Imam-ul-Haq and Sarfaraz Ahmed stood firm against New Zealand`s spin bowlers as Pakistan wiped out a huge deficit on a tricky Day 5 pitch in the first Test on Friday.
Pakistan reached 181-4 at lunch to lead by just seven runs on a wicket which has plenty of variable bounce and spinners are getting encouragement from the bowlers` footmarks.
Imam, resuming on 45, twice survived television referrals against Ish Sodhi to reach 81 while Sarfaraz followed his 86 in comeback test match after nearly four years with a breezy unbeaten 49 off 73 balls.
New Zealand spinners Michael Bracewell and Ish Sodhi made early inroads to reduce Pakistan to 100-4 inside the first hour after Pakistan resumed on 77-2 before Sarfaraz played with lot of aggression and Imam kept his composure to deny New Zealand further success.
Bracewell struck early when he had night watchman Nauman Ali trapped leg before wicket in the day`s third over off a full pitched ball. Nauman couldn`t add to his overnight 4 as the ball hit low on his front pad after missing the inside edge.
Also read: Kane Williamson, Ish Sodhi give New Zealand 81-run lead over Pakistan
Captain Babar Azam (14), who made 161 in Pakistan`s first innings score of 438, twice pulled Bracewell`s short balls for boundaries on the on-side before he repeated a similar shot against Sodhi`s first ball of the day and was adjudged lbw.
Sodhi bowled a perfect googly which kept a bit low as Babar unsuccessfully went for a television referral and walked back with Pakistan still trailing by 77 runs.
Sarfaraz showed plenty of early aggression against spinners with his strong sweep shots as he smashed three boundaries in Ajaz Patel`s first over before the left-arm spinner pinned down runs by bowling outside the leg stump.
Sodhi troubled both batters with appreciable turn from the footmarks and variable bounce, but both stood out with a defiant 81-run unbroken stand in an extended 2-1/2 hour session because of Friday prayers.
The visitors had declared at 612-9 after Kane Williamson notched an unbeaten 200 in New Zealand`s first test tour to Pakistan in 20 years.
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