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Live Cricket Score Pakistan vs New Zealand, 3rd Test at Sharjah, Day 2: Visitors finish at 249/1 at stumps

Catch live updates of the 2nd day of the third Test between Pakistan and New Zealand here.

Brendon McCullum scored his century off 78 balls, the fastest by a New Zealand batsman in Tests © Getty Images
Brendon McCullum scored his century off 78 balls, the fastest by a New Zealand batsman in Tests © Getty Images

Nov 28, 2014

Catch the Live Scorecard and ball by ball commentary of the third Test between Pakistan and New Zealand

(Will Pakistan complete a 2-0 series victory, or can New Zealand produce a series levelling performance?)

Mohammad Hafeez concededs a rare boundary to McCullum at the end of the 43rd over. At the end of the 45th over, the umpires decide to call off play as it is too dark for the game to continue, leaving the McCullum-Williamson stand at 198 runs from 218 balls, the highest stand for New Zealand against Pakistan for any wicket. Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq walks to congratulate McCullum for his fantastic knock. The Kiwis need another 102 runs to level their score with Pakistan’s and they will be a reassured bunch at the end of the day’s play.

The partnership between McCullum and Williamson is now worth 183, and the stand looks impregnable now. McCullum is nearing the 150-run mark. Pakistan skipper Misbah is continuing with the Yasir-Hafeez combination for now, although he will look to bring in the sole wicket-taker Rahat Ali into the attack now.

 

McCullum did not score a run off the 31st over, bowled by Mohammad Hafeez, producing a maiden. The next few overs have been fairly decent for both sides, with two fours being scored in the next five overs. McCullum seems to have steadied slightly after competing his double-ton and will look to play a mature knock in order to remain at the crease along with Kane Williamson till stumps. Williamson, in the meantime, has moved into the sixties after scoring seven fours and a six. Hafeez is turning out to be an economical bowling option for Misbah-ul-Haq so far, conceding 14 runs from five overs. The partnership, in the meantime, is now worth 166 runs.
Kane Williamson, who has been silent in the match so far in contrast to Brendon McCullum’s blitzkrieg, has brought up his 14th Test fifty in 54 balls. Williamson, who was visibly emotional at the start of the day due due to the death of Phillip Hughes, hit hal-a-dozen boundaries and a six in the innings so far. New Zealand meanwhile have reached the 200-run mark, the fourth team fifty being the fastest in the innings. McCullum is on the course of breaking several batting records today.
The Kiwis are scoring at a furious pace (by Test standards), scoring 18 runs off the 24th over bowled by Mohammad Talha. McCullum brings up his century off 78 balls off the last delivery before the umpires called for tea. New Zealand are in the drivers seat at the moment, and a big score is the only way for the visitors from here. The Pakistani bowlers bear a poor look, with Talha conceding 62 runs from seven overs at an economy of nearly nine.
Skipper McCullum welcomes spinner Yasir Shah to the attack by smashing a boundary off the very first ball towards deep extra cover. The Kiwis race to the 100-run mark in the 17th over, McCullum continues to target Babar, as the latter conceded 11 runs off the 18th over. Babr now has figures of 47/0 from six overs, at nearly eight runs per over. McCullum is on course to record the fastest century by a New Zealand batsman, requiring another 19 runs from 31 balls, not a tough objective, to break the current record held by Ross Taylor.
Brendon McCullum misses out on breaking Tim Southee’s record of the fastest fifty by a New Zealand batsman by a delivery, hitting two consecutive boundaries off the first two balls of the 13th over to bring up his 29th Test half century off just 30 balls. This is also the eighth-fastest Test fifty of all time.
Skipper McCullum is on a roll at the moment, scoring fours and sixes at free will. The seventh over of the innings, bowled by Zulfiqar Babar, went for 16 runs, including a six that landed on the Sharjah roof beyond the mid-wicket boundary. McCullum hit three fours and sixes each to race to a score of 34 in 22 deliveries, helping New Zealand post the 50-run opening stand in just eight overs. Pakistan got their first breakthrough immediately after. Tom Latham skied a Rahat Ali delivery, to which Sarfraz Ahmed immediately responded by taking a spectacular running catch near the square leg area. Kane Williamson walks in to bat as McCullum ends the over with another six.
OUT! Tom Latham c Sarfraz b Rahat 13 (32)
The Kiwis are off to a steady start, with both Latham and McCullum scoring boundaries occasionally to keep the runs flow steady. Among the Pakistan bowlers, Mohammad Talha proving to be an expensive option, leaking 21 runs from just three overs. Zulfiqar Babar come bowl the next over.
And its lunch on Day 2! New Zealand trail by 344 runs, with McCullum helping his side get off the mark. New Zealand been the top-side in the first session, taking seven wickets for 70 runs. It remains to be seen if the New Zealand batsmen can make the most of this performance with the bat or not.

