http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754; wins series
Team Pakistan secured their first Test series win since 2006 after they drew the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Wellington-c864 Test against New Zealand today. Pakistan were reduced to 42 for the loss of 3 wickets in the first session, but they eventually recovered
with the help of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Misbah-ul-Haq-c1972 and Younis Khan, who steered their team home. Both knew the importance of the series win and played according to plan.
Misbah and Younis took the match away from the Kiwis the moment they stepped onto the pitch. Younis scored 81 runs while Misbah scored 70 runs and remained unbeaten when the day’s play ended. Earlier in the day, Chris Martin and
Tim Southee looked threatening as they knocked down the top three batsmen of the visitors; however, they were taken care of eventually. Kiwis’ skipper, Daniel Vettori also disappointed the home crowd as the tourists played him with ease. Vettori managed only
one wicket, giving away 57 runs in 34 overs.
Martin and Southee remained to be the pick of the bowlers in the second innings for the Kiwis. Martin took 2 wickets for 63 runs in 24 overs, while Southee also bagged 2 wickets at the cost of 49 runs in 15 overs. Muhammad Hafeez
and Azhar Ali were toppled by Martin, while Southee dismissed Taufeeq Umar for a duck and Younis Khan to assist the Kiwis cause. Nevertheless, Younis had done enough damage to the opposition with his calm and composed 81 off 191 balls, which set the tone for
the Pakistan team to draw the match.
Lastly, Misbah led from the front as he played the captain’s knock on the last day of the second test. He stood his ground, played some exquisite shots at times, and secured a series win for Pakistan. The serenity with which he
played was quite irritating for the opposition, but nothing could be done as the Pakistan captain was in prime form.
The Kiwis never looked to attack until they finally realized that the match was almost over. It was at that time that Vettori brought in the fielders and in effect, Asad Shafiq was removed in the dying moments of the match. However,
by then it was too late for the Kiwis to stage a comeback and win to square the series. The Pakistani players, with a wide grin on their faces, acknowledged their first series win in five years as it had eluded them since long.
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