Champions Trophy: Kiwi batters stand firm as Pakistan search for another breakthrough – Pakistan

Salman’s third over yielded six valuable runs for New Zealand as both Young and Phillips displayed smart cricket, rotating the strike efficiently with well-judged singles and doubles.

Young, now on 76 off 86 deliveries including eight crisp boundaries and one six, has been the backbone of this innings, doing well in Pakistani conditions. His ability to keep the scoreboard moving against spin has been stellar, and with the innings at a crucial juncture, his progression from here could well determine the final outcome of New Zealand’s batting effort.

Shaheen conceded three singles in the 25th over, bringing the Kiwi total to 113 for three. Pakistan desperately looking for a wicket as Kiwi batters are getting very comfortable in the middle.

Salman continued from the other end as boundaries started trickling for Kiwis. Latham dispatched Salman for a boundary on the third delivery of his second over. Three dots to end the over collected five runs from the over with the New Zealand score at 110 for three after 24 overs.

Young began to settle in as he dispatched Shaheen for a boundary on the fourth delivery of the 23rd over. Three more singles came from it as Kiwi score crossed the 100 run mark, standing at 105 for the loss of three wickets.

Vice Captain Salman Ali Agha replaced Khushdil for the Green Team. An around the wickets approach from the all rounder gave away three runs in the 22nd over with the Kiwi score at 98 for the loss of three wickets.

Overheard in the newsroom: “Young is getting old [as Pakistani bowlers struggle to get him out]!”

Skipper Rizwan calls on pace ace Shaheen again because the Kiwi batters are getting too comfortable. A single from this over brings the Kiwi score to 94 for the loss of three wickets. A good over by Shaheen.

Young then sweeped Khushdil for a boundary after Latham gave him strike with a single on the second ball of the 20th over. Young might be looking to settle in as he moves into the 60s. The Kiwi score stood at 93 for three after 20 overs.

Apparently it’s Azhar Ali’s birthday. Azhar Ali hit a 50 in the 2017 Champions Trophy final. Happy Birthday champ!

Meanwhile, here are some nice reactions to consume to celebrate Haris Rauf’s big wicket (swipe through to see them all).

Young then pulled Haris in front of mid-wicket for a wonderfully timed boundary. The batter collected five runs from the over to bring the total to 86 for the loss of three wickets.

Young brings up his half-century after dispatching five fours and a six in his innings so far.
A very stable innings from the opener despite repeatedly losing wickets on the other end.

Meanwhile, as Pakistani fans face the possibility of an injured Fakhar Zaman, meme-ers are at the top of their game, coping well with an arguably terrible situation.

Khushdil Shah continued from the other end leaking three singles in his second over bringing the Kiwi score to 80 for three. The New Zealand side is again looking to settle their innings.

Mitchell was the next to depart for New Zealand after he was dismissed by Haris, caught by Shaheen Afridi at mid-on. A major breakthrough Pakistan as the dangerous Mitchell departs with the Kiwi score at 73 for the loss of three wickets.

Tom Latham — who scored a half-century in the final of the tri-series — came out to bat for the Kiwis. A double on the fourth delivery and two singles from subsequent deliveries ended the 17th over with score at 77 for the loss of three wickets.

Dawn’s sports correspondent Mir Shabbar Ali says: “The pitch does have something for the bowlers too. And it showed when Abrar made the ball move away enough to dislodge Devon Conway’s stumps. And how Naseem was rewarded for his nagging line and length to get the better of Kane Williamson was an indication towards the sporting nature of the surface.”

The stands are filling up a bit more, as Pakistani audiences continue the age old tradition of being fashionably late. Khushdil Shah was brought into the attack by skipper Rizwan from the University End replacing Abrar. Two singles from the over brought the Kiwi score to 73 for the loss of two wickets.

The pendulum swings in the other direction. We’re getting whiplash over here. Phew!

Haris continued from the other end as the Kiwi batters continued to rotate the strike gathering three runs from the 15 over. Kiwi score stood at 71 for the loss of two wickets after 15 overs as drinks were called.

The Kiwi batters settled in as they continued to rotate the strike. Four singles and two dot balls bring the Kiwi total to 68 for the loss of two wickets after 14 overs.

An update on Fakhar Zaman: He is being assessed and examined for a muscular sprain and further updates will be provided in due course, according to the PCB. Fakhar was injured earlier during fielding.

Haris Rauf, who was away since earlier this month recovering from an injury, was welcomed by Young with a six towards deep square. It was a top edge that went high but comfortably cleared the rope for their first six of the innings.

A single and a wide brings eight runs from Haris’ first over, adding eight runs to the Kiwi innings, with the score at 64 for the loss of two wickets after 13 overs.

Pakistan’s efforts to stop the squeeze the Kiwis’ was ruined by an inside edge boundary in Abrar’s fourth over after four dot balls. A single to end the over bring five from it with New Zealand score at 55 for the loss of 2 wickets after 12 overs.

An excellent over by the Naseem was compromised by not-so-great fielding bringing two from it. The Kiwi score stood at 50 for the loss of two wickets after 11 overs.