It is an identical dismissal to the ninth wicket, with Taylor takes another fine catch at the slips. Yasir Shah departs after a brief cameo of 25 from 65 balls, including four boundaries. Mark Craig finishes with figures of 7 for 94, which is the third instance of a New Zealand spinner taking seven or more wickets, Daniel Vettori taking a similar haul on the other two instances.
OUT! Yasir Shah c Taylor b Craig 25 (65)
Pakistan are on ther verge of getting bowled out even before the declaration of lunch on the second day. Rahat Ali edges a Craig delivery to the slips, where Ross Taylor takes an easy catch. This is Craig’s sixth wicket in the innings, as well as Taylor’s 100th Test catch.
OUT! Rahat Ali c Taylor b Craig 0 (13)
Pakistan have lost their eighth wicket, as Mark Craig registers his first five-wicket haul in a Test innings. Its all going downhill for the hosts, as the Kiwis have managed to stage a spectacular comeback in the Test. Talha tries to go for the slog over long on, but gets caught by Tom Latham near the boundary. Rahat Ali walks in next, with doubts over the Pakistanis avoiding getting bowled out before lunch.
OUT! Mohammad Talha c Latham b Craig 0 (4)
New Zealand, for all the lack of emotions they have displayed on the field so far, have managed to produce their best performance in the Test so far. The duo of Sarfraz and Yasir have been restricted from flexing their arms for a long time now, scoring a run or two every over. Pakistan lose another wicket in the 118th over when Sarfraz Ahmed nicks a Mark Craig delivery to the wicket-keeper while attempting to push it. Craig gets his fourth wicket of the match. This is also Safraz’s first score below 50 in his last 11 innings. It is all on the Pakistani tail at the moment.
OUT! Sarfraz Ahmed c Watling b Craig 15 (24)
Mark Craig is introduced in the over after Ish Sodhi’s, and manages to take another wicket, his third in the match so far. Pakistan are starting to to play too many loose shots at the moment, and risk undoing Hafeez’s hard work that would have ideally seen the hosts put up a total of around 500. The Kiwis, in the meantime, are yet to celebrate a fall of wicket properly, showing no emotions with each dismissal. They clearly miss the late Australian cricketer a lot!
OUT! Asad Shafiq c Sodhi b Craig 11 (39)

 

Pakistan have lost the big wicket of Mohammad Hafeez, who tried to go for the big hit over square leg boundary, but ended up holing a catch to Trent Boult near the boundary rope. Unlucky to miss out on a maiden Test double-ton by a mere three runs, though he has managed to surpass his previous best Test score of 196. The move to give the ball to Ish Sodhi has clearly worked well for the Kiwis.
OUT! Mohammad Hafeez c Boult b Sodhi 197 (316)
Barring a couple of boundaries in the last few overs, the innings has been progressing at a slow rate so far. Two overs going for a maiden, and one run being taken in as many. Hafeez equals his highest Test score at the end of the 105th over when he reached 196 runs off 307 balls.
Asad Shafiq walks in to bat after the dismissal of skipper Misbah. The first boundary of the day is struck off the bat of Shafiq, off the bowling of Vettori, in the penultimate delivery of the 97th over. Hafeez, in the meantime, is 11 runs away from surpassing his highest Test score, and another four runs from there will see him score his maiden Test double-ton
The first over of the second day is bowled by Daniel Vettori, and a single is all that is taken by Pakistan off it. Tim Southee comes in to bowl the second over. The second over is bowled by Tim Southee. In the meantime, the players are in an extremely sombre mood at the centre, especially New Zealand. There are no claps, no emotions. Its as if Phil Hughes’ death has taken the life away from the match. So much that skipper Misbah is dismissed when he edges a Southee delivery to the keeper, but nobody bats an eyelid. End of a fantastic partnership between Hafeez and Misbah though, worth 125 runs.
OUT! Misbah-ul-Haq c Watling b Southee 38 (120)

 

 

A minute’s silence is observed and the players are wearing black arm bands as a mark of respect for the late Phillip Hughes, who succumbed to his injuries on Thursday morning at Sydney hospital after being struck by a bouncer behind his ear during a domestic game. A few players are moved to tears after the minute’s silence. The New Zealand players have all marked the initials ‘PH’ under the fern logos on their jerseys.

Hello and welcome to CricketCountry’s coverage of the third Test match between Pakistan and New Zealand at Sharjah. I am Amit Banerjee and I will be bringing you the live updates of the match.

Day 2 was originally supposed to be played on Thursday, but was called off due to the tragic passing away of Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes, who succumbed to his injuries at a Sydney hospital after getting struck behind his ear by a bouncer, despite wearing a helmet. As a result, the second day’s proceedings will now be played on Friday.

Opener Mohammad Hafeez struck a dominating century to lift Pakistan to 281 for three in the third and final Test against New Zealand in Sharjah on Wednesday. The 34-year-old anchored Pakistan’s innings with an unbeaten 178 — his seventh Test hundred and second in the series — as Pakistan dominated the day after winning a crucial toss and deciding to bat on a flat, grass-less Sharjah stadium pitch.

Catch the Live Scorecard and ball by ball commentary of the third Test between Pakistan and New Zealand here

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