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Pakistan reduce New Zealand to 26/2 at Stumps after being bowled out for 348 with a 74-run lead

Azhar Ali is underrated, he's been the best batsmen this series.
 
This is my gripe with Azhar Ali and always has been. Once past 100, a batsman should be the most dominant. Right now if I didn't know what score Azhar Ali was batting on, I'd assume that he was batting in single digits. I'll give him the momentary pass right now because the new ball is out there but after 15 overs if he's still not looking to dominate, then he will never become a great player. Azhar has to himself think about whether he's content with being a middling player or does he want to elevate himself to the next level.

Azhar was so positive today that it was refreshing to see his batting for once. And there's no doubt that he's playing a very useful knock under the circumstances but great players cash in on these situations. I would like to see Azhar score his next 50 runs off 60-70 balls, not necessarily in the context of this game but generally for his batting evolution.
 
77 in 25 overs without loss is great session for visitors . I hope these 2 do not go in to a shell .
 
shariqnoor said:
This is my gripe with Azhar Ali and always has been. Once past 100, a batsman should be the most dominant. Right now if I didn't know what score Azhar Ali was batting on, I'd assume that he was batting in single digits. I'll give him the momentary pass right now because the new ball is out there but after 15 overs if he's still not looking to dominate, then he will never become a great player. Azhar has to himself think about whether he's content with being a middling player or does he want to elevate himself to the next level.

Azhar was so positive today that it was refreshing to see his batting for once. And there's no doubt that he's playing a very useful knock under the circumstances but great players cash in on these situations. I would like to see Azhar score his next 50 runs off 60-70 balls, not necessarily in the context of this game but generally for his batting evolution.
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so called Kane williamson is part of great 4 batsmen around the world.

but great Kane did not even score a 100 and capitalize.

Azhar scored a 100 and is playing a gutsy innings.
 
shariqnoor said:
This is my gripe with Azhar Ali and always has been. Once past 100, a batsman should be the most dominant. Right now if I didn't know what score Azhar Ali was batting on, I'd assume that he was batting in single digits. I'll give him the momentary pass right now because the new ball is out there but after 15 overs if he's still not looking to dominate, then he will never become a great player. Azhar has to himself think about whether he's content with being a middling player or does he want to elevate himself to the next level.

Azhar was so positive today that it was refreshing to see his batting for once. And there's no doubt that he's playing a very useful knock under the circumstances but great players cash in on these situations. I would like to see Azhar score his next 50 runs off 60-70 balls, not necessarily in the context of this game but generally for his batting evolution.
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He doesn’t have the class for it. A hundred at a SR of 45 is the best he can do, and an innings like this would be far from the best of the top players. This sums it up really.
 
Sarwar89 said:
so called Kane williamson is part of great 4 batsmen around the world.

but great Kane did not even score a 100 and capitalize.

Azhar scored a 100 and is playing a gutsy innings.
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Azhar is underrated, but tbf Kane isn't even world class these days. 2018 has been a poor year for him across formats, this is one of his prime years and he's receding.
 
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Mamoon said:
He doesn’t have the class for it. A hundred at a SR of 45 is the best he can do, and an innings like this would be far from the best of the top players. This sums it up really.
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he scored a triple century by the way.
 
You know you are average when people are celebrating your hundred at a SR of 45 on a flat Asian pitch against two mediocre spinners.
 
Making the same mistake of playing for lunch again. You can sense a wicket.
 
In these conditions , the gulf in batting and bowling between these two sides is being seen here. Enzed just don't have the personnel to win here.
 
JibranAnsari said:
If we go at 3 rpo for the rest of the day we should be 150 runs ahead but wickets usually come in clusters so i expect us to get a leadbof around 50-70 in total.
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nothing in the wicket . Dont see kiwi's getting many today .
 
Aman said:
Azhar is underrated, but tbf Kane isn't even world class these days. 2018 has been a poor year for him across formats, this is one of his prime years and he's receding.
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^Azhar has definitely been the better Test batsmen in 2018 and I've only watched him this series.
 
ILcricket said:
nothing in the wicket . Dont see kiwi's getting many today .
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Pakistan will roll us over for 300. Bilal and Yasir will be able to bowl on this wicket and our batsmen wont be able to cope with the conditions like Pakistan have.
 
