PAK vs NZ 1st test match
PAK vs NZ 1st test match: Due to poor lighting on Day 5 in Karachi, the first Test of the two-match series between Pakistan and New Zealand ended in a tie. Prior to the game’s cancellation, New Zealand was 61/1 in the chase of 138, with Tom Latham (35*) and Devon Conway (18*) both undefeated.
Imam-ul-Haq scored 96 runs to give Pakistan a 137-run advantage, and then Sarfaraz Ahmed and Saud Shakeel added 53 and 55* runs, respectively, before declaring their innings at 311/8. Ish Sodhi, who finished with a score of 6/86, was the bowler of choice for New Zealand.
PAK vs NZ, 1st Test: A Dull Test Match
The scorecard alone will make this Test match appear to be a lifeless draw on a relatively level surface. For the most part, it still was that way, but today it really came to life.
Although we applaud Babar Azam for declaring with an hour left in the second innings, we must raise concerns about Pakistan’s pitches despite our admiration for his decision-making. The Test match was a bore for the majority of its duration, with a mostly empty stadium.
PAK vs NZ: Why did Pakistan declare in the second Innings
Skipper Babar Azam after the match said that “We sent a message in, just before we declared, to tell the batters to assess the conditions and play according to those. At times you have to take brave decisions and take chances. As a team and captain, I try and do that. You plan for a result, even if you can’t guarantee it.”
He continued to say that “It’s not that we need to play different cricket. We need to take things session by session and day by day. We need to be positive and play with aggression. We’re working on it. Everyone has a different game and mindset. We need to credit New Zealand with the way they played and dominated.
He concluded by saying “We lost three early wickets but we came back after that. Salman Ali Agha deserves credit for the way he batted with the tail and put us in a good position. Imam, Sarfaraz and Saud Shakeel built partnerships in patches in the second innings, and Wasim chipped in as well. So the batting line-up did quite well.” (Source- Crickbuzz)
PAK vs NZ, 1st Test: What happened to Pakistan Pitches
Seeing this test matches it seemed like here in Pakistan, they need to create better surfaces and better balls because brave declarations cannot sustain Test cricket. However, poor lighting played spoilsport, and we were forced to declare a draw after just 7.3 overs of the last session.
PAK vs NZ, 1st Test: What’s Next?
After the first test match ended in a draw, both Pakistan and New Zealand will be looking to win the final test match and win the series at Karachi National Stadium. Pakistan and New Zealand will face off in the second test starting from 2nd Jan to 6th Jan 2023 in National Stadium Karachi at 10:30 AM IST.
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