New Zealand 229-7 at close on first day in third Test
There is all to play for in the match as the series is level at 1-1
ABU DHABI (AFP) - New Zealand, who won the toss and opted to bat, reached 229-7 at the close of the opening day of the third and final Test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
Skipper Kane Williamson scored 89 while BJ Watling finished with an unbeaten 42 after New Zealand -- who won the toss and batted -- were reduced to 73-4 at lunch.
Debutant Will Somerville was the other not out batsman on 12.
Leg-spinner Yasir Shah, who needed five wickets to become the fastest to 200 Test wickets -- managed 3-62 while off-spinner Bilal Asif took 2-57.
The leg-spinner trapped opener Jeet Raval on 45, bowled Ross Taylor for nought with his next ball and then Henry Nicholls for one.
Yasir now has 198 wickets in his 33rd Test, just two shy of Australian leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmett’s world record 200 wickets in 36 Tests achieved in 1936.
There is all to play for as the series is level at 1-1, after New Zealand won the first Test by four runs in Abu Dhabi and Pakistan bounced back with an innings and 16 runs victory in Dubai.
New Zealand were cruising along nicely when Yasir started his demolition act in his seventh over, trapping Raval leg before with a faster one.
With his next ball, Yasir clean-bowled Taylor as the batsman went back but completely missed the ball. In his next over Yasir dismissed Nicholls who played on to his stumps.
Yasir, whose 14 wickets helped Pakistan level the series in Dubai, has figures of 3-12.
It was teenage left-arm paceman Shaheen Shah Afridi who gave Pakistan their initial breakthrough, trapping opener Tom Latham leg before for four on debut for his first Test wicket.
Shaheen, 18, made his Test debut as a replacement for injured medium pacer Mohammad Abbas.