The team is in a commanding position and both batsmen are set, but yet they have shown zero intent to dominate the second new ball and completely put New Zealand on the back-foot.

This lack of confidence and ability is the reason why we will always remain a low ranked Test team.
 
Sarwar89 said:
so called Kane williamson is part of great 4 batsmen around the world.

but great Kane did not even score a 100 and capitalize.

Azhar scored a 100 and is playing a gutsy innings.
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Not true. Once Kane scores a century his overall SR goes up to 58.

Azhar Ali's SR even after crossing hundred is still 48.

And I'm not criticizing Azhar's innings right now. It's a useful knock. I'm talking about his batting evolution - not in the context of the game but overall.
 
Mamoon said:
The team is in a commanding position and both batsmen are set, but yet they have shown zero intent to dominate the second new ball and completely put New Zealand on the back-foot.

This lack of confidence and ability is the reason why we will always remain a low ranked Test team.
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never believed in the theory of taking time out of the game without putting runs on board . Many here subscribe to this .
 
Mamoon said:
He doesn’t have the class for it. A hundred at a SR of 45 is the best he can do, and an innings like this would be far from the best of the top players. This sums it up really.
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He’s very successful considering his limitations but he seems to make the most out of his skillset which is not so simple. Yes, there are plenty of batsmen who are more technically gifted in comparison but are they consistently performing at there optimum?

He reminds me of a James Milner, not the most pleasing on the eye but consistently performing. As a result he is rarely dropped and a fans favourite.
 
Asad Shafiq after playing 60+ Tests still has difficulty playing the inswinger/offcutters.
 
Dominant session for Pakistan which has given them control of the match.

Best chance of getting a wicket is from one the batsmen making a mistake.
 
Excellent session, need another 2 and we could be somewhere near 400 and then can put pressure back on kiwi batsmen.

Azhars 100 is one of his best and hes not been carried by Misbah or YK.
 
QuickCrick said:
He’s very successful considering his limitations but he seems to make the most out of his skillset which is not so simple. Yes, there are plenty of batsmen who are more technically gifted in comparison but are they consistently performing at there optimum?

He reminds me of a James Milner, not the most pleasing on the eye but consistently performing. As a result he is rarely dropped and a fans favourite.
Click to expand...

Any team where Milner is among the top 2-3 players will struggle. Azhar like Milner is also a spare part.

He is okay if you have 2-3 top batsmen. However, if he is your go-to batsman, you will always be a low ranked team.
 
QuickCrick said:
He’s very successful considering his limitations but he seems to make the most out of his skillset which is not so simple. Yes, there are plenty of batsmen who are more technically gifted in comparison but are they consistently performing at there optimum?

He reminds me of a James Milner, not the most pleasing on the eye but consistently performing. As a result he is rarely dropped and a fans favourite.
Click to expand...

True not everyone can be a Pujara.
 
Pakistan does not have a top 4 batsman in the team so we have to play according to our strengths. The go slow approach won is last match and hopefully will win us this match, unless the higher ranked team batsmen show us the reason why their team is higher ranked for a reason.
 
Amjid Javed said:
Excellent session, need another 2 and we could be somewhere near 400 and then can put pressure back on kiwi batsmen.

Azhars 100 is one of his best and hes not been carried by Misbah or YK.
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Phew,
Finally a positive post!!

There are so many, one in particular, negative posters who either have an agenda or have slack of understanding for the game yet throw out statements as if they are the only ones who know cricket when actually it’s far from it... Then you have some who actually fall for it.

Anyway, AJ. That indeed was an excellent session for Pakistan!!
 
The end result is what counts - let them play the way they best know and judge when the final ball is bowled
 
Good for Pakistan bad for Pakistan. Good is that they are now in a strong position in this match, bad is that Asad has again retained his place
 
Mainul said:
Good for Pakistan bad for Pakistan. Good is that they are now in a strong position in this match, bad is that Asad has again retained his place
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Do you guys actually support Pak team or just individual players. No matter how bad Shafiq has been he always scores one or two significant scores per series. In this season I believe he has scored 3 or 4 40 odd scores, which considering the low score series has been reasonable return, but yes he needs to kick on to score big more consistently. We cannot induct all new players in the team at once.
 
Yeah well, my question is to the “positive” posters: please explain why Pakistan is not ranked in the top 3 if their approach is right.

Oh enlighten us with your understanding of the game.
 
