Intriguing final session in prospect as Younis Khan falls before tea
The second Test match between Pakistan and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Wellington-c864.
The start to the fifth day was ideal for the home team. Pakistan were hoping to get their innings off to a quick start, but the visitors were in deep trouble after losing three quick wickets.
Taufeeq Umar was the first player to be dismissed. He was out without scoring off the very first ball he faced in the day. The ball swung back and struck Umar on the pads, and the left-hander was caught plumb in-front of the stumps.
The first-drop Azhar Ali also failed to cause any concerns for the Kiwi bowlers. He became the 198th test scalp for Chris Martin. Azhar was out leg-before-wicket after the ball hit him on the pads while he was trying to flick it.
Mohammad Hafeez showed some positive intentions but he wasn’t able to capitalise on the start that he got. He scored 32 runs off 46 balls before he flashed hard at a ball from Martin, and only managed to edge it to Ross http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Taylor-c92915 in the slips.
The departure of the first three batsmen saw Pakistan in deep trouble. The most experienced batsmen in the Pakistan squad, Younis Khan was joined at the crease by captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Misbah-ul-Haq-c1972.
Both players played steadily and took the team out of trouble with their brilliant batting. The pair put together a 118-run partnership and rescued their team. Younis played a few strokes after he got settled.
He was looking threatening for the Kiwi team before he edged one to the wicketkeeper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Reece-Young-c2302 just before the tea interval. The session was called-off soon after Younis' dismissal. He scored a solid 81 runs with 10 boundaries.
On the other hand, the Pakistani captain remained calm and anchored the innings. He was unbeaten on 37 runs at tea.
The attack bowlers Chris Martin and Tim Southee took two wickets each until the tea break. The major disappointment for the home team was their captain Daniel Vettori who remained wicket-less.
Pakistan will once again be on the back-foot and they may try to play for a draw rather than a win. If Younis Khan had survived until tea, things would have been entirely different and Pakistan would certainly have tried to chase down the 274-run target.
However, New Zealand can bounce back in the match if they take a few early wickets in the third session. A draw will not hurt http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 as they will win the series, but the Kiwi team needs a win to draw the series.
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