New Zealand comfortably placed on 222/3 at end of Day 1 of 1st Test against Pakistan

[MenInG]

 

[Mamoon]

The completely dumb decision of bowling first killed whatever minute chances we had.

A massive thrashing is on the cards now. Expect New Zealand to score 450+ and secure a massive first innings lead.

Pakistan’s bowling attack is one of the worst in the world at the moment. No penetration, no skill, no intelligence.

 

[Arsal_AK]

3 chances dropped. One was an absolute dolly at deep fine leg. That is all. What are the bowlers supposed to do more than that? And this is not a one off thing.

Untill and unless we improve our fielding we will always end up like today.

 

[Last Monetarist]

Horrendous decision to bowl first, especially as Misbah saw fit to persist with Yasser Shah. Pakistan's bowling is no better than the West Indies in these conditions.

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi-led attack tried to keep New Zealand in check but fifties from Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson gave the hosts a slight edge on day one of the first Test.


It was an eventful day at the Bay Oval as two wickets fell in the first session, followed by none in the second, and only one in the final one. The visitors had their moments but solid knocks from Williamson and Taylor put New Zealand in the driver's seat on the opening day.

The hosts went to stumps on 222/3, with skipper Williamson unbeaten on 94 and Henry Nicholls keeping him company.

At the start of the final session, they lost Taylor, who became New Zealand's most capped player across formats, but Williamson continued unperturbed and brought up his 33rd Test fifty. He equalled Stephen Fleming's record of the most fifty-plus scores in Test cricket for the Black Caps.

Nicholls, who starred with a 174 in his last Test appearance against West Indies earlier this month, also looked in good touch, making 42* runs from 100 balls. Together, Williamson and Nicholls stitched an unbroken 89-run stand.

In the morning, Pakistan's stand-in captain Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and opted to field first. His decision turned out to be a fruitful one as Afridi provided his side a dream start with two early wickets.

He first struck on the third ball of the day, when Tom Latham edged a tempting back-of-a-length ball with considerable bounce, straight to Azhar Ali at third slip, who fumbled at first but held on eventually to send the opener back for four.

Pakistan pace-bowling duo of Afridi and Mohammad Abbas kept the Kiwi batsmen in check. Their effort yielded another wicket with Afridi once again taking the charge.

Tom Blundell, who wasn't looking comfortable from the start, in an attempt to drive the ball ended up edging it in the slip cordon where Yasir Shah took a superb catch, leaving the hosts on 13/2 in the 11th over.

It could have been three wickets for Pakistan in the first session itself, but Williamson survived, on 18, in the 24th over when Shan Masood put down a tough catch at second slip.

The second session fully belonged to New Zealand, as the experienced duo of Williamson and Taylor made the Pakistan bowlers toil and shifted gears to steadily up the run-rate. They added 73 runs in a wicket-less session to take their side to 128/2 at tea. En route, they brought up their 10th hundred-plus stand in Test cricket.

Shortly after tea, the hosts lost the important wicket of Taylor, who looked set at the crease. Afridi induced another outside edge and the New Zealand batsman was caught behind for a well-made 70 – his 34th half-century in the format.

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/1951961

 

[Liverpool_Faizan]

Sometimes you have to just put your hand up and say well played to the opposition. Williamson and Taylor played it perfectly. Not much more the bowling attack could have done although I think Yasir Shah bowled a few too many.

 

[Mobashir]

Catches, catches and catches.

If you drop half the chance that come your way you are not winning a test match.
Disgusting.

 

[Usman Chadda]

We are losing this by an innings.

 

[Arsal_AK]

Catches, catches and catches.

If you drop half the chance that come your way you are not winning a test match.
Disgusting.

Precisely. That is the biggest issue. People on here except the bowlers to get the NZ batsmen out 2-3 times, as if thats what they have come out to do, give us as many chances as we want.

