. On the pads, Nicholls takes the aerial route and flicks it over mid-wicket. Azam in the deep does well to push the ball back in before it crosses the ropes, saves a run for his side. The lead is now 10 short of 250. |
| 109.1 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Length delivery on middle, Nicholls flicks it towards square leg. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 109.2 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Bowls full on off, Nicholls looks to drive but gets a bottom edge on that one. |
| 109.3 : S Afridi to Nicholls, FOUR! Short of length delivery, Nicholls pulls it through backward square leg for a boundary. |
| 109.4 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Length delivery on middle, the left-hander plays it towards mid on for a single. |
| 109.5 : S Afridi to Grandhomme, BEATEN! Off cutter delivery outside off, de Grandhomme looks to drive but misses it and gets beaten on this one. |
| 109.6 : Afridi to Grandhomme, SIX! Length delivery on middle, de Grandhomme lofts it over long on for a biggie. 50 partnership comes very quickly between de Grandhomme and Nicholls. It has come very quickly. |
| Yasir Shah is brought into the attack. |
| 110.1 : Y Shah to Nicholls, HUGE APPEAL FOR LBW! NOT OUT! Nicholls looks to sweep but misses it and gets hit on the pads. The bowler appeals but the umpire shakes his head. |
| 110.2 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Sweeps it through square leg for a run. |
| 110.3 : Y Shah to Grandhomme, SIX! All the way! Colin needs no sighters against Yasir. The first ball he faces, he goes down on one knee and sweeps it over the mid-wicket fence for a biggie. |
| 110.4 : Y Shah to Grandhomme, OUT! Colin de Grandhomme holes out! He though has done a decent job for his side and his partnership with Nicholls has provided the much-needed impetus. He Tries to repeat what he did on the last ball, goes down on one knee and goes for the slog sweep. This time though does not get the distance and Bilal Asif in the deep takes an easy catch. |
| BJ Watling is the new man in. |
| 110.5 : Shah to BJ Watling, OUT! GONE! Two in two for Yasir Shah. Watling is bowled round his legs. A bit more flight and a bit more drift as Yasir lands it on leg, it spins just a bit as BJ goes too far across to play the paddle sweep. Misses it and the stumps are disturbed. The leggie is on a hat-trick. |
| Tim Southee is the next man in. |
| 110.6 : Y Shah to Southee, No hat-trick as Southee plays this ball watchfully. He tucks it through mid-wicket and a run is taken. |
| 111.1 : S Afridi to Southee, Bowls short of length delivery, Southee looks to pull but misses it. |
| 111.2 : S Afridi to Southee, Short of a length delivery on leg, Southee lets it go. |
| 111.3 : S Afridi to Southee, Bowls wide outside off, Southee looks to go after it but it kept low on him. |
| 111.4 : S Afridi to Southee, Length delivery on middle, Southee looks to loft it over mid on but does not get the distance and it lands in no man's land. The batsmen take a run. |
| 111.5 : S Afridi to Nicholls, Length delivery on middle, Nicholls flicks it towards square leg for a single. |
| 111.6 : S Afridi to Southee, Bowls wide outside off, Southee looks to go over covers but does not get the distance and lands in no man's land. Two runs taken. |
| 112.1 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Swept hard to the man at deep square leg. He fields it well to keep it down to one. |
| 112.2 : Y Shah to Southee, This is swept through square leg. It is in the gap in that region. A couple taken. |
| 112.3 : Y Shah to Southee, Once again the slog sweep towards the mid-wicket region, it is the bigger boundary and hence a couple is taken. |
| 112.4 : Y Shah to Southee, SIX! He has got this right off the middle. Tosses it up around leg, Southee goes for the slog, connects well and it sails over the mid-wicket fence. 276 is the lead. This should surely be enough now. |
| 112.5 : Y Shah to Southee, Outside off, Southee mistimes it towards long on for a single. |
| 112.6 : Y Shah to Nicholls, Another couple! Nicholls comes down the track and swings across the line, it goes off the inner half through mid-wicket for a couple. |
| So Williamson signals his players to come back in. The declaration is made and New Zealand have set a target of 280 in front of Pakistan. Good call from the Kiwi skipper, the intent is clear that he wants to give his team the best possible chance to win this Test. He's probably declared earlier than what he originally thought, and that's been aided by Colin de Grandhomme. After Kane was dismissed by Hasan Ali on the first ball of the day, Colin came in and just started swinging his bat. He added |
| Yasir Shah picked up two wickets in as many deliveries to get rid of de Grandhomme and Watling, as both were looking for the quick runs, but it came a little too late. By then, the Black Caps had more or less run away with the game. Pakistan are going to now bat out of their skins to even save this Test, let alone win it. The surface isn't exactly naughty, but Pakistan and their fourth innings jitters could a cause for worry. Don't go anywhere, the final innings will begin shortly. |
| 0.1 : Tim Southee to Imam, Good length delivery outside off, Imam lets it go. |
| 0.2 : Tim Southee to Imam, Bowls full on middle, Imam flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. First runs for Pakistan. |
| 0.3 : Tim Southee to Hafeez, DROPPED! Full outside off, Hafeez looks to drive but gets an outside edge towards gully. Williamson there gets two hands to it but the ball bursts through and goes down towards third man for a couple. He may have reacted late. You though expect Williamson to catch that. However, a lucky reprieve for Hafeez in his last-ever Test innings. Can he make full use of it and play a majestic knock here? He would love to bow out in some style. |
| 0.4 : Tim Southee to Hafeez, Good length delivery on off, Hafeez defends off the front foot. |
| 0.5 : Tim Southee to Hafeez, Good length delivery outside off, the batsman lets it go. |
| 0.6 : Tim Southee to Hafeez, Short outside off, Hafeez cuts it towards point. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| Trent Boult will share the new ball from the other end. |
| 1.1 : T Boult to Imam, Good length delivery outside off, Imam shoulders his arms to this one. |
| 1.2 : T Boult to Imam, Good length delivery outside off, Imam looks to defend but misses it and gets beaten on this one. |
| 1.3 : T Boult to Imam, Length delivery on middle, the left-hander defends off the back foot. |
| 1.4 : T Boult to Imam, BEATEN! Good length delivery coming into the batsman, Imam looks to defend but gets beaten on this one. |
| 1.5 : T Boult to Imam, Bowls wide outside off, Imam easily offers no shot to this one. |
