Lunch New Zealand 222 for 4 (Nicholls 31*, Watling 16*) and 90 trail Pakistan 418 for 5 dec. by 106 runs
Perhaps the biggest surprise this session was that Yasir Shah was kept quiet throughout. Two New Zealand wickets did fall, bringing Pakistan closer to a series-levelling victory, but they went to Hasan Ali and Bilal Asif. Both came to break partnerships that had begun to frustrate Pakistan. Hasan struck early in the session to send Tom Latham packing, before Ross Taylor fell half-an-hour prior to lunch, 18 runs short of a hundred. It was another session where New Zealand fought hard, adding 91 runs to the overnight score. But having conceded such a huge lead in the first innings, the feeling that are delaying the inevitable lingers.
New Zealand came into the fourth day with the foundation of a good partnership behind them. But they would have known decent, good, or even big partnerships weren’t going to be enough to get them out of this predicament; they needed gargantuan contributions built over several hours of sweat and toil. To that end, they failed almost instantly; with just 15 added to Monday’s score, Latham was adjudged to have nicked behind to Sarfraz Ahmed the very ball after he brought up his half-century. There was, arguably, some misfortune to his dismissal, with several feeling his bat had hit pad rather than ball before it fizzed through to the keeper. It was telling how close the call was: Paul Reiffel, the on-field umpire, went upstairs to double-check. Even that second opinion, however, didn’t quite guarantee the correct decision.
It wasn’t the most exciting session. Both sides were playing solid, if somewhat pragmatic, cricket. Taylor and Henry Nicholls batted with the knowledge of a pair who knew the wicket was easier than it had been yesterday, while Pakistan rotated the bowlers around to break up any rhythm, trusting a wicket was around the corner. There weren’t too many chances conceded, but every so often, Bilal or Yasir would produce vicious side spinners, to which the batsman could only stick out their bats and hope it didn’t clip the edge of the stump.
Nicholls, who was instrumental to New Zealand’s win in Abu Dhabi for the partnership he struck with BJ Watling, was up for the fight again. Before this series, he had only two half-centuries against sub-continental teams – both against Bangladesh – but there is enough evidence of a strong character to suggest a stomach for this format. Taylor was quietly moving along to yet another Test hundred, and had that status quo held, New Zealand would have quite enjoyed lunch.
It wasn’t to be, though. A deep square leg positioned by Sarfraz to guard against Taylor’s impetuous sweeping found himself in the game. Bilal Asif had tossed one in that looked too short to sweep, and when Taylor went for it anyway, it carried straight to the man, another hammer blow to his side’s chances of survival.
With Watling and Nicholls together again, Pakistan would be ill-advised to consider their work already done. They had put on 106 in Abu Dhabi, but here New Zealand still trail by 106 in the second innings. They will have to do much more to pull off a miracle like the last one, and Pakistan don’t look like allowing it a second time around.