Pakistan vs New Zealand: Black Caps' tactics to blame for Babar Azam's men eking out draw
At the end of day five of the second Test between Pakistan and New Zealand at Karachi, it was tempting to look back at this two-Test series as one where cricket won.
Pakistan edging out the draw in the second TestAfter all, both Tests were played out on Karachi tracks that could, at best, be described as uncompetitive and, at worst, as glorified roads.
Yet this was also, in many ways, a missed chance for the Black Caps. The first Test saw batting in the first innings go on for so long that a result never seemed likely – even with Babar Azam’s late declaration throwing that possibility open for a moment.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Only umpire <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/aleemdar?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#aleemdar</a> is missing in the frame. Exciting final moments as <a href="https://twitter.com/BLACKCAPS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BLACKCAPS</a> seek that final wicket in fading light. Thus, after <a href="https://twitter.com/SarfarazA_54?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SarfarazA_54</a> played an innings to remember <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PAKvNZ?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PAKvNZ</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NZvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NZvPAK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/karachitest?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#karachitest</a> <a href="https://t.co/R5R8kVn507">pic.twitter.com/R5R8kVn507</a></p>— G Krishnan (@gikkukrishnan) <a href="https://twitter.com/gikkukrishnan/status/1611343570644111360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
However, the second Test match was there for the taking as far as Tim Southee’s men were concerned. And they have no one but their tactics to blame.
Let’s rewind to the end of Day 4 for a second. After Southee’s declaration left Pakistan chasing 319 to win with a little over a day left, it seemed like an inspired decision.
And to make things better, New Zealand snared a couple of quick wickets before the close of the day’s play on a penultimate day – meaning Pakistan started Day 5 on 0-2. No, really.
Then to make things better for the Kiwis, they got three more wickets before lunch on the final day of the Test. At one point, Pakistan were 80-5. The match was very much theirs to lose.
Yet Pakistan fought back. Saud Shakeel and Sarfaraz Ahmed showed grit and resilience and capitalized on their luck just a little bit to stymy their momentum with a 123-run stand for the sixth wicket.
But even when Todd Bracewell got rid of Shakeel, it didn’t open the metaphorical floodgates for New Zealand. Instead, Sarfaraz and Agha Salma added 70 for the 8th wicket.
At that point, Pakistan were 273-7 and were very much on course for a victory before their typical self-destruction followed, leaving them clinging on for and relieved at the prospect of a draw.
But even then, it is worth noting that New Zealand didn’t necessarily make things happen. They waited for something to happen, and that’s never a good sign.
Despite starting the day in attacking fashion, Southee would eventually begin setting defensive fields as the day went on, and the bowling became less about containment.
Even bringing on Bracewell was a decision that didn’t pay off immediately. But more glaring than that was the refusal to take the new ball as soon as it was available.
Granted, the prospect of bad light and being told only to use spinners may have dissuaded Southee from going down that obvious route.
But they waited for a few overs, then took the new ball anyway, and even managed a few good overs of pace bowling before the inevitable decision to bowl only spinners was handed down – and that was before bad light inevitably struck.
After the match, Southee gave credit to how Sarfaraz played – and was gracious in defeat. But surely, deep down, even he knows that this was a chance missed to win an away Test series.