Mamoon said:
Yeah well, my question is to the “positive” posters: please explain why Pakistan is not ranked in the top 3 if their approach is right.

Oh enlighten us with your understanding of the game.
Click to expand...

1. Pak have bad domestic infrastructure
2. Pak cannot boost their rankings by creating tailor made pitches to further aid their bowlers.
3. Pak do not get enough matches against top teams to give their players confidence against them.
4. Pak does not have a Kohli to keep bailing out other poor batsmen in the team.
 
Mamoon said:
Yeah well, my question is to the “positive” posters: please explain why Pakistan is not ranked in the top 3 if their approach is right.

Oh enlighten us with your understanding of the game.
Click to expand...

Rankings are meaningless.

Number one ranked team India lost in South Africa and England.

It is all about playing more matches on home turf.
 
PakPremi said:
1. Pak have bad domestic infrastructure
2. Pak cannot boost their rankings by creating tailor made pitches to further aid their bowlers.
3. Pak do not get enough matches against top teams to give their players confidence against them.
4. Pak does not have a Kohli to keep bailing out other poor batsmen in the team.
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5. Pak also are actually playing abroad even for their so called home matches. So the players are out of their comfort zone and also have no home crowd to motivate them.
 
Other then one bad result Pakistan has been superb in the UAE and got to number one due to their performances in the UAE. They know how to play on these surfaces...

It’s day 3 and probably the best day for batting but the slowness of the wicket does not allow for shot making nor is it easy to manipulate the ball for singles.

So they need to bat until halfway through the second session on the fourth day and as the bowlers get tired then runs will come faster but none of this will matter if we don’t have wickets in the hutch.

As for this incessant negativity, “Life is what happens to us whilst we’re making other plans”...
 
Now tell us why the No1 team struggles o much abroad if their approach is right, an please do not compare with lowly ranked team Pak.
 
Sarwar89 said:
Rankings are meaningless.

Number one ranked team India lost in South Africa and England.

It is all about playing more matches on home turf.
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No they are not meaningless.

Rankings are literally the only thing to play for in Test cricket, and the final of the Test Championship in 2021 will be played between the top two ranked teams.

As far as playing more home games are concerned, we have lost 4 out of the last 7 Tests that we have played in the UAE. Home bullying does not come free - India have done remarkably well to lose only one home Test since 2013, which is why they fully deserve their ranking.
 
“One bad result”

We have lost 4 out of our last 7 Tests in the UAE. Well, some people love to live in their own world.
 
PakPremi said:
1. Pak have bad domestic infrastructure
2. Pak cannot boost their rankings by creating tailor made pitches to further aid their bowlers.
3. Pak do not get enough matches against top teams to give their players confidence against them.
4. Pak does not have a Kohli to keep bailing out other poor batsmen in the team.
Click to expand...

Only 1 and 4 are true.
 
[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION],with due respect one need to understand Pakistan were 7-2 in the series decider at home when Azhar Ali came to bat.

At this moment, there is no need for urgency. Play slow but smartly. Get to 450 and declare. This is Pakistan's game and Ali is the best batsmen in the series just when it mattered for them.
 
Happy to see Pakistan go well today. Excellent partnership but now it is time to crack on and crank up the run rate now that they're on the back foot.
 
And we went to number one because of UAE bashing which is true, but it was down to Younis playing exactly how you need to play on these pitches.

He never scored his runs at a SR of 35-40. He always maintained a SR of over 50 which is the way to go. Our current approach is poor and has resulted in poor UAE results.

Azhar’s terrible approach has directly cost us two UAE Tests in the last two years - first Test vs Sri Lanka and the last Test vs New Zealand.

However, I am sorry for pointing out facts.
 
PakPremi said:
1. Pak have bad domestic infrastructure
2. Pak cannot boost their rankings by creating tailor made pitches to further aid their bowlers.
3. Pak do not get enough matches against top teams to give their players confidence against them.
4. Pak does not have a Kohli to keep bailing out other poor batsmen in the team.
Click to expand...

Teams outside of Asia struggle on these slow UAE decks, imagine how they would do against our bowling on tracks that turn square from the first ball!!
 
