• Pakistan’s last five wickets only cost them 23 runs.
•  The home team went from being 385-5 to being 408 all out.
• New Zealand fought back and kept Pakistan at 407-9.

PAK vs NZ: On Thursday in Karachi, New Zealand bowled out Pakistan for 408 in their first innings, giving the touring side a 41-run advantage.

Pakistan’s last five wickets only cost them 23 runs, so the home team went from being 385-5 to being 408 all out.

Saud Shakeel was the best player for Pakistan in the first innings. On the third day, he made his first Test century, which made him the star of the show. He could only add one run to his score of 124 at the end of the day, so he didn’t lose. There were 17 fours in the left-impressive hander’s run.

After catching Abrar Ahmed in front of the wickets in the first over of the fourth day, Ish Sodhi finished things up quickly.

Both Ajaz Patel and Sodhi took three wickets with their spin.

Imam-ul-Haq (83) and Sarfaraz Ahmed (40) were also important parts of Pakistan’s first innings (78). Agha Salman, on the other hand, added 41 runs.

After Shakeel’s century, New Zealand fought back and kept Pakistan at 407-9 at the end of the third day of the second Test in Karachi yesterday.

Shakeel has kept his end together. He batted all day Wednesday and added 83 runs with Imam-ul-Haq (83 runs) and 150 runs with Sarfaraz Ahmed (150 runs) (78).

When Shakeel was on 102, Tom Latham dropped a simple catch at short cover that Tim Southee had thrown. This gave Shakeel another chance.

As wickets fell at the other end, Shakeel went into a shell and scored only 23 runs in the last session.

He got to 100 before tea by sweeping spinner Michael Bracewell for a boundary and then taking a sharp single. It took him 319 minutes of steady batting to get to 100.

Shakeel was very happy to get a hundred on his home ground.

“Having Sarfaraz with me was also great, because he gave me confidence when I was in my nineties,” he said.

Tom Blundell, the wicketkeeper for New Zealand, thought that the pitch was still good for batting.

“We have to get the last wicket on Thursday, and then I guess we’ll have to reassess. Pakistan is a good batting team, so they probably need a big total.”

The first Test match, which was also played in Karachi, ended in a tie.

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