'Some of the best leg-spin bowling you’ll ever see' – Arthur praises Yasir

Yasir took match figures of 14/184 – the second-best by for a Pakistani bowler – as New Zealand succumbed to a defeat by an innings and 16 runs. Arthur revelled in delight with the leg-spinner's record haul.

“That first-innings – I think there was that spell for about half an hour that was some of the best leg-spin bowling you’ll ever see – the drift, the pace, the spin, it was phenomenal. Fourteen wickets in a Test match is superb.”

Arthur signalled that Yasir’s bowling in the first Test indicated signs that such a performance was on the horizon.

“He got some nice rhythm going in Abu Dhabi. We knew he had a big performance inside of him. I think he’ll get better and better from here.”

Arthur also praised the leadership and wicket-keeping of Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed, who came into the match under scrutiny after his side was defeated in dramatic fashion in the first Test.

“I think Sarfraz is almost an unsung hero,” said Arthur. “Sarfraz has captained very well in this Test match and what goes unnoticed a lot of the time is his glovework – his wicketkeeping. There’s no dropped catches, he doesn’t miss stumpings. Whatever needs to be done gets done. He ticks all the boxes.”

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson reflected on a disappointing Test match, praising the efforts of the Pakistani batsmen across the first two days of the match.

“I guess we go back to the way they started," he said. "They were able to bat for two days on that surface, which put them in a very good position to be able to bowl and exploit the conditions.”

Nevertheless, despite succumbing to 90 all out in the first innings, Williamson found positives for his side in the fight they showed following on, scoring 312 in their second dig.

“We showed in the second innings – perhaps with the wicket worn a little bit more – that there were opportunities to score runs and bat and create an innings. I think it’s really important we build on that going into the next game.”

The third all-important Test begins on 3 December in Abu Dhabi.