Alam Zeb Khan
ISLAMABAD: After being dropped from the squad for four years, Pakistan wicketkeeper batter Sarfaraz Ahmad made a stunning comeback in the series against New Zealand. Scoring more than 300 runs in the two tests against Kiwis with a hundred in the second innings on the final day of the second test ex-skipper Pakistan Cricket team proved himself to be a man of crisis.
Chasing 319, Pakistan started poorly after losing two wickets for no runs at the end of the fourth day. Pakistani batters resumed the fifth day with intense pressure and were 125-5 at lunch when Sarfaraz Ahmed and Saud Shakeel were on the crease on 29 and 16 respectively. At the time, Kiwis seemed to be in complete control of the game and it seemed impossible for Pakistan to either chase 319 or take the game to a draw.
Like the first test, where Sarfaraz scored two consecutive half centuries, took responsibility along with Saud Shakil, who also played with a very slow run rate but saved one end.
Meanwhile, the pair were able to keep rotating the strike, maintaining the run rate to put pressure on Kiwis. Thus, both batters took the game away from the Kiwis with a blistering 123 runs partnership creating hopes of a victory. Saud Shakil scored 32 on 146 and was replaced by Agha Salam, the centurion of the first test.
Sarfaraz Hundred
The final session of the final day was more interesting when Agha Salman and Sarfaraz further built the innings. In the middle of the session, Sarfaraz Ahmad completed his blistering hundred which was his fourth hundred in Test cricket.
Both Sarfaraz and Salman were moving the scoreboard and were just 46 runs away from the victory when Salman was clean-bowled by Henry on 30 making the situation a little tense once again. Salman was replaced by Hasan Ali who stayed on the crease for some time but the Kiwi’s skipper dismissed him LBW on 5 runs taking Pakistan on 282 for 8.
After Hasan Ali, Naseem Shah came to bat and after hitting a boundary it was just 33 runs away to victory.
But during the last 6 overs of the day, the match took another turn when Michael Bracewell got Sarfraz out on 118 and the last batter Abrar Ahmad came to the crease and save the match, who hit a boundary on the second delivery to make the chase further closer.
However, due to poor light, the two umpires decided to stop the match and the match ended with a draw.
The test series will be followed by three ODIs which will begin from 9 January till 13 January.