| 1.6 : T Boult to Imam, Length delivery on off, Imam plays it to the off side. |
| 2.1 : Tim Southee to Hafeez, Good length delivery outside off, Hafeez lets it go. |
| 2.2 : Tim Southee to Hafeez, Good length delivery on off, Hafeez keeps it out. |
| 2.3 : Tim Southee to Hafeez, Wide outside off, the right-hander lets it go. |
| 2.4 : Tim Southee to Hafeez, Good length delivery on off, Hafeez defends off the back foot. |
| 2.5 : Tim Southee to Hafeez, Wide outside off, Hafeez offers no shot. |
| 2.6 : Tim Southee to Hafeez, Good length delivery on off, Hafeez blocks it well. |
| 3.1 : T Boult to Imam, Shaping away from outside off, on a good length, Imam plants his front foot forward and leaves it alone. |
| 3.2 : T Boult to Imam, Yorker fired in on the stumps, swinging away from the batsman, he brings his bat down in time and jams it out. |
| 3.3 : T Boult to Imam, On the fuller side of things once more, Imam stays right behind the line and blocks it back down the track. |
| 3.4 : T Boult to Imam, Too far outside off, no chance the southpaw bothers himself with that. |
| 3.5 : T Boult to Imam, Cuts back in this time, from a good length, kept out solidly from within the crease. |
| 3.6 : T Boult to Imam, Sharp bumper just around off, it's quite accurate from Boult. Imam watches the ball and just about manages to evade the ball by arching back. |
| 4.1 : Tim Southee to M Hafeez, FOUR! Short of length delivery, Hafeez pulls it through square leg for a boundary. First boundary for Pakistan. |
| 4.2 : Tim Southee to Hafeez, Bowls wide outside off, Hafeez shoulders his arms to this one. |
| 4.3 : Tim Southee to Hafeez, Wide outside off, Hafeez lets it go. |
| 4.4 : Tim Southee to Hafeez, Length delivery outside off, Hafeez offers no shot and it kept low on him. |
| 4.5 : Tim Southee to Hafeez, Good length delivery outside off, the batsman offers no shot. |
| 4.6 : Tim Southee to Hafeez, Good length delivery on off, Hafeez keeps it out. |
| 5.1 : T Boult to Imam, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 5.2 : T Boult to Imam, FOUR BYES! Bowls down the leg side, Imam still goes after it but does not connect. It goes behind where Watling dives to his right and gets a hand to it but could not stop it and it goes for a boundary. |
| 5.3 : T Boult to Imam, Darts it on a length in the off stump channel, the left-hander shoulders his arms to it. |
| 5.4 : T Boult to Imam, FOUR! That's a good shot. Nice sound of the ball going off the bat. Some width offered outside off, Imam is on the back foot in a jiffy as he cuts this through point for a boundary. |
| 5.5 : T Boult to Imam, Too full and too straight in line, Imam flicks it past the diving mid-wicket fielder. A couple of runs result this time. |
| 5.6 : T Boult to Imam, The outswinger to finish things. Boult pitches it full and makes it go away, the batsman plays and misses. |
| 6.1 : Tim Southee to Hafeez, Marginally ahead of a length, quite close to off, Hafeez stays inside the crease and defends it down on the off side with soft hands. |
| 6.2 : Tim Southee to Hafeez, Moving away this time, a length delivery around off, Hafeez pats it away to covers. |
| 6.3 : Tim Southee to Hafeez, Angling in at first and then straightens up off the seam, Hafeez is squared up a bit but he still manages to defend this a bit square on the off side. |
| 6.4 : Tim Southee to M Hafeez, OUT! Bowled 'em! The Professor is knocked out early in his last Test innings. A beauty from Southee to dismiss him. Absolute peach. Southee comes from wide of the crease and angles it in on off, it straightens up once more and this time it's enough to beat Hafeez's defense. It goes past the outside edge and knocks the bails over. An 18-year long career comes to a close. He walks back to a standing ovation from the crowd. Acknowledges their support and raises his bat |
| Azhar Ali is the next batsman in. |
| 6.5 : Tim Southee to Ali, Too far down the leg side, Azhar attempts to flick it away but fails to do so. |
| 6.6 : Tim Southee to Ali, Full in length outside off, driven to covers to end the over. |
| 7.1 : T Boult to Imam, Starts off with a bouncer, takes Imam by surprise a bit but he does well to evade it. |
| 7.2 : T Boult to Imam, Short of a length just outside off, kept out from the back foot. |
| 7.3 : T Boult to Imam, Another bumper, it's sharp and accurate on off, Imam arches back and just about manages to duck under it. |
| 7.4 : T Boult to Imam, Good length delivery in line of the stumps, blocked with a straight blade in response. |
| 7.5 : T Boult to Imam, Cutting back in, on a length, defended off the inner half in front of square leg. |
| 7.6 : T Boult to Imam, Shortish delivery pounded in, on the stumps, Imam rises on his feet and defends it down on the leg side. |
| 8.1 : Tim Southee to Ali, Full on middle, Azhar flicks it towards mid-wicket. The batsmen get three runs. |
| 8.2 : Tim Southee to Imam, FOUR! Short outside off, Imam cuts it through point for a boundary. Second boundary for Imam in this innings. |
| 8.3 : Tim Southee to Imam, FOUR! Consecutive boundaries for Imam. Full outside off, Imam drives it through covers for a boundary. |
| 8.4 : Tim Southee to Imam, Good length delivery on off, the left-hander defends off the back foot. |
| 8.5 : Tim Southee to Imam, Wide outside off, the left-hander offers no shot. |
| 8.6 : Tim Southee to Imam, Short on off, Imam plays it to the off side. |
| Colin de Grandhomme is into the attack. |
| 9.1 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Full outside off, Azhar offers no shot. |
| 9.2 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Full on off, Azhar defends off the front foot. |
| 9.3 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Good length delivery outside off, Azhar offers no shot. |
| 9.4 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Good length delivery outside off, the batsman shoulders arms to this one. |
| 9.5 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Consecutive leaves for Azhar. Good length delivery outside off, Azhar lets it go. |
| 9.6 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Length delivery on middle, Azhar looks to defend but gets it off the inner half of the bat. It goes towards fine leg for a single. |
| 10.1 : Tim Southee to Ali, Good length delivery on off, Azhar defends off the front foot. |
| 10.2 : Tim Southee to Ali, Length delivery on leg, Azhar flicks it towards square leg for a single. |
| 10.3 : Tim Southee to Imam, Short outside off, Imam shoulders his arms to this one. |
| 10.4 : Tim Southee to Imam, Good length delivery on off, Imam defends off the back foot. |
| 10.5 : Tim Southee to Imam, Bowls a yorker, Imam easily digs it out. |
| 10.6 : Tim Southee to Imam, Bowls full on off, Imam looks to drive but gets a bottom edge on this one and it goes just close to the stumps. He is lucky to survive. |