I thought we bowled really well today. Even Naseem was great after those first few overs. If we had Nichols and Williamson (twice, include that review and that's three chances), it would have read 200 odd for 5. A very different scorecard.

 

[shariqnoor]

The completely dumb decision of bowling first killed whatever minute chances we had.

A massive thrashing is on the cards now. Expect New Zealand to score 450+ and secure a massive first innings lead.

Pakistan’s bowling attack is one of the worst in the world at the moment. No penetration, no skill, no intelligence.

The only way Pakistan can fluke to a win is to bowl first. By bowling first, it delays the inevitable and gives Pakistan two bites to atleast stay in the match.

Had Pakistan batted first, they would've been bowled out for 150 and the game would've been over in 2 sessions.

A minnow team like Pakistan should always bowl first. There's no other option. The bowling attack is so pedestrian that you have to alleviate the pressure of defending off them. Had Pakistan batted first in the third T20, Pakistan bowlers wouldn't have been able to even defend 220 there.

 

[saeed5646]

Not taking review against Williamson lbw decision was pathetic decision.

 

[saeed5646]

Yes their was doubt but you should take risk against opposition best batsmen

 

[dildilpak]

Shaheen cant swing this on his own, he needs support & Naseem ain’t it. Abbas can ony contain, thats about it. The spin department sucks- we need good alternative to Yasir/ Shadab fast!

 

[MenInG]

Shaheen Shah Afridi speaking to the media

"Kane Williamson is a senior player in the New Zealand side and he knows how to handle the conditions here well"

"The ball is new and we will try and get early wickets tomorrow"

"We tried to bowl fuller lengths to get swing in the early part of the innings but they know how to play in these conditions"

On Kane Williamson review

"I asked for a review and they said it was 50/50 - I felt it hit the toe of his boot first but the skipper said it hit his bat first - so we didnt take the review - I suppose that's part of the game"

"We are disappointed that we didnt take catches and also missed the review of Kane Williamson"

 

[MenInG]

Ross Taylor speaking to the media

"You have to give (credit) to Shaheen who bowled really well, and Mohammad Abbas who didnt give us much so its either you take him on, or try and get though (his spell) - that's the plan we tried to do"

What did Pak bowlers do better than WI?

"I think they bowled with more discipline and bowled in the right areas for a lot longer; West Indies did bowl well at times but weren't as consistent as this lot, probably some are more experienced in these conditions, and ask questions for longer periods of time"

"Faheem didnt give us much either; With Yasir Shah we were on our toes, as quite often spinners dont bowl on Day 1 in NZ or not bowl at all; He bowled a few more overs and that shows what type of wicket this is"

"Yasir shah is a world-class bowler, and even the way he tried to bowl today which was to get through his overs, he picked and chose moments when he was going to attack and we got a bit of luck, and we were fortunate at that stage but definitely he will play a big part tomorrow and whenever we bat again"

On Shaheen

"He is a lot more mature now in the way he is trying to set you up, quite often a left-arm bowler doesnt swing the ball back as much but I thought with ball being 50 overs old, it was still swinging and he picked and chose (to use that) and he has a slippery bumper; He is only going to get better and he will enjoy this wicket, and in Christchurch as well; I think Pakistan is going to see a very good bowler in years to come"

 

[King_Kohli]

Kane playing like Pujara

 

[King_Kohli]

Pakistan catching was good in T20's,
fielders took some brilliant catches.
Don't what happened in test.

 

[Mamoon]

The only way Pakistan can fluke to a win is to bowl first. By bowling first, it delays the inevitable and gives Pakistan two bites to atleast stay in the match.

Had Pakistan batted first, they would've been bowled out for 150 and the game would've been over in 2 sessions.

A minnow team like Pakistan should always bowl first. There's no other option. The bowling attack is so pedestrian that you have to alleviate the pressure of defending off them. Had Pakistan batted first in the third T20, Pakistan bowlers wouldn't have been able to even defend 220 there.