PakPremi said:
Do you guys actually support Pak team or just individual players. No matter how bad Shafiq has been he always scores one or two significant scores per series. In this season I believe he has scored 3 or 4 40 odd scores, which considering the low score series has been reasonable return, but yes he needs to kick on to score big more consistently. We cannot induct all new players in the team at once.
Click to expand...

Pakistan will never be in top 4 in tests with these Asad and Hafeez types players . If you are content to be mediocre and in middle of ranking table, then nothing to say
 
Mamoon said:
Any team where Milner is among the top 2-3 players will struggle. Azhar like Milner is also a spare part.

He is okay if you have 2-3 top batsmen. However, if he is your go-to batsman, you will always be a low ranked team.
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WOW!! Milner a spare part? I don't believe you've watched him enough..

If you are comparing Azhar to Kholi, Smith etc then he will always fall short. However, if you compare him to the grinders out there then you will realise, he is the best around..
 
He playing his role in the team perfectly, it's up to the others to be more expansive..
 
QuickCrick said:
WOW!! Milner a spare part? I don't believe you've watched him enough..

If you are comparing Azhar to Kholi, Smith etc then he will always fall short. However, if you compare him to the grinders out there then you will realise, he is the best around..
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He is not among Liverpool’s top three players, and they need an upgrade on his position if they are to beat City to the title.
 
If Pakistan produce turners, they will be 50 all out against some unknown spinner. They do not have the skill of the Indian batsmen to score on turners.

Younis was our last batsman who could handle turners. All others are duds.
 
There is lot of criticism going on against Pakistan Test Team.

Let me clarify 2 statistics.

1) Pakistan is the only Asian Test Nation not to lose Home Test series against SENA Country in this Decade.
2) England has not won a single Test Series against Pakistan in almost a decade (home/away).
 
Mamoon said:
If Pakistan produce turners, they will be 50 all out against some unknown spinner. They do not have the skill of the Indian batsmen to score on turners.

Younis was our last batsman who could handle turners. All others are duds.
Click to expand...

Kindly stop throwing India in every post in a match thread related to Pak v NZ

Stick to this game.
 
PakPremi said:
1. Pak have bad domestic infrastructure
2. Pak cannot boost their rankings by creating tailor made pitches to further aid their bowlers.
3. Pak do not get enough matches against top teams to give their players confidence against them.
4. Pak does not have a Kohli to keep bailing out other poor batsmen in the team.
Click to expand...
[MENTION=144231]PakPremi[/MENTION] - check your PM
 
Ab Fan said:
[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION],with due respect one need to understand Pakistan were 7-2 in the series decider at home when Azhar Ali came to bat.

At this moment, there is no need for urgency. Play slow but smartly. Get to 450 and declare. This is Pakistan's game and Ali is the best batsmen in the series just when it mattered for them.
Click to expand...

It is not about the situation, it is about the mindset. Every top class middle-order batsman maintains a strike rate of above 50 for a reason.
 
Lately I was a bit angry on Azhar Ali performances but now I realize just like a diesel engine takes time to perform better, similarly Azhar Ali taking the same instance and look now what a way to go.
 
Mamoon said:
He is not among Liverpool’s top three players, and they need an upgrade on his position if they are to beat City to the title.
Click to expand...

He might not be in the top three players but he is one of the first names on the team sheet. What you are missing from my point is that we don't need 11 players with the same style to be successful, we need a blend of different players. Azhar does his job really well, it's down to the others to capitlise on his graft..

Also, I think Liverpool will compete till the end and I don't think Milner is the player they need an upgrade as him and Gomez have been Liverpool's standout players this season. Also, he was part of the City team that won the league..
 
Sarwar89 said:
There is lot of criticism going on against Pakistan Test Team.

Let me clarify 2 statistics.

1) Pakistan is the only Asian Test Nation not to lose Home Test series against SENA Country in this Decade.
2) England has not won a single Test Series against Pakistan in almost a decade (home/away).
Click to expand...

Not losing a home Test series to either of these teams, but losing three matches and a series to Sri Lanka, losing a match to the West Indies, losing two matches to New Zealand, failing to win a series vs South Africa in two attempts and drawing a Test vs the weakest Australian batting lineup in decades.

That is embarrassing either way you look at it. England have been mediocre at home, but in this decade, they have won series in Australia, India and South Africa.

Pakistan cannot dream of achieving that in its wildest dreams. Overall, England have been a much better Test team in this decade, although we have been their bogey team.
 