| 11.1 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Length again around off, the batsman blocks it onto the ground. |
| 11.2 : de Grandhomme to Ali, Another length ball around off, Azhar Ali defends it towards covers. |
| 11.3 : de Grandhomme to Ali, OUT! EDGED AND TAKEN! There goes the centurion of the first innings, there goes Pakistan's stalwart and that too cheaply. Colin gets the better of him with a beauty! This is on a length and around off, it is angled into the batsman first. Ali plays the original trajectory. It though pitches and moves away enough to take the outside edge. Watling behind the stumps accepts an easy catch. The away side is ecstatic as it is right on top here. 8 wickets more for them to ta |
| Drinks are on the field. Been New Zealand's morning so far. They first got the runs on the board rather quickly and have now bagged two wickets of Hafeez and Azhar. Southee and de Grandhomme provided the breakthroughs and the Kiwis are on the charge. This first session is an extended one, due to the Friday prayers, so there's plenty of time left for the visitors to get a wicket or two more. Haris Sohail is next in to bat, so he will have to stick it out with Imam and see this session out. |
| A tough task awaits for Pakistan. A big onus lies on this current pair now. Imam and Haris need to dig in deep. |
| 11.4 : de Grandhomme to Sohail, Back of a length on off, Sohail guides it to point. |
| 11.5 : de Grandhomme to Sohail, Full and outside off, it is driven square on the off side for a run. |
| 11.6 : de Grandhomme to Imam, A little too wide outside off and it is that tempting, driving length. Imam though resists and makes a leave. End of a successful over. |
| Trent Boult is back on. |
| 12.1 : T Boult to Sohail, Good length delivery outside off, Sohail lets it go. |
| 12.2 : Boult to Sohail, APPEAL FOR LBW! NOT OUT! Length delivery on middle, Sohail looks to defend but gets hit on the pads. The bowler appeals but the umpire shakes his head. Probably height could have saved him. |
| 12.3 : T Boult to Sohail, Good length delivery on off, the left-hander defends off the back foot. |
| 12.4 : T Boult to H Sohail, Full on middle, Sohail plays it to mid on. |
| 12.5 : T Boult to Sohail, Bowls a bouncer, Sohail does well to duck under it. |
| 12.6 : T Boult to Sohail, Short outside off, Sohail cuts it towards point for a single. |
| 13.1 : de Grandhomme to Sohail, Good length delivery on off, Sohail defends off the front foot. |
| 13.2 : de Grandhomme to Sohail, Good length delivery on middle, the left-hander keeps it out. |
| 13.3 : de Grandhomme to Sohail, Wide outside off, the left-hander shoulders his arms to this one. |
| 13.4 : de Grandhomme to Sohail, Wide outside off, Sohail offers no shot. |
| 13.5 : de Grandhomme to Sohail, Third consecutive leave for Haris Sohail. Wide outside off, Sohail offers no shot. |
| 13.6 : de Grandhomme to Sohail, Good length delivery outside off, the left-hander lets it go. |
| 14.1 : T Boult to Imam, Bowls a bouncer, Imam had less time to react to duck under it. |
| 14.2 : T Boult to Imam, Good length delivery on off, Imam defends off the back foot. |
| 14.3 : T Boult to Imam, Again on a good length on off, the left-hander defends off the back foot. |
| 14.4 : T Boult to Imam, Bowls a bouncer, Imam does well to duck under it. |
| 14.5 : T Boult to Imam, Bowls short of length delivery, Imam defends off the back foot. |
| 14.6 : T Boult to Imam, Bowls a bouncer, the left-hander ducks underneath it. |
| 15.1 : de Grandhomme to Sohail, NO BALL! De Grandhomme oversteps. Good length delivery on off, Sohail defends off the back foot. |
| de Grandhomme to Sohail, Length delivery on off, Sohail defends off the front foot. |
| 15.2 : de Grandhomme to Sohail, Bowls wide outside off, the left-hander offers no shot. |
| 15.3 : de Grandhomme to Sohail, Again wide outside off, Sohail shoulders his arms to this one. |
| 15.4 : de Grandhomme to Sohail, Good length delivery outside off, Sohail lets it go. |
| 15.5 : de Grandhomme to Sohail, Length delivery on off, Sohail defends off the back foot. |
| 15.6 : de Grandhomme to Sohail, Length delivery on leg, Sohail flicks it to the leg side. |
| Ajaz Patel is on. |
| 16.1 : A Patel to Imam, Tossed up on off, Imam defends off the front foot. |
| 16.2 : A Patel to Imam, Flighted delivery on middle, Imam plays it towards mid on for a single. |
| 16.3 : A Patel to Sohail, Short on off, Sohail cuts it to point. |
| 16.4 : A Patel to Sohail, SIX! First six of this innings. Tossed up on middle, Sohail dances down the track and lofts it over long on for a biggie. |
| 16.5 : A Patel to Sohail, Floated on off, Sohail defends off the front foot. |
| 16.6 : A Patel to Sohail, Loopy delivery on off, the left-hander looks to defend but gets an inside edge and it goes towards the leg side. The batsmen take a run. |
| William Somerville is on now. |
| 17.1 : W Somerville to Sohail, Flatter and outside off, Haris lets it be. |
| 17.2 : W Somerville to Sohail, This is quicker and much closer to the off pole, not close enough to make the batsman play though. |
| 17.3 : W Somerville to Sohail, OUT! William Somerville strikes! The bowling change has worked wonders and New Zealand can now sniff a series win here in the UAE. They are only 7 wickets away. Another ball which is tossed up outside off, this though is bowled slower. Sohail left the last two but this time he decides to play it. The ball however, turns away slightly, takes the outside edge and goes towards Taylor who takes it on the second attempt. |
| Asad Shafiq is the new man in. |
| Review time. It's for a caught behind appeal against Asad Shafiq. Is he gone? Seems unlikely to the naked eye, but you never know... |
| 17.4 : Somerville to Shafiq, OUT! That is off the glove! Two in two for William Somerville and Pakistan now are in deep, deep trouble. The other centurion from the first innings bags a golden duck. Prodigious use of the review from the Kiwis. Not the best of deliveries to get a wicket but Somerville won't care. This is down the leg side, turns away and also bounces a touch extra. Shafiq tries to flick and the ball goes off something to Watling who collects it well by moving swiftly to his left. A |
| Babar Azam is next in. |
| 17.5 : W Somerville to Azam, No hat-trick as Azam has negotiated the ball well. He defends it onto the ground. |
| 17.6 : W Somerville to Azam, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. A double-wicket maiden by Somerville. Brilliant. |
| 18.1 : A Patel to Imam, Tossed up on off, Imam dances down the track and hits it to mid on. |