When you win the toss and bowl first, you severely handicap yourself unless your bowling or batting is much stronger than the opposition.

The only way Pakistan could have salvaged anything here was by batting first and posting 250-300.

Yes it would have been unlikely considering our brittle lineup especially without Babar and the quality of New Zealand’s attack, but the probably of Pakistan limping to 250-300 was still higher than the probably of New Zealand folding for 120-150 against our busted tyre attack.

Pakistan’s bowling has not been good enough especially outside Asia for many years now, and opting to bowl first shows a misplaced confidence in the caliber of our bowling unit.

Pakistan will get smoked 9/10 times outside Asia if continues to take the dumb decision of bowling first.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

How could you choose to bowl first in a test away from home.

 

[Usman Chadda]

I cant believe I'm agreeing with the resident pessimist, but the best chance of us competing was to bat first and get a total on the board. We played right into NZ's hands by bowling first.

 

[UzmanBeast]

3 chances dropped. One was an absolute dolly at deep fine leg. That is all. What are the bowlers supposed to do more than that? And this is not a one off thing.

Untill and unless we improve our fielding we will always end up like today.

Who dropped it?

 

[waleed88]

Horrendous decision to bowl first, especially as Misbah saw fit to persist with Yasser Shah. Pakistan's bowling is no better than the West Indies in these conditions.

Misbah is not the captain anymore

 

[Nikhil_cric]

The decision to bowl is not a bad decision in NZ considering the wickets are best for bowling for the 1st 2 sessions before they become a bit flatter. Having said that, the last time pakistan batted in new zealand was in the 4th innings where they lost 10 wickets in a session ? Keeping that and the lack of quality in the bowling (apart from shaheen) probably batting first was the right decision. But then again Boult/Southee/Wagner/Jamieaon could have blasted Pakistam out for 120 odd so it's hard to say if the toss would have had any effect.

 

[PakPremi]

Our brittle batting lineup would not have stood a chance batting first against experience and attacking bowling line up playing in their home conditions. Pak bowled well but if you miss multiple chances and not even go for review on their best batsman, then you not going to bowl out opposition out cheaply. Fahim selection was useless the job he does containing runs even Shan could do that. Now when it comes to batting we would miss a batsman capable of playing more solid than Faheem.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

All is not lost, Pakistan just need to show guts in their innings let’s hope we bundle them out by tomorrow and bat. Day 3 is also a good day to bat, just gotta start slow and build upon progress like they did.

 

[ARK Rafay]

I'm more disappointed by Naseem, Faheem and Yasir. Abbas couldn't take any wickets but at least he bowled at around 1.19 economy rate. All the team needed was a support wicket taker on the other end with Shaheen.

 

[Arsal_AK]

Who dropped it?

Abbas at deep fine leg (Nichols of Naseem, this was as easy as they come) and then Haris at first slip (Williamson of Shaheen). Williamson gave a half chance of Naseem earlier as well to Masood. Then at the end they missed a review which was plumb (again Williamson).

 

[shariqnoor]

When you win the toss and bowl first, you severely handicap yourself unless your bowling or batting is much stronger than the opposition.

The only way Pakistan could have salvaged anything here was by batting first and posting 250-300.

Yes it would have been unlikely considering our brittle lineup especially without Babar and the quality of New Zealand’s attack, but the probably of Pakistan limping to 250-300 was still higher than the probably of New Zealand folding for 120-150 against our busted tyre attack.

Pakistan’s bowling has not been good enough especially outside Asia for many years now, and opting to bowl first shows a misplaced confidence in the caliber of our bowling unit.

Pakistan will get smoked 9/10 times outside Asia if continues to take the dumb decision of bowling first.

I would disagree here. Here are the stats over the last 10 years:

When Pakistan bats first in SENA: Pakistan has won only 1 Test in 10 Test Matches. Lost 8.
When Pakistan fields first in SENA: Pakistan has won 3 Tests in 15 Test Matches. Lost 9.

