Sports Report
ISLAMABAD: Left-hander Saud Shakeel hit a maiden century on Wednesday before New Zealand struck back to keep Pakistan to 407/9 at stumps of the second Test’s third day in Karachi Cricket Stadium.
Saud Shakeel was unbeaten on 124 runs, and Abrar Ahmed was yet to score after the visitors took four wickets in the final session for just 70 runs, leaving the hosts 42 runs shy of the tourists’ first-innings total of 449 runs.
During Pakistan’s first inning, Shakeel has kept his end intact for 488 minutes — batting all day on Wednesday and adding 83 for the fourth wicket with Imamul Haq 83 runs and 150 runs for the fifth with Sarfaraz Ahmed 78 runs.
But New Zealand spin bowler Ajaz Patel dismissed Agha Salman for 41 runs and Hasan Ali for just four runs as Pakistan slumped from 385/5 to 397/9, losing four wickets for just 12 runs in the final session of the day.
Pak vs NZ day three highlights
Leg-spinner Ish Sodhi took two wickets in a row, dismissing Naseem Shah for four runs and Mir Hamza without opening an account before last-man Abrar Ahmed saw out the day.
Saud Shakeel, who has hit 17 boundaries, was fortunate to get a life off pacer Tim Southee when Tom Latham dropped a simple catch at short cover when the Shakeel was on 102.
With wickets regularly falling at the other end, Shakeel went into a shell, scoring only 23 runs in the final session of day three.
He completed his century before the tea break when he swept spin bowler Michael Bracewell for a boundary and then took a quick single to complete his century in 319 minutes of batting.
Sarfaraz Ahmed was stumped on 78 runs in the penultimate over before the tea break, having scored his third fifty of the series.
Earlier, Imam-ul-Haq was snapped-up by wicketkeeper Tom Blundell off fast-bowler Tim Southee after Pakistan resumed the day on 154/3.
On 74 runs overnight, Imam-ul-Haq rebuilt the innings after being involved in captain Babar Azam’s run-out on Tuesday. However, he fell in the second hour of the first session.
Imam edged a drive to Blundell but was given out after the New Zealand skipper challenged the turned-down appeal by the field umpire. He hit one six and ten boundaries in his 244-minute inning.
The two-match series is tied 0-0 after the first Test ended in a draw.