| 18.2 : A Patel to Imam, Flighted delivery on middle, Imam again dances down the track and looks to go over mid-wicket but does not get enough on it. It lands safely towards mid-wicket. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 18.3 : A Patel to Imam, Floated on leg, Imam pushes it to the leg side. |
| 18.4 : A Patel to Imam, Tossed up on off, Imam blocks it well. |
| 18.5 : A Patel to Imam, FOUR! Flighted delivery on leg, Imam dances down the track and hits it over mid on for a boundary. |
| 18.6 : A Patel to Imam, Loopy delivery on off, Imam defends off the back foot. |
| 19.1 : W Somerville to Azam, Was that a chance? Nope as the umpire has signaled it as leg byes. This is down the leg side, Azam goes to sweep but misses to get hit on the back leg. It goes just over the leg slip fielder and towards fine leg for a couple. |
| 0.0 : Babar Azam looks to be in trouble. He's been caught on the pads and adjudged out. He's taken it upstairs, but the edge could save him. Let's see. |
| 19.2 : Somerville to Azam, NOT OUT! Azam has got an outside edge on this one! Pakistan will breathe a huge sigh of relief here as Azam will survive to fight another day. Excellent use of the review by Pakistan this time. This lands on middle and it straightens a touch. Azam does not pick the variation and tries to defend inside the line. He seems to have missed it and the ball hits him on the pads. An appeal follows and the umpire raises his finger. Azam after a chat reviews it. Replays roll in a |
| 19.3 : W Somerville to Azam, Tosses it up on middle, Azam is solid in defense. |
| 19.4 : W Somerville to Azam, FOUR! BLUDGEONED! Azam comes down the track and hits it very hard past the bowler. No stopping those. The two may have decided to take the attacking approach. |
| 19.5 : W Somerville to Azam, The off spinner on middle, Somerville works it towards mid-wicket. |
| 19.6 : W Somerville to Azam, On the stumps, it is kept out. Another excellent over by Somerville, he is really started off well here. |
| 20.1 : A Patel to Imam, Tossed up outside off, Imam defends off the front foot. |
| 20.2 : A Patel to Imam, Flighted delivery on off, Imam blocks it well. |
| 20.3 : A Patel to Imam, Floated on off, the left-hander keeps it out. |
| 20.4 : A Patel to Imam, OUT! Another one bites the dust! Half the side back in the hut for Pakistan! Ajaz Patel now joins the party as he gets his first. This is bowled slower through the air on off, it pitches and turns back in. Takes the inside edge of Imam's bat as he tries to defend. Hits the pad and then lobs towards short leg. Nicholls there accepts an easy catch. THAT WILL BE LUNCH ON DAY 5! |
| A session which has thoroughly belonged to New Zealand. In 29.4 overs in this session, 136 runs were scored for the loss of 8 wickets. Pakistan have only scored 55 of them and the 5 wickets lost are theirs, so you picture it for yourself. After de Grandhomme and Nicholls put on the quick runs, the Kiwis declared early to have a go at Pakistan and that decision has paid dividends as the hosts have lost 5 wickets already. Hafeez, who is playing his last Test, the two centurions from the first inni |
| ... Final Day, Afternoon Session ... |
| We are back for what could probably be the last session. Sarfraz Ahmed, the skipper joins Babar Azam in the middle. Ajaz Patel will bowl the remaining two balls of his over. Here we go... |
| 20.5 : A Patel to Ahmed, Tossed up on off, Sarfraz goes back and cuts it to point. |
| 20.6 : A Patel to Ahmed, Flighted delivery on off, Sarfraz blocks it well. |
| William Somerville to bowl from the other end. |
| 21.1 : W Somerville to Azam, Turns into middle, Babar tucks it to the leg side. |
| 21.2 : W Somerville to Azam, Flighted delivery on leg, Babar flicks it to the leg side. |
| 21.3 : W Somerville to Azam, Full toss on middle, Babar flicks it to short mid-wicket. |
| 21.4 : W Somerville to Azam, Floated on middle, the batsman flicks it to the leg side. |
| 21.5 : W Somerville to Azam, Tossed up on middle, Babar keeps it out. |
| 21.6 : W Somerville to Azam, Loopy delivery on middle, the right-hander plays it towards mid on for a single. |
| 22.1 : A Patel to Azam, Tosses it up on middle, Azam lunges and defends it. |
| 22.2 : A Patel to Azam, Flatter and on middle, it comes in with the arm. Babar goes back and defends it onto the ground. |
| 22.3 : A Patel to Azam, Poor ball and it has been cut away! A half-tracker outside off, Azam rocks back and slaps it towards covers. De Grandhomme dives to his right, makes a half stop and saves a couple for his side. |
| 22.4 : A Patel to Azam, This is tossed up on leg pole, trying to bowl the magic ball which turns from leg to off but no turn on this one. Azam keeps it out. |
| 22.5 : A Patel to Azam, Another cut shot but this time straight to point. This was closer to the off pole and hence the gap was not found. |
| 22.6 : A Patel to Azam, Good delivery to end! He bowls the quicker one on off, Azam at the very end gets his bat down in time. The ball though takes the inside edge and goes onto hit his pads. There is excitement but not for long. |
| 23.1 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Tossed up on middle, Sarfraz looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads and goes past short leg. |
| 23.2 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Flighted delivery on leg, Sarfraz flicks it to the leg side. |
| 23.3 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Floated on middle, the right-hander blocks it well. |
| 23.4 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Flighted delivery on middle, Sarfraz flicks it to fine leg. |
| 23.5 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Turns in sharply, Sarfraz looks to cut but does not get of the middle of the bat. |
| 23.6 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Tossed up on middle, Sarfraz keeps it out. |
| 24.1 : A Patel to Azam, Another half-tracker, Azam fails to put it away as he cuts it towards cover-point. Raval there makes a very good stop diving to his left. |
| 24.2 : A Patel to Azam, Better! Tosses this up on middle, Azam keeps it out. |
| 24.3 : A Patel to Azam, The arm ball this on middle, Azam tries to block but it goes off the inner half towards square leg. |
| 24.4 : A Patel to Azam, Another ball on the stumps and once again it is defended. |
| 24.5 : A Patel to Azam, Stump-to-stump line again but Babar is solid in defense. |
| 24.6 : A Patel to Azam, Once again it is the quicker delivery to end the over, Azam this time though is ready for it as he gets his bat down in time. |
| 25.1 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Flighted delivery on middle, Sarfraz comes down the track and hits it towards square leg. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 25.2 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Flighted delivery on middle, Sarfraz makes room and tries to disturb the bowler's length and defends off the front foot. |