Should try getting a 250 run lead here and bowling out New Zealand before the 4th innings
 
Mamoon said:
Not losing a home Test series to either of these teams, but losing three matches and a series to Sri Lanka, losing a match to the West Indies, losing two matches to New Zealand, failing to win a series vs South Africa in two attempts and drawing a Test vs the weakest Australian batting lineup in decades.

That is embarrassing either way you look at it. England have been mediocre at home, but in this decade, they have won series in Australia, India and South Africa.

Pakistan cannot dream of achieving that in its wildest dreams. Overall, England have been a much better Test team in this decade, although we have been their bogey team.
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Mediocre at home, except against India..
 
QuickCrick said:
He might not be in the top three players but he is one of the first names on the team sheet. What you are missing from my point is that we don't need 11 players with the same style to be successful, we need a blend of different players. Azhar does his job really well, it's down to the others to capitlise on his graft..

Also, I think Liverpool will compete till the end and I don't think Milner is the player they need an upgrade as him and Gomez have been Liverpool's standout players this season. Also, he was part of the City team that won the league..
Click to expand...

My point is that players like Milner and Azhar are useful only if you have top players in other positions. Take Salah, Mane, Firmingo, Van Dijk etc. out of Liverpool and Milner will not take the team anywhere, but replace him with a world class player and Liverpool might eclipse City.

As far Azhar is concerned, only a team that has two world class 50 average/50 strike rate batsmen can carry someone like him, because he cannot take charge of the game and has to be carried by superior batsmen.

If he is your best batsman and the guy you look to to carry the lineup, you have serious problems, and that is why we are a 6th ranked team.
 
These two need to keep going...

We know how it goes in UAE.. one wicket easily leads to 2,3 and 4...
We need to push home our advantage and grind it out..
 
Mamoon said:
Yeah well, my question is to the “positive” posters: please explain why Pakistan is not ranked in the top 3 if their approach is right.

Oh enlighten us with your understanding of the game.
Click to expand...

to use rankings as justification is pure **. rankings simply tell us who plays more at home than others.

when terms such as right are used. you have to explain which innings are you comparing with. for example, New Zealand scored 274 in the first innings at a run rate of 2.35.
Pakistan has scored 272-3 with a run rate of 2.61.

therefore Pakistan has played with a better approach than New Zealand, despite new zealand supposedly getting the better of the conditions.
 
Woke up at 630 am and expected wickets to have fallen but wasn't the case for once. Left for work and got to the office to expect at least a few wickets to have fallen and this wasn't a case. What a pleasant surprise...wasn't expecting that!
 
warcry said:
to use rankings as justification is pure **. rankings simply tell us who plays more at home than others.

when terms such as right are used. you have to explain which innings are you comparing with. for example, New Zealand scored 274 in the first innings at a run rate of 2.35.
Pakistan has scored 272-3 with a run rate of 2.61.

therefore Pakistan has played with a better approach than New Zealand, despite new zealand supposedly getting the better of the conditions.
Click to expand...

Pakistan has lost 4 out of its last 7 home Tests. I wish we could be a home bully like some other teams. The rankings tell us that we are a deeply mediocre team, and it is a fact.

Speaking of New Zealand, this is a pretty weak side, and the fact that we lost a Test to them on a UAE pitch sums it up.
 
Scoring at more than 3 runs an over today which is what is needed.
 
if we are here to see posts about India is better and pak is not in every 2nd post then we have to change th title of the thread.
 
I wasn't expecting these two to do so well at stumps yesterday. Great job so far.
 
Mamoon said:
Only 1 and 4 are true.
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How so the curator himself said that there is very little he can do with these desert artifically laid pitches. Pak do not get much 5 test series against the top teams. So all 5 are actually true.
 
NeVerMind said:
Woke up at 630 am and expected wickets to have fallen but wasn't the case for once. Left for work and got to the office to expect at least a few wickets to have fallen and this wasn't a case. What a pleasant surprise...wasn't expecting that!
Click to expand...

I am shocked myself. Though that just means some late drama might just be around the corner.
 
another fluke performance by Azhar..I eman how does he make these flukey hundreds? must be Inzi's fault..
 
And people said I was wrist slitting when I said we'd probably not take a wicket today.

Half the overs done and no wickets :))
 
NZ missing Wagner. Surprised he was dropped for this match.
 
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