Babar and Haris make hundreds as Pakistan reach 418/5
Haris Sohail made a career-best 147 and Babar Azam made his first Test hundred as Pakistan made it to 418/5 before they declared, leaving New Zealand to face nine overs to face before the close. The pitch gave very little to the bowlers but Haris and Babar batted superbly in a stand worth 186. While wickets weren’t falling readily, the New Zealanders kept things very tight. Between them Colin de Grandhomme and Neil Wagner sent down 67 overs and conceded just 107 runs with both bowlers going at less than two runs an over.
Babar’s first hundred in Tests has been a while in coming. This is his 17th Test having made his debut in 2016 against the Windies at this venue. He has come close in the past. He made 99 against Australia in Abu Dhabi last month and was left stranded on 90 not out against New Zealand in Hamilton in 2016 when he ran out of batting partners.
Today he finished on 127 not out and was rarely troubled while he was at the crease. He was not as reticent to look for scoring opportunities as Haris, who took 421 balls to get to his 147, but Babar was a lot more circumspect than he has been in the past. He did a good job at reining in his more attacking instincts as he compiled a patient innings.
The one wicket to fall was that of Haris who edged a ball from Trent Boult that he had a waft at. It was so rare to see Haris make a misstep in this innings that when the wicket did fall it came as something of a surprise.
Pakistan declare at 418-5 with around 40 minutes left of day two.
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) November 25, 2018
Centuries for Sohail and Azam.
CDG & Wagner bowled an incredible 67 overs for just 107 runs. #PAKvNZ pic.twitter.com/8H31FcIZgU
Pakistan declared having faced 167 overs, but in terms of the score they had at the time it was something of a surprise. The 418/5 that they had at the time was the lowest score that any team have had in the first innings when they have declared their innings closed in the UAE.
That left New Zealand with 40 minutes to see out before the close, and Tom Latham and Jeet Raval did so without incident. There was turn for the Pakistan spinners but it was the slow kind and there were few alarms in the nine overs that New Zealand faced. This pitch still looks to be a very good one for batting so the visiting side will be hoping to bat well enough to keep themselves in this match.