When Pakistan bats first, Pakistan has been bowled out for less than 200, 10 times out of 19 innings (1st innings and 3rd innings included).

53% of the time when Pakistan bats first in SENA, they get bowled out for less than 200. That is ABYSMAL!!! No surprises that they have lost each of those Tests.

Therefore, like I said Pakistan should always bowl first in SENA. It's their best chance.

 

[UzmanBeast]

Well, I have just woken up and seen the scoreboard.

A very confusing passage of play is what I would describe the first day of this match. I have some thoughts regarding the decisions we took as a team, the performances on the field, and some other noticeable things.

Firstly, the pitch was a very deceptive one, very smart of New Zealand to go with it. You see, in the morning, it appeared as if the pitch was lush with green grass, almost like a forest. It only took a few overs, maybe 20, before the flatness of the pitch was revealed. What I hoped our management would have understood was that this pitch would not favor spinners, particularly a wrist-spinner who has been horrible overseas for a while.

Secondly, our squad selection was also questionable, particularly around the fitness of Naseem Shah and the inability of Yasir Shah overseas. From his bowling, I can't help but sense that Naseem hasn't fully recovered from his previous injury, and it looks like it has kicked his pace down by several yards. On this basis, we might have been better off if we had played Amad Butt instead of him, because I don't know how many more overs Naseem will bowl before he eventually crashes. Yasir Shah has been a disappointment, not just his selection but his bowling, which I will focus on later. Wrist spinners have been ineffective in SENA after the likes of Warne and co. retired, because pitches would crumble in that time period. Whilst I don't object having a wrist-spinner, I would not play one who has a track record overseas as poor as Yasir Shah does. Fingerspinners are in high demand in test cricket, because they are economical and can adapt to traits in the wicket. Their bowling style allows them to just maintain a steady economy rate even if they are not taking wickets, which is what is needed from a spinner overseas.

Thirdly, our bowling was a bit disappointing apart from Shaheen and Abbas. Shaheen's figures show how potent he was and he should've gotten the fourth of Williamson, but that comes later as well. The reason I mentioned Abbas was that he was consistent in his line-length and was unfortunate not to get a wicket. Faheem did a decent job by not conceding heavily, but he needed to be on the off-stump more. Naseem was also poor to say the least because it was undoubtedly his early spell that let the likes of Taylor settle. He did create two chances that were dropped, but his pace is down and he is not even challenging batsmen most of the time. Yasir Shah was just abysmal, if he doesn't pull his length correct he will concede about 200 runs on this pitch.

Fourthly, our fielding was sub-standard, and it makes it very difficult to compete overseas when we field like a bunch of headless chickens. I don't know what else to say at this point but the fact that it seems like our players have no intention to try and win matches through fielding efforts.

Henry Nicholls and Kane Williamson are set and on-strike. There are a few unexplored options which we can hope to exploit against them, one of which is the new ball early on with a spell from Shaheen and Abbas. If we can get one of them out early, we can bring out BJ Watling, who is not in the best form of his life, and he should be relatively easy to get out. After that comes Santner, who will just block everything, but the gateway is a wicket of Williamson. Once he's out of the equation, the New Zealand team will have to regroup and think of something, because they won't have much batting left. The short ball should be bowled to Nicholls and Williamson, but should be directed well at the neck or shoulder area. The yorker needs to be used as well.

Overall, we don't look good as a team. Some on-field decisions were poor, and there was a lack of intent from our fielders and bowlers like Yasir Shah. Shaheen is doing very well, and we need just one good spell from someone else to get a breakthrough.

The question is: Who will step up tomorrow?

 

[Madplayer]

Pakistan have been outbatted. Looks like NZ will score over 400 unless a collapse takes place which is also unlikely. Sorry to say but i dont see Pakistan crossing 250.