| 25.3 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Tossed up on leg, Sarfraz flicks it to the leg side. |
| 25.4 : W Somerville to Ahmed, FOUR! Good shot. Floated on middle, Sarfraz dances down the track and hits it through mid-wicket for a beautiful boundary. |
| 25.5 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Flighted delivery on off, the batsman keeps it out. |
| 25.6 : W Somerville to Ahmed, FOUR! Short on off, Sarfraz makes room and cuts it towards third man for a boundary. Big over for Pakistan. 10 runs off it. |
| 26.1 : A Patel to Azam, Uses his feet but the bowler shortens his length. Azam blocks it out. |
| 26.2 : A Patel to Azam, Flights it on off and gets turn away on this one. The batter lunges and blocks it out. |
| 26.3 : A Patel to Azam, Changing his pace nicely here! The last one was slower and this one was quicker, Azam pushes it to covers. |
| 26.4 : A Patel to Azam, Tosses it up on off, Azam prods forward and blocks it out. |
| 26.5 : A Patel to Azam, On the stumps, the ball goes straight on with the angle. Azam blocks it out. |
| 26.6 : A Patel to Azam, Almost! Flatter and quicker on off, it comes in with the angle. Azam is unsure whether to come forward or back. He then tries to put bat on ball but gets an inside onto his pads. |
| 27.1 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Half Hearted appeal for LBW. NOT OUT! Tossed up on middle, Sarfraz looks to defend but gets hit on the pads. The bowler appeals but the umpire shakes his head. |
| 27.2 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Short on off, Sarfraz makes room and guides it towards third man for a single. |
| 27.3 : W Somerville to Azam, Pushes this down to mid on for a single. |
| 27.4 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Driven through mid on by the batsman. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 27.5 : W Somerville to Azam, Tossed up around off, watchfully blocked out. |
| 27.6 : W Somerville to Azam, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 28.1 : A Patel to Ahmed, Well bowled and well played in the end! He sees Sarfraz come down the track and bowls it quicker and outside off. Ahmed adjusts and then defends it to point. |
| 28.2 : A Patel to Ahmed, On the stumps, it is kept out. |
| 28.3 : A Patel to Ahmed, A muted appeal but not given! This is down the leg side, Ahmed tries to sweep but misses. It hits him on the body. The bowler appeals but the umpire shakes his head. |
| 28.4 : A Patel to Ahmed, Flatter and around off, Ahmed guides it to point. |
| 28.5 : A Patel to Ahmed, Slightly shorter and there is width on off outside off, Ahmed guides it through point for a brace. |
| 28.6 : A Patel to Ahmed, FOUR! Sarfraz is really busy out there. He is looking to score of every ball and here he gets the desired result as he sweeps it through square leg. Good attacking batting by the skipper. |
| 29.1 : W Somerville to Azam, Tosses it up on middle, it is kept out. |
| 29.2 : W Somerville to Azam, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 29.3 : W Somerville to Azam, FOUR! Now Azam takes the attacking approach! He uses his feet and flicks it over mid-wicket. No fielder in the deep and a boundary results. |
| 29.4 : W Somerville to Azam, Just short! This is down the leg side, Azam tries to flick it with soft hands. The ball lands just short of the fielder at leg slip. The ball deflects of his leg towards short third man but no run taken. |
| 29.5 : W Somerville to Azam, Flighted ball on off, Azam defends it. |
| The DRS has been signalled. Babar Azam is caught at short leg, but he signals to his skipper that there's no bat. Over to the TV umpire now... |
| 29.6 : W Somerville to Azam, NOT OUT! No inside edge and Azam once again makes excellent use of the review. This is tossed up around middle, it turns back in, goes off something as Azam tries to defend towards the short leg fielder. He takes it and appeals. The finger is raised. Azam reviews immediately. They check for the catch first and Ultra Edge shows that there is no bat involved. Then, they check for the LBW but it is missing the leg stump by a long way. |
| 30.1 : A Patel to Ahmed, Short on off, Sarfraz makes room and cuts it to point. |
| 30.2 : A Patel to Ahmed, Flighted delivery on off, Sarfraz guides it towards third man for a single. |
| 30.3 : A Patel to Azam, Full on off, Babar drives it towards mid off. Two runs taken. |
| 30.4 : A Patel to Azam, Tossed up on off, the batsman defends off the back foot. |
| 30.5 : A Patel to Azam, Bowls down the leg side, Babar lets it go. |
| 30.6 : A Patel to Azam, Tossed up outside off, the batsman shoulders his arms to this one. |
| 31.1 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Down the leg side, Sarfraz sweeps it fine and collects a brace. |
| 31.2 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Gives it air on off, the batter is solid in defense. |
| 31.3 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Very risky this! This is fired on off, Sarfraz goes back and tries to guide it to third man but gets an inside edge onto the ground. Very risky that with the ball turning back in. |
| 31.4 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Works it with the turn to the man at short mid-wicket. |
| 31.5 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Sarfraz this time hits it away from that fielder and down to long on for a run. |
| 31.6 : W Somerville to Azam, The arm ball to end the over, Azam easily blocks it out. |
| 32.1 : A Patel to Ahmed, Tossed up on middle, Sarfraz defends off the front foot. |
| 32.2 : A Patel to S Ahmed, FOUR! Short on off, Sarfraz makes room and cuts it through point for a boundary. |
| 32.3 : A Patel to S Ahmed, Flighted delivery on middle, Sarfraz looks to defend but gets an inside edge and it goes towards fine leg for a single. |
| 32.4 : A Patel to Azam, Floated on middle, Babar blocks it well. |
| 32.5 : A Patel to Azam, Tossed up on off, Babar keeps it out. |
| 32.6 : A Patel to Azam, Loopy delivery on middle, Babar comes down the track and defends it. |
| 33.1 : Somerville to Ahmed, A big shout but not given! This is bowled very full on off, Sarfraz goes for the sweep but misses to get hit on the pads. An appeal but the umpire shakes his head. Going down leg I feel. |
| 33.2 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Flatter and around off, it turns back in. Sarfraz does well to get on top of the delivery and keep it out. |
| 33.3 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Gives it air on off, Sarfraz reaches out for it and then strokes it down to long on for a run. |
| 33.4 : W Somerville to Azam, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 33.5 : W Somerville to Azam, Nicely played! Azam at the very last opens the face of the bat and guides it towards point for a quick run. |
