An unbeaten 94 by Kane Williamson had New Zealand at 222-3 in the face of a concerted Pakistan attack at stumps on Day 1 of the first Test in Mount Maunganui yesterday.
Henry Nicholls was the other not out batsman on 42 as New Zealand recovered after Pakistan’s baby-faced destroyer Shaheen Afridi removed openers Tom Latham and Tom Blundell cheaply on a green, seaming wicket.
In a 120-run stand, filled with determination and concentration in difficult conditions, Williamson and Ross Taylor pulled New Zealand back into the game.
Photo: AFP
Taylor hit 10 fours and a six as he attacked the bowling, while Williamson took a more conservative approach.
“Obviously we’re happy with where we’re at,” Taylor said. “You had to try and take them on or just try and get through it. You expect that on a Day 1 wicket. It definitely flattened out and it’s probably a little bit two-paced at times and I’m sure it’s only going to get more uneven over the next couple of days.”
After Afridi split the pair with a masterful piece of bowling to remove Taylor for 70, Williamson and Nicholls added a further 89.
Photo: AFP
Taylor was set up to fall by Afridi who bowled full, short then a bouncer in successive deliveries and followed with a good-length, rising ball that Taylor could not resist slashing at.
However, he succeeded only in feathering the ball to Mohammad Rizwan behind the stumps.
The 20-year-old Afridi, standing 1.99m tall, also removed Latham for 4 and Blundell for 5 to end the day with 3-55.
Photo: AFP
Mohammad Abbas, while not taking a wicket, kept the batsmen pinned down and conceded only 25 runs off his 21 overs.
Taylor, in his 104th Test, could not help but be impressed with Afridi playing his 12th.
“When the ball was 50 overs old it was still swinging and he could pick and choose when he used it and he’s got a slippery bumper,” Taylor said. “He’s only going to get better and Pakistan are going to see a very good bowler in years to come.”
Afridi’s opening onslaught had New Zealand at 13-2 before Williamson and Taylor combined in a century partnership, their 10th together.
By stumps, Williamson had faced 243 deliveries after being in the middle for all but the first three deliveries before Latham was dismissed.
The closest Pakistan came to dismissing the New Zealand captain came before lunch with Williamson on 18 when Shan Masood spilled a difficult one-handed chance low to his left.
Naseem Shah was the unfortunate bowler and the teenaged quick was to suffer again when he tempted Nicholls, on 6, to hook a short ball only for Mohammad Abbas, waiting for the catch at long-leg, to drop the regulation chance.
It was a continuation of the good fortune going Nicholls’ way after he was dropped five times on his way to 174 in his previous innings against the West Indies.
Off the field, Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan has been ruled out of next month’s home series against South Africa due to injured left thigh.
Doctors have advised Khan to take a six-week rest following MRI scans in New Zealand that revealed he has a torn muscle.
Khan sustained the injury during the third Twenty20 international in Napier earlier this week, which initially ruled him out of the first Test against the Black Caps.
Team doctor Sohail Saleem said that it was a fresh injury and not the one that sidelined Khan from the limited-overs series against Zimbabwe last month.
“After the competition of the six-week period, the medical panel will access and evaluate the injury before making a call on Shadab’s return to competitive cricket,” Saleem said in a statement.
Pakistan are scheduled to host South Africa for two Test matches and three T20s from Jan. 26 to Feb. 14.
Meanwhile, South Africa are hosting Sri Lanka, with the first Test starting at at SuperSport Park in Centurion yesterday.
Dimuth Karunaratne won the toss and asked the hosts to field.
His batsmen faltered to 54-3 before Dhananjaya de Silva (79 retired hurt) and Dinesh Chandimal (50 not out) took control, leaving them on 212-3 at tea at press time last night.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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