- Babar Azam scores his first hundred since 2014 for Pakistan against New Zealand.
- Ahmed Zafar Ansari was also named player of the match and series after scoring 335 runs in four innings.
- The 35-year-old also thanked the crowd in Karachi.
After the Green Shirts successfully prevented New Zealand from winning the Test series in Karachi on Friday, Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam appeared optimistic.
“Another fantastic inning by Sarfaraz bhai. Keep shining,” the skipper wrote on Twitter as the wicket-keeper-batter helped Pakistan draw the match with his magnificent ton.
The right-fourth hander’s hundred overall and first since 2014 was this one. Ahmed scored 335 runs in four innings with the help of three fifty-pluses and a hundred, earning him the title of player of the game and series.
Another fantastic inning by @SarfarazA_54 Bhai. Keep shining. pic.twitter.com/8gyx0r5TXM
— Babar Azam (@babarazam258) January 6, 2023
During the post-match presentation ceremony, Ahmed said: “I was part of the team for four years and despite not getting chances here I was continuing to play well elsewhere. Wanted an opportunity from Allah Almighty and got it.”
“I was very tense in the first Test, but the boys and captain gave me confidence. [Last session today] when 140 runs were left, the management said that you need to keep trying to score when the ball is there to hit.”
“But then two wickets fell, and so we changed our style of play. If those two wickets didn’t fall then the result could’ve been something else,” the right-hander said.
“It is a fourth-innings century so it is special, probably my best,” he said when asked if it was the best innings of his career.
The 35-year-old also expressed gratitude to the Karachi crowd and urged them to attend the stadium for the ODI series, which begins on January 9.
“Karachi crowd has always supported me. And always supported the team. Request them to come for the ODIs too,” he concluded.
Match report
In dwindling light, Pakistan’s final combination of Naseem Shah and Abrar Ahmed held off 21 balls while Ahmed scored a valiant century to deny New Zealand victory and force a thrilling draw in the second Test.
With 39 balls left in the game, Sarfaraz was out for a career-high 118, and New Zealand was in position to win the series.
However, as night fell, Naseem scored 15 and Ahmed seven runs to lead Pakistan to 304-9 in pursuit of a 319-run total when umpires Alex Wharf and Aleem Dar ruled that there were just three overs left and the light could not be maintained.
The first Test, which was also played in Karachi, resulted in a tie, ending the two-match series at 0-0 and denying New Zealand their first series victory in Pakistan in 53 years.
After taking the second new ball, Tim Southee dismissed Agha Salman for 30 runs to end a 70-run stand for the seventh wicket before Bracewell removed Ahmed to give New Zealand a chance to win.
But Ahmed’s fourth Test century, his first in eight years, was what put Pakistan on track for a hard-fought draw.
With the total at 125-5 at lunch, Pakistan was in serious trouble. However, Ahmed spearheaded the fightback during a sixth-wicket stand of 123 runs in three hours with Saud Shakeel, who scored 32.
Ahmed accelerated the run rate by blasting three boundaries and a six off spinner Michael Bracewell before driving pacer Matt Henry for two to achieve his hundred as Pakistan reached 179-5 at tea, needing an additional 140 runs in the remaining 31 overs.
However, the objective became unattainable as Pakistan lost Ahmed, Hasan Ali (five), and Salman in a span of 14 runs.
The home team’s 314 against Australia in Karachi in 1994 was the previous best winning chase in a Test in Pakistan.
Ahmed, who was relieved of his duties as captain of all three formats in October 2019, made a comeback in the drawn first Test, which was played in his hometown of Karachi, and finished the series with the most runs (335), including three fifty-pluses and a hundred.
Sarfaraz improved on his previous record of 112 against the same opponents in Dubai eight years ago by batting for four hours and 48 minutes while striking nine boundaries and a six.
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