| 33.6 : W Somerville to S Ahmed, Down the leg side, Sarfraz flicks but fails to beat the man at leg slip. |
| 34.1 : A Patel to Azam, FOUR! Short on off, Babar rocks back and slaps it through covers for a boundary. |
| 34.2 : A Patel to Azam, Flighted delivery on off, Babar blocks it well. |
| 34.3 : A Patel to Azam, Floated on middle, Babar keeps it out. |
| 34.4 : A Patel to Azam, Tossed up on off, Babar rocks back and cuts it to point. |
| 34.5 : A Patel to Azam, Floated on leg, the batsman flicks it to the leg side. |
| 34.6 : A Patel to Azam, Flighted delivery on off, Babar cuts it to point. |
| 35.1 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Gives it nice air on the pads, Sarfraz fails to flick and misses to get hit on the pads. The ball lobs towards short leg. |
| 35.2 : W Somerville to Ahmed, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 35.3 : W Somerville to Ahmed, Another one on the pads, Ahmed misses the flick and gets hit on the pads. |
| 35.4 : W Somerville to Ahmed, OUT! TIMBER! The skipper perishes. He was playing with fire and got burnt here. Never a good idea trying to play against the turn on a wicket which is providing good assistance for the spinners. He has done that well till now but this time he has been dismissed in trying to do so. Somerville bowls this quicker and just outside off, Ahmed goes back and tries to guide it late through short third man. He has played this shot quite often today. However, this one turns ba |
| Bilal Asif walks into the middle next. |
| 35.5 : W Somerville to Asif, On the pads, Asif works it fine down the leg side for a run. |
| 35.6 : W Somerville to Azam, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 36.1 : A Patel to Asif, Tossed up on off, Bilal blocks it well. |
| 36.2 : A Patel to B Asif, Flighted delivery on off, Bilal looks to defend but gets an outside edge past slip. The batsmen take a run. |
| 36.3 : A Patel to Azam, Short on off, Babar makes room and cuts it towards point for a single. |
| 36.4 : A Patel to Asif, Tossed up outside off, Bilal lets it go. |
| 36.5 : A Patel to Asif, Flighted delivery on off, the batsman cuts it to point. |
| 36.6 : A Patel to Asif, Floated on off, Bilal defends off the back foot. |
| 37.1 : W Somerville to Azam, The batsman has driven it through mid on. One run added to the total. |
| 37.2 : W Somerville to Asif, Down the leg side, the batsman lets it be. |
| 37.3 : W Somerville to Asif, Flatter on the stumps, Bilal goes back and defends it onto the ground. |
| 37.4 : W Somerville to Asif, Tosses it up now on off, Asif blocks it out. |
| 37.5 : W Somerville to Asif, On the pads, Asif lets it be. |
| 37.6 : W Somerville to Asif, On the middle pole, the batsman blocks it out. |
| 38.1 : A Patel to Azam, Tossed up on off, Babar looks to defend but gets an outside edge towards slip where it fell short of the fielder. |
| 38.2 : A Patel to Azam, Flighted delivery on middle, Babar blocks it well. |
| 38.3 : A Patel to Azam, Floated on middle, the batsman keeps it out. |
| 38.4 : A Patel to Azam, Turns away from the batsman, Babar looks to defend but misses it and gets beaten on this one. |
| 38.5 : A Patel to Azam, Full on off, Babar plays it to covers. |
| 38.6 : A Patel to Azam, Tossed up on middle, the batsman flicks it towards fine leg. Two runs taken. |
| 39.1 : W Somerville to Asif, A little too full outside off, the turn is out of contention. Asif strokes it through covers for a run. |
| 39.2 : W Somerville to Azam, Works it with the turn to mid-wicket. |
| 39.3 : W Somerville to Azam, Just short! Somerville almost gets another. Azam dances down the track but does not get to the pitch of the ball. He tries to defend but the ball hits his pad first, then goes onto hit the bat. It lobs towards the bowler who dives and tries to take it but the ball falls short. |
| 39.4 : W Somerville to Azam, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 39.5 : W Somerville to Azam, FOUR! Up and over! Excellent use of the feet! Uses his feet and lofts it over deepish mid on for a boundary. |
| 39.6 : W Somerville to B Azam, Another appeal but the umpire shakes his head. Doing too much I feel. This is tossed up outside off, the ball turns back in. Hits the pad of Azam who tries to defend. |
| 40.1 : A Patel to Asif, Tossed up on off, Bilal keeps it out. |
| 40.2 : A Patel to Asif, Bowls full on off, Bilal drives it to covers. |
| 40.3 : A Patel to Asif, Flighted delivery on off, Bilal defends off the front foot. |
| 40.4 : A Patel to Asif, Wide outside off, Bilal easily lets it go. |
| 40.5 : A Patel to Asif, Tossed up on middle, the batsman defends off the front foot. |
| 40.6 : A Patel to Asif, Flighted delivery on off, Bilal keeps it out. |
| Drinks! |
| 41.1 : W Somerville to Azam, Tossed up on off, Babar defends off the back foot. |
| 41.2 : W Somerville to Azam, Turns in sharply, Babar looks to defend but gets hit on the pads. |
| 41.3 : W Somerville to Azam, Flighted delivery on off, the batsman keeps it out. |
| 41.4 : W Somerville to B Azam, Full on off, Babar drives it towards covers for a single. |
| 41.5 : W Somerville to Asif, Bowls down the leg side, Bilal lets it go. |
| 41.6 : W Somerville to Asif, Short on off, Bilal makes room and cuts it to third man. |
| Tim Southee returns to the attack. |
| 42.1 : Tim Southee to Azam, Length delivery on leg, Babar flicks it towards square leg for a single. |
| 42.2 : Tim Southee to Asif, Good length delivery on middle, Bilal defends off the back foot. |
| 42.3 : Tim Southee to Asif, Good length delivery on middle, Bilal keeps it out. |
| 42.4 : Tim Southee to Asif, Bowls a bouncer, Bilal does well to duck under it. |
| 42.5 : Tim Southee to Asif, Short of length delivery, Bilal pulls it over square leg but does not get the distance and it lands safely towards square leg. The batsmen take a run. |
| 42.6 : Tim Southee to Azam, Wide outside off, Babar offers no shot. |
| 43.1 : W Somerville to Asif, Tossed up on off, Bilal comes down the track and plays it to mid on. |
| 43.2 : W Somerville to Asif, Flighted delivery on off, Bilal defends off the front foot. |
| 43.3 : W Somerville to Asif, Flighted delivery on leg, Bilal flicks it towards fine leg. The fielder chases it and pulls it back with a slide just before the ropes. A run saved by his team. |
| 43.4 : W Somerville to Azam, Tossed up on off, Babar blocks it well. |
| 43.5 : W Somerville to Azam, Short on off, the batsman cuts it towards point. Two runs taken. |
| 43.6 : W Somerville to Azam, Tossed up on middle, Babar defends off the back foot. |
| 44.1 : Tim Southee to Asif, Short ball banged in, Asif avoids it. |
| 44.2 : Tim Southee to Asif, Another bouncer but this is sharper than the previous one. On middle and off, Bilal just about manages to evade it. |
