Opener Mohammad Hafeez missed a hundred, but Pakistan dominated the opening day of the first Test against New Zealand yesterday, reaching 269-1 at stumps.
Hafeez drove uppishly off a slower delivery from all-rounder Corey Anderson, who leaped in the air to hold on to a high catch for New Zealand’s only wicket after toiling hard on a flat pitch at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
At the close, Ahmed Shehzad was on 126, his third hundred, while Azhar Ali was on 46 after Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat.
Photo: AFP
Hafeez and Shehzad had cut loose after Pakistan were 85-0 at lunch. Shehzad hit five boundaries off leg-spinner Ish Sodhi in the second session while Hafeez entered his nineties with three fours.
Hafeez though failed to reach his sixth hundred. He hit 10 boundaries during his 212-minute stay at the crease.
The Hafeez-Shehzad stand was the best against New Zealand beating the 172 between Ramiz Raja and Shoaib Mohammad in the Karachi Test in 1990.
New Zealand were unlucky in the first session as they missed two good chances.
Off-spinner Mark Craig created one, but wicketkeeper B.J. Watling missed a stumping chance with Shehzad well out of his crease after his forward push failed to connect. He was on 16 at the time.
Hafeez, on 35, was also lucky to survive when his tentative push off Sodhi was caught by Ross Taylor at slip — but after one bounce.
Pakistan kept the same eleven who won the second Test against Australia by 356 runs in Abu Dhabi.
New Zealand entered the Test with two frontline seamers and as many spinners.
The remaining Tests are to be played in Dubai from Nov. 17 to Nov. 21 and Sharjah from Nov. 26 to Nov. 30.
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