Conway, Latham lead New Zealand’s strong response

A record highest 165-run opening partnership between Devon Conway, who became the quickest New Zealand batter to 1000 Test runs (19 innings), and Tom Latham led the visitors’ strong reply to Pakistan’s 438 in their first innings of the Karachi Test. Despite losing a well-set Babar Azam in the first over of the morning, Agha Salman’s maiden Test century propped up the hosts to a strong finish. New Zealand openers then put on their best stand on Pakistan soil to cut down the deficit to 273 by stumps without being separated on Day 2.

On a benign pitch, Latham and Conway had a tricky 14-over phase to negotiate ahead of Tea and the duo started positively to get their eye in. Abrar Ahmed did cause an early flutter when he rapped the latter on the pads first ball of his spell but was discouraged against a review by wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed, and rightly so since the ball was pitching outside leg. Barring that, the pair looked hardly troubled despite some turn that slower bowlers would get.

After a watchful start, Conway was quick to pounce on the width offered by Mir Hamza as he got going with a couple of boundaries in the fifth over. The openers also played a beautiful straight drive each as both Mohammad Wasim Jr. and Ahmed went too full. The short-ball ploy from the former against Latham also didn’t quite produce the results Pakistan wanted as the left-hander slashed and pulled comfortably to add a couple of fours more to his tally.

The pair slowed down with Tea on the horizon but continued to score freely once they resumed in the evening session that saw 124 runs being added at 3.75 without any damage. Conway brought out the drives and the reserve sweeps to take on the two spinners that Pakistan were forced to persist with for long spells due to a niggle that kept Salman off the field. Conway went on to outrace Latham to his half-century off 89 balls and then brought up the hundred of their stand one over later.

Despite having grown desperate for a breakthrough, the hosts decided against a review for a caught-behind appeal that Nauman was turned down for the last ball before drinks. Conway had attempted a late cut but the ball spun in sharply and took a faint inside-edge to the keeper who wasn’t interested in taking it upstairs despite a clear noise. Pakistan were left to rue that unintended reprieve on 57, after enduring yet another wicket-less hour.

While Conway slowed down a tad, Latham caught up. He swept Nauman behind square for a four before reaching his 24th Test fifty with a single just after the break. The duo efficiently rotated the strike to keep the runs ticking in even as Pakistan shuffled bowling changes and brought back pacers in search of reverse swing. Just like he did before Tea, Babar even reintroduced himself into the attack for a couple of overs after the 150 partnership was up but the breakthrough eluded them.

New Zealand started the day on an equally brighter note, picking up three cheap wickets in the morning session but left to fend with the tail as Salman upped the ante in the afternoon to help Pakistan to an imposing total.

An unnecessary poke at a Tim Southee delivery on the fifth stump line cost Babar Azam the double century dream. The Pakistan captain departed without adding anything to his overnight score of 161, on the fourth ball of the session. Pakistan went on a blocking spree right after.

While Salman did punish the occasional wide or short ones to keep the scoreboard ticking, Nauman Ali sought to defend everything for the better part of his 75-ball stay after opening his account with a single on the sixth delivery he faced. In fact his next scoring shot came off the 48th ball he faced as he went down on a knee to slog-sweep a full ball from Ajaz Patel to deep midwicket. By the drinks break, Pakistan had added only 31 runs to their overnight tally in 17 overs, of which seven were maidens shared between Ajaz and Michael Bracewell.

Ish Sodhi burnt a team’s review trying to get Salman LBW but the Pakistan batter went on to make his fourth Test fifty, off 97 balls soon after. Neil Wagner though struck later in the same over to break the 54-run partnership. Nauman mistimed his pull when Wagner dropped it short on purpose with two close-in fielders in place, and Bracewell leapt to his left to grab a one-handed stunner at short square leg. Pakistan lost a second wicket in quick succession when Wasim Jr attempted a premeditated ramp off Sodhi, who instead dropped it short to induce an edge for the keeper and pick up his first Test scalp in over four years.

The quick wickets perhaps forced a rethink and Salman came out a different batter altogether at the other side of Lunch. signalling his intentions with a solid punch down the ground for four first ball. The whole array of shots – cuts, pulls, lofts and drives – were on display as he raced to his first Test hundred in the next 49 balls. He forced Wagner out of the attack following a three-boundary over, taking Pakistan past the 400 run mark with the first of them.

Even as Sodhi trapped Hamza, Salman’s silent partner in the vital ninth wicket stand of 39, LBW on 1, Salman didn’t slow down. He entered the 90s with a loft that nearly sailed over long-off ropes off Southee, and then raised the hundred when he pulled a leg-side freebie from Sodhi to backward square leg fence. The celebrations were short lived though as Southee trapped the centurion plumb in front for his 350th Test wicket that brought curtains on Pakistan’s first innings on 438.

Brief scores: New Zealand 165/0 (Devon Conway 82*, Tom Latham 78*) trail Pakistan 438 (Babar Azam 161, Agha Salman 103; Tim Southee 3-69) by 273 runs