| 44.3 : Tim Southee to Asif, Third in a row. Not too threatening on this occasion, Bilal keeps his eyes on the ball and ducks under it. |
| 44.4 : Tim Southee to Asif, Switches to around the wicket and pounds it in short, the batsman crouches low and lets it sail over his head. |
| 44.5 : Tim Southee to Asif, Short of a length on the body, defended down by getting on top of the bounce. |
| A slight halt in play as Bilal Asif has called for a different set of pads. |
| New Zealand have taken the DRS. It's a strange but a close one. Asif has ducked to one but he's caught on the helmet... right in front of the stumps. No bounce on the ball. Can he really be out? |
| 44.6 : Tim Southee to Asif, Not out! Bilal survives! Would have been a bit comical had he been given out. Southee with a back of a length ball in line of the stumps but it doesn't rise as much. Asif ducks, thinking it will sail over his head but instead he's caught on the helmet. A loud shout goes up, the umpire remains unmoved. New Zealand though, want to take this upstairs. The replays roll in and show that the ball is just going over the stumps. The review is lost, but that was a close call. A |
| 45.1 : W Somerville to Azam, Flighted delivery on off, Babar blocks it well. |
| 45.2 : W Somerville to Azam, BEATEN! Beautiful flight on this one. Bowls slower through the air, Babar looks to defend but gets beaten on this one. |
| 45.3 : W Somerville to Azam, Tossed up on middle, Babar defends off the back foot. |
| 45.4 : W Somerville to Azam, Floated on off, Babar cuts it towards point for a single. |
| 45.5 : W Somerville to Asif, Tossed up on middle, Bilal looks to defend but gets an inside edge and goes past short leg. |
| 45.6 : W Somerville to Asif, Loopy delivery on off, the batsman keeps it out. |
| 46.1 : Tim Southee to Azam, Length delivery on leg, Babar flicks it towards the leg side for a single. |
| 46.2 : Tim Southee to Asif, Length delivery on middle, Bilal flicks it to the leg side. |
| 46.3 : Tim Southee to Asif, Length delivery on off, the batsman guides it towards point for a single. |
| 46.4 : Tim Southee to B Azam, Length delivery on middle, Babar plays it towards mid on for a single. |
| 46.5 : Tim Southee to Asif, Good length delivery on middle, Bilal defends off the back foot. |
| 46.6 : Tim Southee to Asif, Short of length delivery, Bilal pulls it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 47.1 : W Somerville to Asif, Tossed up on leg, Bilal plays it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 47.2 : W Somerville to Azam, Flighted delivery on middle, Babar pushes it towards the leg side for a single. |
| 47.3 : W Somerville to Asif, Bowls down the leg side, Bilal lets it go. |
| 47.4 : W Somerville to Asif, Flighted delivery on off, Bilal blocks it well. |
| 47.5 : W Somerville to Asif, Tossed up on off, Bilal comes down the track and lofts it over mid off. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 47.6 : W Somerville to Asif, Floated on middle, Bilal pushes it to the leg side. |
| 48.1 : Tim Southee to Azam, Good length delivery on middle, Babar keeps it out. |
| 48.2 : Tim Southee to Azam, Length delivery on middle, Babar flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 48.3 : Tim Southee to Asif, Good length delivery on middle, Bilal defends off the back foot. |
| 48.4 : Tim Southee to Asif, Short outside off, Bilal cuts it to point. |
| 48.5 : Tim Southee to Asif, Bowls a yorker on off, the batsman digs it out. |
| 48.6 : Tim Southee to Asif, OUT! Loose shot from Bilal. Good length delivery outside off, Bilal looks to drive but gets a thick outside edge and it goes behind Watling who takes a comfortable catch. Pakistan lose their seventh wicket. New Zealand are three away from a series victory. |
| Yasir Shah is the new man in. |
| 49.1 : W Somerville to Azam, Gives it air outside off, the batsman lunges and defends it. |
| 49.2 : W Somerville to Azam, Flatter and outside off, Azam guides it towards point. |
| 49.3 : W Somerville to Azam, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. |
| 49.4 : W Somerville to Azam, On the stumps, kept out. |
| 49.5 : W Somerville to Azam, This is eased down to long on for a run. Yasir has one ball to play out now. |
| 49.6 : W Somerville to Shah, And he plays it out! Not in convincing manner but he does survive. Dances down the wicket and tries to defend but gets an inside edge onto his pads. |
| 50.1 : Tim Southee to Azam, Back of a length on middle, it is worked through square leg for a run. |
| 50.2 : Tim Southee to Shah, Slightly shorter and around middle, Yasir tries to evade but the ball hits him on the body. |
| 50.3 : Tim Southee to Y Shah, FOUR! JUST WIDE! Almost another, it instead goes to the boundary! Short and down the leg side, Yasir goes to pull but gets some glove on it. It goes just wide of the diving Watling and into the fine leg fence. |
| 50.4 : Tim Southee to Shah, Another bumper! Yasir is not comfortable but still somehow manages to duck under it. |
| 50.5 : Tim Southee to Shah, OUT! Soft dismissal! No. 8 down and the short ball does the trick. It was a matter of time as Yasir never looked comfortable. Southee bangs it halfway down outside off, the ball though never arrives. Yasir tries to cut but ends up lobbing it to covers. Ajaz Patel there takes the simplest of catches. |
| Hasan Ali to bat next. |
| 50.6 : Tim Southee to Ali, Good delivery to bowl to a new batsman first up! He has been bowling all short till now and hence, Hasan must have been expecting a short one. That is not the case though as Southee bowls a yorker but Hasan manages to jam it out. |
| 51.1 : W Somerville to Azam, Flighted delivery on off, Babar keeps it out. |
| 51.2 : W Somerville to Azam, Tossed up on off, Babar defends off the front foot. |
| 51.3 : W Somerville to Azam, Floated on middle, Babar defends off the back foot. |
| 51.4 : W Somerville to Azam, Floated on middle, the batsman cuts it towards point for a single. |
| 51.5 : W Somerville to Ali, Loopy delivery on leg, Hasan Ali pushes it to the leg side. |
| 51.6 : W Somerville to Ali, Tossed up on off, Hasan blocks it well. |
| 52.1 : Tim Southee to Azam, Bowls short of a length delivery, Babar pulls it towards mid-wicket. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 52.2 : Tim Southee to Azam, Length delivery on middle, Babar flicks it to square leg. |
| 52.3 : Tim Southee to B Azam, FOUR! Short ball on middle, Babar pulls it through square leg for a beautiful boundary. |
| 52.4 : Tim Southee to Azam, Good length delivery on off, the batsman keeps it out. |
| 52.5 : Tim Southee to B Azam, Full on off, Babar drives it to covers. |
| 52.6 : Tim Southee to Azam, Short of length delivery, Babar pulls it towards mid-wicket. The batsmen get three runs. |
