Pakistan tumble after top order fails in Karachi

Pakistan tumble after top order fails in Karachi

KARACHI (Dunya News) – Pakistan started the fifth day of the first Test match against New Zealand with two losses but soon after the day started, Pakistan top order failed to stand still against the visiting side’s bowling attack.

Pakistan lost their third wicket of Nauman Ali (4) at 82 and later lost captain Babar Azam (14) at 100.

Pakistan finished day four on 77-2, still 97 behind and needing to bat out of their skin to deny New Zealand a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series.

Imam was batting on 45 at stumps with nightwatchman Nauman Ali on four at the other end.

Opening pair Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood only scored 17 and 10 runs respectively.

Earlier on day four, New Zealand declared at 612-9 just after Williamson (200 not out) lifted mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed over extra cover for his 21st boundary and then raised his double hundred with a single after a marathon 10-hour knock that also featured a six.

Abrar, who took 17 wickets in two test matches against England earlier this month, finished with 5-205 but not before Williamson and Sodhi had extended the lead with a 159-run seventh-wicket stand on a slow turning wicket.

Williamson and Sodhi dug in for well over 1 1/2 hours into the second session after New Zealand resumed on 440-2 before Pakistan claimed three quick wickets through spinners.

Both put on 79 runs in the first session and batted with lot of determination even when Pakistan took the second new ball. They stood firm against the googlies and legspin of Abrar while leftarm spinner Nauman Ali (3-185) couldn’t pose problem from the footmarks.

Sodhi finally holed out soon after crossing his previous test best of 63 – also against Pakistan in 2014 – while Southee and Neil Wagner followed without scoring.

Williamson was on 186 when last man Ajaz Patel walked in but went into the 190s with a straight six over the head of Abrar before eventually reaching his second double hundred against Pakistan in a 395-ball knock.

It was Williamson’s first international score of over 100 in almost two years since he made 238 against Pakistan at Christchurch in January 2021.

Williamson fully capitalized on two stumping chances early in his innings and also twice successfully overturned onfield lbw rulings against him through television referrals as Pakistan rued the missed opportunities.

Sodhi batted with lot of patience and hit three boundaries against seamer Mir Hamza on the off side of the wicket after Pakistan took the third new ball.

Hamza, also making a comeback after playing his only previous test against Australia in 2018, could have had his first wicket in the penultimate over before the break but Pakistan didn’t appeal as the TV replays suggested he got a thin outside edge of Sodhi’s bat.

New Zealand’s lead was 24 when Nauman came close to dismissing Williamson on 116 in his second over of the day.

But Williamson quickly went for a successful television referral against umpire Aleem Dar’s lbw ruling after he missed a full-length delivery down the legside and the TV replays suggested the ball had pitched outside the off stump.