This match is gone already.

 

[Saurav]

Wasn't it a greentop?

 

[ShoaibM]

Too pessimistic from Pak fans. The wicket seems flat by kiwi standards. We have a good chance at putting up some runs. Lets see if we can hold on to the chances tomorrow. NZ tail is weakish we are not out of this by any means.

Disappointing day no doubt. Lots of missed chances. Two complete selection blunders in yasir and Faheem who looked nowhere near threatening. Faheem is at best a T20 candidate. Ammad Butt seems more suited to test cricket but dont have much data on him yet. Need to take those half chances!

Impressed with Rizwan settling into a leadership role however. Expecting good things from him. Our openers could get stuck in for a bit and give us a shot at this still.

 

[shah_1]

I don't like Shoaib Akthar one bit on TV but he was great on Game On Hai today. He perfectly described the whole shambolic performance on first day

 

[Geil]

Pakistan Bowlers have lost a big advantage that was given to them by Shaheen with a wonderful start

A team like Pakistan already struggling with their form to win test matches especially after their 1-0 loss in the previous series

this was a big opportunity lost by an inexperienced Pak fast bowlers to stamp their authority on this test match

 

[Mueez]

Pakistani team never fails to disappoint...

We had a great opportunity to bowl NZ under 330 and we have messed it up completely.

Catches win matches...

 

[Omer2002]

Abbas at deep fine leg (Nichols of Naseem, this was as easy as they come) and then Haris at first slip (Williamson of Shaheen). Williamson gave a half chance of Naseem earlier as well to Masood. Then at the end they missed a review which was plumb (again Williamson).

Apart from first spell naseem was ok not express pace. He created two chances and were dropped

 

[shah_1]

Shoaib Akthar perfectly described Faheem as a club level bowler. Already not so tall yet his knee collaspes, medium pace, only bringing the ball in to the right handers so he is bound to fail. I'm not saying that Amad Butt is a world beater but he is at least better than this club bowler. Ammad doesn't have express pace but does have the front leg brace(will get the ball to bounce a bit more) and seam the ball away from right handers.

 

[obaidshariq]

The likes of Brendon McCullum and Simon Deoul called out that one had to bowl first. Kate Williamson also wanted to bowl first. Pakistan bowled well and were a tad unlucky, again something which everyone has been calling out but no, you mamoon the legend thinks otherwise. Pathetic and soooo annoying!

The completely dumb decision of bowling first killed whatever minute chances we had.

A massive thrashing is on the cards now. Expect New Zealand to score 450+ and secure a massive first innings lead.

Pakistan’s bowling attack is one of the worst in the world at the moment. No penetration, no skill, no intelligence.

 

[MenInG]

Mohammad Abbas speaking to PCB:

"Whilst I could not get a breakthrough for the side, the plan was to bowl in partnership and to make sure that we dont give away runs if we are not taking wickets; I was successful in doing that"

"The idea was to bowl in the right areas; Yasir Shah bowled well although the pitch was not offering that much assistance, so its not a setback for him and he bowled well"

"We will try and take early wickets tomorrow although Naseem, Faheem and myself - we failed to support Shaheen Shah Afridi today"

 

[ask_analyse_act]

Pakistan catching was good in T20's,
fielders took some brilliant catches.
Don't what happened in test.

it was poor in T20s too.. just one catch from shadab shouldnt hide the rest...
u should look at the drops and misfields of khushdil, haris rauf, faheem etc...

 

[ask_analyse_act]

When Mickey was there , atleast Pak could compete with top teams, now they look lost in day 1 itself...


It is a greentop Shaheen bowled well , remaining bowlers couldnt even get one wicket is shocking..

Misbah-Waqar have taught these bowlers to contain runs which they are doing well now, but not take wickets...

 

[owais1]

I hope that they draw the game at least. Would defo feel like a win now...

