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Cricket

'Bach gaye' - Thrilling 2nd Test between Pakistan and New Zealand leaves fans in splits as match ends in draw

Pakistan and New Zealand faced off against each other in the second Test and the match ended in a draw due to bad light on Day 5.

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'Bach gaye' - Thrilling 2nd Test between Pakistan and New Zealand leaves fans in splits as match ends in draw

'Bach gaye' - Thrilling 2nd Test between Pakistan and New Zealand leaves fans in splits as match ends in draw (Image Source: Twitter)

Pakistan hosted New Zealand in a two-match Test series and the teams faced off in the second Test that got underway on January 2, Monday. It was a thrilling Test with winning being undecided till the fag end of the match, with the Pakistani team being strung together by one man, the wicketkeeper, Sarfaraz Ahmed. 

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To add more to the match, it was the Kiwis who batted first and put on 449 runs on the board on the back of Devon Conway’s 122 and a fantastic 68 from Matt Henry, with the latter joining hands with Ajaz Patel for a record 104-run 10th wicket partnership. However, much to the surprise of the Pakistani fans, the team managed to reduce the deficit as they were bowled out for 408 runs in their first innings. 

As far as the Pakistani batting is concerned, it was Saud Shakeel who stood up for the team with his valuable 125, while veteran Sarfaraz scored a well-crafted 78. Fans opined that it was a good fightback from the Babar Azam-led team as the pitch almost did nothing for the pacers and spinners. 

Pakistan and New Zealand fight hard to win in epic face-off

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To comment more on Pakistan’s chase, the New Zealanders set a target of 319 after putting on 277 in the second innings. While the Pakistani team kept losing wickets at the other end, it was the veteran wicketkeeper who strung the team together with his great-hearted century. 

After a wicketless second session, post-tea on Day 5, Friday, the team lost Shakeel and Agha Salman in quick succession, as Pakistan were restricted to 282/8, 37 runs away from the win. The match looked equally poised as both teams tried their best to clinch the win on an epic day, given that the Pakistan team failed to taste a win in Tests at home in 2022. 

Captain Tim Southee bagged a two-for to his name, while Michael Bracewell outclassed with his three-for. An edge of Naseem Shah’s bat saw the Pakistani team inch closer to the win, however, they were still far away from tasting victory in terms of match pressure, although they were just 33 runs away from the victory. 

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Much to the surprise of the Pakistani fans, Bracewell got the better of Sarfaraz when they were just 32 runs away from the win and with just 1 wicket in hand, it remained to be seen if the team could clinch a win. Despite a valiant effort from both teams, the umpires called it off once again due to bad light, forcing a draw.

Here's how fans have reacted to the thrilling Test between Pakistan and New Zealand: 

New Zealand Pakistan Twitter Reactions PAK VS NZ Pakistan vs New Zealand 2023