| 53.1 : W Somerville to Azam, 50 for Babar Azam. 9th fifty for Babar Azam. He has fought a lone battle for his team. Full on off, Babar drives it through covers. The fielder chases it and stops it comfortably. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 53.2 : W Somerville to Azam, Tossed up on off, Babar drives it straight towards the bowler. |
| 53.3 : W Somerville to B Azam, DROPPED! Flighted delivery on off, Babar looks to drive but gets an outside edge towards slip where Taylor grabs it but could not hold on. He has dropped a sitter. |
| 53.4 : W Somerville to Azam, Floated on middle, Babar plays it towards mid on for a single. |
| 53.5 : W Somerville to Ali, Tossed up on middle, Hasan keeps it out. |
| 53.6 : W Somerville to Ali, Loopy delivery on middle, Hasan defends off the back foot. |
| Ajaz Patel is on. The session has been extended by 15 minutes as 8 wickets have fallen. |
| 54.1 : A Patel to Azam, Tosses it up on middle, it is kept out. |
| 54.2 : A Patel to Azam, Flighted ball on middle, the batsman is solid in defense. |
| 54.3 : A Patel to B Azam, Another loopy ball on off, Azam lunges and keeps it out. |
| 54.4 : A Patel to Azam, Gives it air on middle, Azam defends it back to the bowler. |
| 54.5 : A Patel to Azam, OUT! Azam is dismissed immediately after getting to his half ton! New Zealand now only a wicket away. Babar's patience gave away there. He comes down the track and tries to go big. He however, makes the mistake of trying to play across the line. The ball takes a top edge and goes high up in the air towards mid off. Southee there runs back and takes a very good catch. |
| Shaheen Afridi is the last man in for Pakistan. |
| 54.6 : A Patel to Ali, FOUR! Short and wide outside off, Hasan rocks back and cuts it through point for a boundary. |
| 55.1 : W Somerville to Afridi, BEATEN! Tossed up on off, Shaheen looks to defend but misses it and gets beaten on this one. |
| 55.2 : W Somerville to Afridi, Flighted delivery on off, Shaheen looks to go straight but gets a top edge towards mid off where Jeet Raval runs back and drops the catch. The batsmen pick up a couple of runs. |
| 55.3 : W Somerville to Afridi, Flighted delivery on off, Shaheen looks to defend but gets beaten on this one. |
| 55.4 : W Somerville to Afridi, Tossed up on off, Shaheen defends off the front foot. |
| 55.5 : W Somerville to Afridi, Floated on off, Shaheen keeps it out. |
| 55.6 : W Somerville to Afridi, Loopy delivery on middle, Shaheen defends off the back foot. |
| 56.1 : A Patel to Ali, OUT! And there it is! A famous series win in the U.A.E. for New Zealand. What a tremendous effort. Smiles and handshakes all around, they'll be mighty proud of it. It's floated up by Patel, Hasan Ali comes down the track to go big but ends up getting a big top edge. It balloons towards point where fittingly, skipper Kane Williamson takes the catch. NEW ZEALAND WIN BY 123 RUNS AND TAKE THE SERIES 2-1! |
| A huge achievement for the Kiwis. They have managed to beat Pakistan in their fortress. What an effort for them, one they would remember for a long, long time. A team effort is what it was and not many would have given them a chance heading into the third and final Test, especially after the battering they got in the second. They have bounced back extremely well and have taken the series 2-1. |
| Pakistan however, had their moments but failed to capitalize on it. They had New Zealand on the mat at 72 for 4 in the first innings but let them off the cook as Williamson and Watling added a brilliant 104-run stand. Both scored half centuries and took New Zealand to a respectable total. |
| Then with the bat too, the hosts were in an excellent position to take a big first innings lead when Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq were batting. The two added a 201-run stand with both scoring tons and Pakistan were cruising at 286-4 but a collapse then saw them being bundled out for 348. Somerville was the star, as the debutant finished with the four-fer, hence keeping the home side intact. |
| New Zealand then trailed by 74 and even before they had cut down the deficit, they were 4 down. Then though came the recovery. A magnificent 212-run stand between, skipper, Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls took New Zealand into a commanding position heading into Day 5. The former got to his ton on Day 4, whereas the latter did the same on Day 5. |
| Quick runs this morning, from Colin de Grandhomme, Tim Southee and Henry Nicholls who remained unbeaten saw the Kiwis bat Pakistan out of the game. Also, that helped Williamson declare much earlier than what one would have expected and the visitors set a target of 280 with around 80 overs to for the hosts. |
| Two sessions is all it took for the Kiwis to bundle the Pakistan batsmen out. 5 were taken in the one before Lunch and 5 post Lunch. Southee, Ajaz and Somerville all took 3 apiece but one would say, it was the debutant who was the tormentor-in-chief as his three were probably the wickets which would have hurt Pakistan the most. |
| Man of the Series, Yasir Shah, thanks the Almighty first up. Says that after a good while he's performed well in a series, so is happy to get the award. Informs that he used to work hard in the nets and even improved his action after studying a lot of videos. Stresses that he gives his best every time he steps out on the pitch, but expresses his disappointment at not winning the series. |
| Pakistan captain, Sarfraz Ahmed, says they were the ones who let the opportunities slides, especially as a batting unit, which cost them the series. Mentions that the tailenders aren't able to contribute either which is adding to their batting woes. Continues saying that it's been 4-5 matches where they have collapsed like this on the final day of the Test and they need to work on that. On their tour to South Africa, states that they have to be positive over there and be mentally strong for the |
| New Zealand skipper and Man of the Match, Kane Williamson, says it was a fantastic performance, especially as Pakistan are strong in their backyard. Adds that it's special to win the decider and his team will remember this for a long time. Mentions that they knew it would be hard work to do well here, but they stayed positive despite the ebbs and flows and didn't get ahead of themselves which helped. Reckons that they didn't let themselves fall behind at any stage which helped them put pressure |
| So Williamson has been handed the trophy and he along with his team pose with it. End of a hard fought series. We bid you goodbye from this one but there is plenty of cricketing action going on. You can catch the on going Australia-India Test in Adelaide with Day 3 to begin at 1030 local (1200 GMT). Till then, cheers! |
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