 

[King_Kohli]

it was poor in T20s too.. just one catch from shadab shouldnt hide the rest...
u should look at the drops and misfields of khushdil, haris rauf, faheem etc...

ohh.ok
I just watched highlights

 

[Amjid Javed]

If you win toss and bowl 1st you should atleast bowl opposition out or have them 8 or 9 down by close. To just take 3 wickets all day is poor. NZ will now get 450-500 odd and pakistan are looking at an inns defeat. Really poor stuff from coach and captain interms of mindset here.

Poot fielding will never improve for pakistan.

 

[Phantom Menace]

Bowling first was probably the right decision considering your boys took 2 early wickets. I am sure they are very disappointed with the opportunities they missed, especially the Nicholls drop. That definitely should have been taken. Not reviewing Williamson is understandable considering there was a big inside edge and it is quite rare and hard to see a ball go pad, bat, pad.

edit: The concerning thing is that Pakistan failed to capitalize on their early breakthroughs as the pitch will probably spin late. Best chance is to restrict NZ below 400 and hope Yasir comes up big in the third innings.

 

[Indian_cricket_fan]

If you win toss and bowl 1st you should atleast bowl opposition out or have them 8 or 9 down by close. To just take 3 wickets all day is poor. NZ will now get 450-500 odd and pakistan are looking at an inns defeat. Really poor stuff from coach and captain interms of mindset here.

Poot fielding will never improve for pakistan.

I totally agree with you. The bowling of Pakistan team
Looks wafer-thin. The whole Pakistan bowling line up combined has less wickets than the New Zealand spearhead!

The bowlers are just turning up and fading away since many years now. No batsmen in current lineup has a test batting average of 50 and above! This is not a recipe of a successful test team outside home unfortunately.

 

[I think therfore I am]

Bowling first was probably the right decision considering your boys took 2 early wickets. I am sure they are very disappointed with the opportunities they missed, especially the Nicholls drop. That definitely should have been taken. Not reviewing Williamson is understandable considering there was a big inside edge and it is quite rare and hard to see a ball go pad, bat, pad.

edit: The concerning thing is that Pakistan failed to capitalize on their early breakthroughs as the pitch will probably spin late. Best chance is to restrict NZ below 400 and hope Yasir comes up big in the third innings.

Same old story, catches win matches. You can forget all the expert analysis.

 

[Mamoon]

The likes of Brendon McCullum and Simon Deoul called out that one had to bowl first. Kate Williamson also wanted to bowl first. Pakistan bowled well and were a tad unlucky, again something which everyone has been calling out but no, you mamoon the legend thinks otherwise. Pathetic and soooo annoying!

Kane Williamson is not playing for Pakistan. His team can bowl first in home conditions against a poor lineup like Pakistan because they would have a very good chance of rolling Pakistan over for a paltry score.

McCullum and Doull were are also looking at it from NZ’s perspective, and if not, then they don’t really know the reality of this current Pakistan side.

I am no legend but I know the reality of Pakistan team like the back of my hand. This lot has a very small chance of winning Tests overseas if they keep making the dumb call of bowling first.

Our bowling attack is a joke these days - one of the worst in the world, and if we keep bowling first, we will keep finding ourself conceding 400+ runs in the first innings with the fans excusing the performance because we dropped catches.

At the moment, our batting is actually slightly better than our bowling, and there is a better chance of Pakistan scoring 250-300 in the first innings than restricting the opposition to 150-200 while bowling first.

Whatever half a chance Pakistan of winning a fluke Test here in NZ was destroyed when we took the unbelievably dumb decision of bowling first. What was Misbah expecting?

Toothless Abbas, rubbish Naseem, mediocre Faheem and handicapped Yasir to bundle NZ in two sessions?

Shaheen alone cannot take 10 wickets.

