Pakistan clash ‘a great advertisement for Test cricket’
||Desk Report||
Pakistan seem to be trying hard to offer the cricket fans something to cheer about amid ongoing debates over the dwindling popularity of Test cricket. Despite closing in on victories, they let it slip on two occasions over the last few weeks by producing some last-moment dramas.
Australia managed to hold on to a draw in the first Test of a two-match series against Pakistan last month albeit the latter dominated the entire match. And this time, New Zealand have snatched a win from under Pakistan’s nose as they registered the fifth-narrowest victory in Test cricket.
“It certainly was dramatic. Throughout the four days, both teams were put under pressure. I think at the end of the day it was a great advertisement for Test cricket,” said New Zealand captain Kane Williamson.
Debutant Ajaz Patel was instrumental in New Zealand’s four-run win, returning figures of 5/59 in the second innings. He along with Ish Sodhi initiated a mini-collapse in Pakistan’s batting lineup as their score became 48/3 despite finishing the previous day’s play at 37/0.
Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq then shared a crucial 82-run stand before another collapse saw their team losing seven wickets for 41 runs. Azhar, who made 65 runs, was the last man to get dismissed, that too, against Patel, as New Zealand earned a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
“It's still quite surreal at the moment. It'll sink in the next couple of days but I wouldn't have dreamt it to start any better. To do it in that fashion is quite special.
“I never really looked at what the score was. I was just looking to hit my areas and make use of that wicket. We wanted to play the long game and stay in the game for as long as possible. When he [Azhar] did review it, I was just on the ground looking at the big screen hoping it falls in the right way. It was a very nervous time. It's not often you get a wicket like that and it's a great opportunity to be in the last innings and win a Test for your country,” said Patel.
According to Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed, Babar Azam’s run-out was the turning point of the match.
Pakistan still had five wickets when Babar got run-out in a comical fashion and the captain himself was the next man to the crease. However, he managed to make only three runs before Patel claimed his wicket and then a string of ducks by the tailenders saw the team succumb to defeat.
Sarfraz said: “We didn't handle the pressure well is what I would say. When we had 40 [29 runs left to win] runs, that run out for Babar was the turning point. Our collapse started from there. I would say we didn't handle the pressure well.
“It is very upsetting, to say the least. The way we started off yesterday, we felt we would get through to the target easily. But then we lost three wickets before Asad Shafiq and Azhar struck up a good partnership. The pitch's behavior on all four days has been the same. It was important for set players to play on it and capitalize on their starts. We have seen throughout this match that as soon as wickets fall, the teams collapsed, be it us or them.”
