Match: Pakistan vs New Zealand | Second Test Match 2023 | Day 4 Report
Dates: 02nd January 2023 – 06th January 2023
Venue: National Bank Cricket Arena, Karachi (formerly known as National Stadium Karachi)
Pakistan vs New Zealand Teams – Playing XIs:
Pakistan’s Playing XI:
Babar Azam (c), Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood, Saud Shakeel, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Agha Salman, Hasan Ali, Naseem Shah, Mir Hamza, Abrar Ahmed
New Zealand’s Playing XI:
Tim Southee (c), Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wk), Michael Bracewell, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Ajaz Patel
New Zealand made one change to their side by bringing in Matt Henry for Neil Wagner as their rotation policy.
Pakistan vs New Zealand – Toss:
Tim Southee won his first toss as the Captain of New Zealand and elected to bat first.
Pakistan vs New Zealand – As it Happened:
Pakistan loses two wickets without scoring a run, chasing 319 runs to win – Pakistan vs New Zealand 2023:
Pakistan resumed their day at 407/9 with Saud Shakeel batting on 124 runs. Pakistan was hoping that the last pair would reduce the deficit and take Pakistan to a better position.
However, Saud Shakeel added only one run to the total as Abrar Ahmed was trapped LBW by Ish Sodhi. Pakistan got all out for 408 runs. Thus, conceding a 41-run deficit in the first innings.
New Zealand started their second innings in their attempt to set Pakistan a challenging total. However, Mir Hamza dented their innings straightaway with a first ball wicket.
Devon Conway missed a swinging delivery as New Zealand lost their first wicket at the team total of 5. Tom Latham and Kane Williamson responded well with a hundred run partnership. The two experienced batters of New Zealand added 109 runs for the second wicket.
Latham was batting well at 62 runs when Naseem Shah dismissed him, against the run of play. Williamson was dismissed in the next over as Abrar Ahmed had him trapped in front of the stumps.
Hasan Ali was brought back into the attack by Babar Azam and he struck straightaway when Babar Azam caught Henry Nicholls for 5. New Zealand were 128/4 as Blundell and Bracewell got together. A collapse was on the cards as Pakistan tried to wrap things up and secure a small target to chase.
In the last over before Tea, Sarfaraz Ahmed dropped Tom Blundell as New Zealand went to tea at 151/4.
In the final session of play, New Zealand came out with all guns blazing. The two batters added 127 runs for the fifth innings. Blundell got out for 74 runs while Bracewell was not out on 74 when New Zealand declared just before stumps.
Pakistan was asked to chase 319 runs in the last innings of the test match. The openers had only three overs to face before the end of play. However, the challenging conditions proved too good for the Pakistani batters as they lost two wickets in three overs without adding a run to the total.
Pakistan finished the day at 0/2, needing 319 runs to chase with 8 wickets standing. Imam Ul Haq is still at the crease.
An interesting final day is awaited in Karachi.
What is Test Match?
Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last for up to five days. In the past, some Test matches had no time limit and were called Timeless Tests. The term “test match” was originally coined in 1861–62 but in a different context.
Test cricket did not become an officially recognised format until the 1890s, but many international matches since 1877 have been retrospectively awarded Test status. The first such match took place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in March 1877 between teams which were then known as a Combined Australian XI and James Lillywhite’s XI, the latter a team of visiting English professionals.
Matches between Australia and England were first called “test matches” in 1892. The first definitive list of retrospective Tests was written by South Australian journalist Clarence P. Moody two years later and, by the end of the century, had gained acceptance.
There are now twelve full ICC member countries playing Test cricket. Day/night Tests were permitted by the ICC in 2012 and the first day/night match was between Australia and New Zealand at the Adelaide Oval in November 2015.
