By Vivek Singh
Following an embarrassing debacle by a big margin of 0-3 against England in the three-match Test series, the Pakistan team is playing the first of the two-match Test series against New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi. The hosts’ skipper Babar Azam decided to bat first after winning the toss.
The New Zealand bowlers gave some early blows to Babar Azam’s men by scalping their three wickets only on the score of 48 runs. But later on, the skipper Babar Azam took the charge and stitched a crucial partnership of 62 runs for the fourth wicket with number five batter Saud Shakeel.
At the score of 110, senior Kiwi Pacer Tim Southee broke the partnership between Babar and Shakeel. Although, the skipper kept his calm and stitched another outstanding partnership of 196 runs for the fifth wicket with former skipper and veteran wicketkeeper-batter Sarfaraz Ahmed.
Sarfaraz Ahmed makes an amazing Test comeback with a crucial half-century
Speaking of the individual contributions for Pakistan on the first day of the Karachi Test, Babar Azam scored a sensational Test ton after a hiatus. At the time of the Stumps, Babar Azam was sojourned on the individual score of 161 runs with number seven batter Saud Shakeel. Earlier, the 35-year-old senior batter Sarfaraz Ahmed also played a brilliant knock of 86 runs having nine boundaries to his name.
Michael Bracewell and Ajaz Patel were the bowlers of the Kiwi lineup who brought delight for them by scalping two wickets each. Other than these two, the senior pacer also claimed the vital wicket of Saud Shakeel.
Eventually, Pakistan managed to post a score of 317 runs for the loss of five wickets on the opening day of the first red-ball fixture against Tim Southee-led New Zealand.
