Sarfaraz Ahmed scored his 4th Test ton in the Karachi match against New Zealand© AFP
In the second Test against New Zealand in Karachi, Pakistan’s last pair Naseem Shah and Abrar Ahmed survived 21 balls in fading light on Friday while Sarfaraz Ahmed hit a fighting century to script a sensational draw. New Zealand were in sight of a series-clinching victory but Sarfaraz’s career-best 118 played a crucial role in helping Pakistan draw the game. He scored his fourth Test century, first in eight years, to mark a memorable comeback in the format.
After being picked over Mohammad Rizwan in the team, Sarfaraz repaid the trust shown as he scored 335 runs in the two-match series. Wishes and praises poured in for Sarfaraz for his gritty knock in the second Test.
Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria took a jibe at those who had dropped Sarfaraz from the national squad earlier.
“The people who dropped him from the team are hiding their faces. They have now realised that they didn’t treat him well. Second innings while chasing is probably the most difficult one, Sarfaraz played the best knock of his career under pressure. He scored runs on a difficult pitch where the so-called world-class batter Babar Azam failed. Against off-spinners, he doesn’t have sweep shots and is unable to take charge. And in the end, he gave up,” Kaneria said in a video uploaded on his YouTube channel.
The second and final Test match between Pakistan and New Zealand ended in a draw but not before going down to the wire. Sarfaraz was the ninth wicket to fall. At that stage, Pakistan had 287 runs on the board in pursuit of 319 in the final innings. Abrar Ahmed came in as the final batter and stayed not out with Naseem Shah before bad light forced stumps.
The series ended in a 0-0 draw as none between Pakistan and New Zealand could win a game.
With AFP Inputs
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