The New Zealand skipper was happy when he won the toss.
After losing three tosses in a row during the Test series against India, Kane
Williamson finally got an opportunity to take control of proceedings. Without a
second thought, he decided to bowl first at the Hagley Oval which was
tailor-made for swing and seam bowling and his pace bowlers didn’t let him down
at all.
‘Grand’ debut for Colin
Tim
Southee and Trent Boult tested Sami Aslam and Azhar Ali for the first twelve
overs, but as soon as the medium-pacer Colin de Grandhomme came into the attack
and moved the ball from a three-quarter length, Pakistan batsmen found the
going tough. 31 for 0 became 88 for 5 and after a while, Pakistan were all out
for 133.
When
the Pakistan pace attack started to bowl with fantastic rhythm and guile, 133
looked to be a decent total. Despite Jeet Raval and Henry Nicholl’s stubborn
resistance, New Zealand managed just 200 runs on day 3, but they still
possessed a handy lead of 67 runs.
By
then, the track had lost its volatility and became a bit easier for batting. It
provided a wonderful opportunity for Pakistan to overshadow the horrors of the
first innings by batting productively and stabilise their position in the Test.
The
ideal way to establish authority in such conditions is to spend more time at
the crease and give the fast bowlers the first hour. It’s an old fashioned way
of batsmanship , but still very effective when the new ball poses a lot of
threat.
Azhar and Azam steady Pakistan
Pakistan
lost Sami early, but Azhar and Babar Azam followed the old fashioned way of
Test batsmanship . They weathered the new-ball storm with a lot of patience and
determination. Both of them slowed down the scoring rate but were able to block
and leave the balls which posed a threat. Such batting was not pleasing to the
eye, but at least they ensured there was no further collapse with just an hour
or so remaining in the day's play.
Williamson
was desperate for a breakthrough and threw the ball to his most trusted ally,
Neil Wagner, to apply pressure on the Pakistan batsmen via his barrage of
short-pitch and ribcage bowling.
Wagner triggers the collapse
Time
and again, Wagner’s tireless spells from around and over the wicket have tested
the batsmen to their limits and he has been successful both in breaking
partnerships and triggering collapses.
Sri
Lanka experienced the same last year, while teams like Australia could sustain
the heat of Wagner only by remaining composed and technically sound. Bowlers
like Wagner unleash crucial passages of play when they build heads of steam and
charge in like raging bulls. To counter the same, a batsman has to be patient
and composed enough to weather the storm and then cash in at a later stage.
But
the Pakistani batting line up melted.
Wagner
banged the ball short on a middle-and-leg stump line. Azhar and Babar found the
going extremely tough and in the fifth ball of the 40th over, Babar was caught
down the leg side to a ball which he could have easily left.
Lack of composure proves to be the
downfall
Then
Younis Khan was done in by a ball which reared from short-of-a- lengt h around
leg stump and hurtled towards him. Younis failed to keep his hands down and was
caught behind. Two quick wickets and it was up to Misbah-ul -Haq to arrest a
collapse and end the day without further damage. But he also capsized against
the short stuff. But this time, it was a rush of blood and poor shot selection
that did him in.
Misbah
is not known for his attacking strokes and when the circumstances are tough, he
concentrates more on keeping his composure and strike rotation rather than
dealing with boundaries. But at the fag end of day 3, he lost his cool and went
for the hook shot which led to a collapse from which Pakistan never recovered.
New
Zealand bagged the first Test with an eight-wicket win and Pakistan were left
to ponder that eventful one hour or so in which they failed to maintain their
composure under pressure.
On
day 3, in the second innings, Pakistan’s plan was to spend time at the crease.
It was a good move under the circumstances, and with proper application, could
have proved to be fruitful. However, a brain freeze from the batsmen ensured
that they paid a heavy price.
The
picture could have been different had they not failed to maintain their
composure. Misbah and his men will be looking to bounce back from the
disappointment and level the series when the two sides clash in the second Test
at Hamilton.
Note: This article has been
published at Sportskeeda on 21/11/2016 Pakistani batsmen's lack of composure cost them the 1st Test against New Zealand
Thank
You
Faisal
Caesar
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