 

[Saurav]

Amazing how India and Pakistan have switched roles when it comes to batting and bowling

 

[ARK Rafay]

Kane Williamson is not playing for Pakistan. His team can bowl first in home conditions against a poor lineup like Pakistan because they would have a very good chance of rolling Pakistan over for a paltry score.

McCullum and Doull were are also looking at it from NZ’s perspective, and if not, then they don’t really know the reality of this current Pakistan side.

I am no legend but I know the reality of Pakistan team like the back of my hand. This lot has a very small chance of winning Tests overseas if they keep making the dumb call of bowling first.

Our bowling attack is a joke these days - one of the worst in the world, and if we keep bowling first, we will keep finding ourself conceding 400+ runs in the first innings with the fans excusing the performance because we dropped catches.

At the moment, our batting is actually slightly better than our bowling, and there is a better chance of Pakistan scoring 250-300 in the first innings than restricting the opposition to 150-200 while bowling first.

Whatever half a chance Pakistan of winning a fluke Test here in NZ was destroyed when we took the unbelievably dumb decision of bowling first. What was Misbah expecting?

Toothless Abbas, rubbish Naseem, mediocre Faheem and handicapped Yasir to bundle NZ in two sessions?

Shaheen alone cannot take 10 wickets.

We would've been bundled under 150 on day 1 on this Pitch. Either way we are doomed.

 

[Mamoon]

We would've been bundled under 150 on day 1 on this Pitch. Either way we are doomed.

That would have been likely, but the chances of our batsmen limping to 250-300 are higher than our bowlers dismissing the opposition for 150 on a day 1 pitch.

 

[Majestic_Inzi]

So a score of 450 plus looks likely now, almost certain.

 

[90MPH]

I think Pakistan were a bit unlucky not to get 3 wickets in that first session but credit to NZ as well for digging in especially Williamson who played a masterful innings in seaming friendly conditions.

Pak overall bowled decent, Nz scoring rate reflects that but you have to get their main batsman out early, if you get a half chance you got to take it.

Batting will get easier as the match progresses so Pak shouldn’t panic yet.
Long way to go yet but we will miss Babar.

 

[sweep_shot]

Pakistan were sloppy with their fielding. That was the difference maker.

 

[obaidshariq]

Firstly, in hindsight I like to take the pathetic and annoying comment back, that was not necessary and I apologise.

I still would like to disagree here as the stats suggests 54% of times Pakistan has won a test outside of Asia is when they bowl first.

I also don't think our bowling is the worst in the world. I mean look at South Africa today. They conceded 340 odd in a day against SL. Our batting is no way better than our bowling especially without Babar Azam and with the likes of extremely overrated Fawad Alam in the lineup.

Hoping for a win or a close competition regardless. Still with a chance I think.

Kane Williamson is not playing for Pakistan. His team can bowl first in home conditions against a poor lineup like Pakistan because they would have a very good chance of rolling Pakistan over for a paltry score.

McCullum and Doull were are also looking at it from NZ’s perspective, and if not, then they don’t really know the reality of this current Pakistan side.

I am no legend but I know the reality of Pakistan team like the back of my hand. This lot has a very small chance of winning Tests overseas if they keep making the dumb call of bowling first.

Our bowling attack is a joke these days - one of the worst in the world, and if we keep bowling first, we will keep finding ourself conceding 400+ runs in the first innings with the fans excusing the performance because we dropped catches.

At the moment, our batting is actually slightly better than our bowling, and there is a better chance of Pakistan scoring 250-300 in the first innings than restricting the opposition to 150-200 while bowling first.

Whatever half a chance Pakistan of winning a fluke Test here in NZ was destroyed when we took the unbelievably dumb decision of bowling first. What was Misbah expecting?

Toothless Abbas, rubbish Naseem, mediocre Faheem and handicapped Yasir to bundle NZ in two sessions?

Shaheen alone cannot take 10 wickets.

 

[JaDed]

probably ll be a draw.

 

[Giannis]

Kane and Taylor are world class, gotta give them credit.