Pakistan and New Zealand are facing off in the second Test that kicked off on January 2, Monday and on Day 4, Thursday, it was the Kiwis who stood tall as they restricted the Pakistani team to 408 in the first over of the day and started their second innings shakily as Devon Conway returned for a golden duck off Mir Hamza’s unplayable delivery.
Right from the series against England which the Pakistani team lost 0-3, they have been facing criticism for not preparing pitches that would do something for the bowlers or spinners. To add more, batters have been enjoying a free ride, scoring centuries for fun and the ongoing Test has witnessed centuries from Saud Shakeel and Devon Conway already.
As things stand, a video emerged on Thursday, where Simon Doull, the renowned commentator from New Zealand can be seen commenting on the pitch, Pakistan’s stat padding and questioning if it was Babar who asked to prepare such pitches in order to boost his own stats. Much to the surprise of the Pakistani fans, the other commentators in the room stayed silent and rubbed it off with a mild laugh.
Watch Simon Doull slamming Babar Azam here:
SIMON DOULL-"Where does this directive come from is it come from Babar who wants to bat on a road, and improve his own STATS"
Rightly said ?
#PakvsNZ #INDvSL #BabarAzam #SimonDoull pic.twitter.com/qYe3s8dav2
— CricREPLY?? (@CricReply) January 5, 2023
Could New Zealand clinch series win against mighty Pakistan?
At lunch on Day 4, the Black Caps were reeling at 76/1, with a leading of 117 and Kane Williamson, the veteran batter, remained unbeaten at 29 while Tom Latham remained at 37. With not many sessions left in the Test, it remained to be seen if the New Zealanders would set a huge target or leave it to their bowlers post-batting for the whole day.
New Zealand almost won the first Test chasing a target of 138 within 15 overs and it was the umpires who saved Pakistan from humiliation as they stopped the play due to bad light. The Kiwis would hope to return the favour by clinching a win in the second Test and winning the game within 2 days.
“I wouldn’t say chances slipped away. We had to hang in and take chances. To have lost the toss and have had a chance was pleasing. Late in the third innings, they played nicely. There was a bit of assistance if bowled in the right areas. But a couple of good innings took the game to safety for them,” the New Zealand skipper Tim Southee was quoted as saying after the first game.
