WEB DESK
A ninth Test century – the third in Karachi – from Babar Azam propelled Pakistan into the driver’s seat by tea on the opening day of the first Test against New Zealand.
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Batting alongside Sarfaraz Ahmed (85*), Babar moved from 54 to an unbeaten 151 nearly at the end of the third session, taking the hosts through a wicketless 4 hours of play to a total of 303 for 4.
After surviving a dropped chance at first slip on 12 and a potential run-out chance in the first over after lunch, Babar made full use of a surface that turned benign after a tricky first hour to power on to his century, reaching the triple figures with a six over deep midwicket.
Babar scored a total of 69 runs in front of square on the leg side, making full use of the balls turning in from Michael Bracewell, the deliveries tailing in from Tim Southee, and the unsuccessful leg-side line offered by Neil Wagner. His most productive shot, the flick, earned him 48 runs in an innings that has seen 11 fours and the solitary six thus far.
Babar Azam and Sarfaraz Ahmed steered Pakistan out of trouble•Associated Press
Even though Babar began his innings by staying inside the crease and playing off the back foot, he moved onto the front foot as he looked more assured after the degree of turn dwindled. Barring the occasional ball that stayed low, Babar could trust the pitch that did not offer extravagant bounce, and in Sarfaraz’s company, led through the second session.
As for Sarfaraz, playing his first Test since January 2019 and his very first at home, it was the sweep that was most productive, using the shot against the spinners prodigiously even when someone like Ajaz Patel got the ball to turn away from him. Sarfaraz’s innings, though, was a tad streaky, getting edges down to deep third when chasing wide deliveries from the seamers, or getting squared up by good-length deliveries that held their line.
However, the wickets never came for New Zealand, with Southee rotating his bowlers more than he did in the first session where only four overs of pace were used. Southee himself got the ball to reverse, but the angle often took the ball down the leg side that allowed both batters to find runs at fine leg. Wagner paid the price too for straying too much on leg from over the stumps with the two batters not troubled by his leg-theory plan. Ish Sodhi, Bracewell and Ajaz were comfortably tackled too, despite New Zealand trying to keep the batters under pressure with multiple fielders under the helmet close to them.
Today saw the first instance of the first two wickets falling to stumpings in a men’s Test•Associated Press
That was quite unlike the first hour of the first session where it was spin that troubled Pakistan’s top order. They had lost their first three wickets in a bizarre manner after trying to come down the wicket to negate the turn and take the spinners on. The day had started with Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood stumped off Ajaz and Bracewell respectively – the first time the first two wickets in a men’s Test were out to stumping dismissals – and Imam-ul-Haq falling trying to clear mid-off by charging down the track, all inside the first hour of the Test.
At that stage, Pakistan were 48 for 3, however a 62-run partnership for the fourth-wicket between Babar and Saud Shakeel brought a semblance of respectability to their innings after the early jolt. Even though Shakeel fell for 22 one over before lunch, Babar and Sarfaraz saw the first session off, and since then, have not looked back. Their partnership now stands at 114 in 29 overs and with no real demons in the pitch, Pakistan will eye a big first-innings total despite the troubles in the morning.
