The second test between Pakistan and New Zealand has been really interesting as there is no clear favorite in this test match so far.
Day 2 was dominated by New Zealand. But day 3 has been dominated by Pakistan completely.
Beginning:
In the earlier part of day three of the Karachi test, Imam ul Haq who was looking good with the bat got out. He got out after scoring 83 runs in 165 balls.
Sarfaraz Ahmed joined Saud Shakeel in the middle after Imam’s dismissal. Sarfaraz and Saud built up a very good partnership.
Sarfaraz and Saud scored 150 runs in a partnership that brought Pakistan back into the game.
Sarfaraz’s Dismissal:
Sarfaraz Ahmed got stumped out by Tom Blundell on Daryl Mitchell’s ball. That was a very close call and remained the point of the debate throughout the day. Sarfaraz got out after scoring 78 runs off 109 deliveries.
Agha and Saud:
After Sarfaraz’s dismissal, Saud was joined by Salman Ali Agha in the middle. Both youngsters played well and built up a good partnership.
Saud’s Maiden Test Century:
Young Saud Shakeel reached his first test century in 240 deliveries. His inning helped Pakistan get out of trouble. He missed out on his century a few times in previous innings but he got to the triple digits today finally.
The Collapse:
Salman Ali Agha got out after scoring 41 runs off 78 deliveries. This laid the foundation of the collapse. After Agha’s dismissal, Hassan Ali, Naseem Shah, and Mir Hamza got out after scoring 4, 4, and 0 runs respectively.
Pakistan lost its 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th wicket with 385, 393, 397, and 397 runs on the board respectively.
Bowling:
Ajaz Patel has taken three wickets, Ish Sodhi has taken 2 wickets, and Tim Southee, Daryl Mitchell, and Matt Henry have taken 1 wicket each.
Stumps:
At the stumps of day 3, Pakistan scored 407 runs and lost 9 wickets. Saud Shakeel is still fighting in the middle and has scored 124 runs off 336 deliveries. Abrar Ahmed is batting alongside Saud. He hasn’t scored any runs so far.