“There’s value to bowling a short ball. You might not get it right first time, but there’s a possibility of picking up a wicket. That got to Daryl Mitchell a bit quicker than he expected it to. A dolly catch at mid-on,” says Ramiz Raja on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra.

Darryl Mitchell is another obstacle that Pakistani bowlers need to surmount. He is also one of the steadiest New Zealand batters.

High from his breakthrough, Abrar thunders from the other end as Kiwi batters looked to settle their innings. Three singles in the 10th over ended the Powerplay with the Kiwi score at 48 for the loss of two wickets. An interesting field to start the 11th over from Naseem with a short leg and slip in place. It seems as the pacer will try to bounce out the Kiwis.

Naseem dismissed Williamson on the first delivery of his fourth over after finding some movement from the pitch. A good length delivery moving away from the right-hander trying to defend the ball with the full face of the bat, meets the edge and is caught behind by Rizwan.

A picture perfect wicket for a swashbuckling fast bowler. And for that to be the legend himself works as a cherry on top.

Pakistan’s nemesis Daryl Mitchell came out to bat. Unfazed by a delivery missing his outside edge, the Kiwi batter dispatched an in-swinging delivery at the stumps for a boundary on midwicket. The Kiwi score stood at 45 for the loss of two wickets nine overs.

Naseem continued from the other end as Shaheen was replaced, but to no avail as Young continued with confidence dispatching Naseem for a boundary through covers on the third delivery of the seventh over. A single and a bye ended the seventh over for Kiwis with the score at 39

The first bowling change took place for the Green Team in the sixth over with skipper Rizwan bringing leggie Abrar Ahmed on attack, replacing Naseem. A decent start from the leg spinner saw only two runs come off the bat as a wide brings the total to three from the over.
The Kiwis stand at 33 for the loss of no wickets after six overs.

Meanwhile, six overs down and stadium yet to fill up (cricket fans, where you at?).

Dawn sports correspondent Mir Shabbar Ali says: “I believe Pakistan are more comfortable with chasing than defending. That looks like the only logical reason behind Pakistan’s decision to bowl first.

The pitch doesn’t seem to have anything in it. And its not like dew will come into play later on.

A tight over from Shaheen was ruined on the last ball of the delivery as Young dispatched his delivery with a beautiful square drive. A crack coming from Young’s bat as two runs on the third delivery brought the over’s total to 6.

Kiwi stand at 30 after the end of fifth over, pacing their innings with an economy of six.

Win probability is slowly swinging in NZ’s favour as the fifth over begins.

Young dispatches Naseem on the first ball of his second over for a boundary after a full delivery onto the pads. NZ batters are sly and are scoring the majority of their runs behind the keeper Rizwan.

Naseem reined his line in a little, but was still on the leg side enough for Young to collect two. Young then collected a single on the fifth delivery as the opener tried flex his muscles. A dot to finish collected 7 runs from the over, bringing the Kiwi total to 24 for the loss of no wickets.

The over begins with two dots, after which another mistimed shot by Young sends the ball just shy of the boundary as the Kiwis collect another three runs. The outfield has been lightning quick so far, as the newsroom debates whether sending NZ out to bat was a good idea.

Another half pulled shot takes the ball to the covers for Kiwis second boundary of the innings behind the wicket keeper. Two singles to finish the over adds 9 runs to the Kiwis total bringing it to 17 for the loss of no wickets. Scrappy, but effective so far from the Kiwis.

From the other end, Naseem Shah kept things keeps things tight with three consecutive dot balls to Conway, showcasing exemplary control in that corridor outside off. Young then picked up a single with a mistimed flick towards long-on, followed by another scratchy single through the covers that dragged to the long-on region.

A thick inside edge on the fourth delivery brought New Zealand’s first boundary of the game. The lack of timing from the Kiwi bowlers suggests the pitch is not as easy to bat as it seemed early on. Naseem ends with a dot to bring New Zealand’s score to eight at the end of second over.

The Kiwi openers, while not looking entirely comfortable, have managed to move to 11 without loss in the second over, negotiating the early movement from Pakistan’s formidable new-ball pair.

Shaheen Afridi starts the over to Devon Young. There was no run; a classic new-ball delivery from the left-armer. He pitches on a good length just outside off, Young watchfully lets it pass through to the keeper, setting the early tone under these balmy conditions.

Then Afridi bowls to Young, which he puts away for 3 runs, slightly full, driven through covers, not quite timed but enough to pierce the field, but there’s drama here! Fakhar puts in a full-length dive to prevent the boundary, but he’s come up grimacing. The physio’s been called out and – yes – Fakhar’s going to leave the field. Kamran Ghulam jogs on as the substitute fielder. Not what Pakistan needed, losing a key player so early in this crucial encounter.

Now Conway will face his first ball with the score 3/0. Ready for the next delivery as Shaheen runs in again.

Four back to back dots see Shaheen end the first over after giving away three runs.

The respective national anthems of the teams are being played as PCB chairman Naqvi, President Asif Zardari and his daughter MNA Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari are in attendance.

Fans began gathering outside the main gate of the stadium a few hours before the tournament kicked off, excited to witness the Green Shirts perform on their home ground.

Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (C/WK), Salman Ali Agha, Tayyab Tahir. Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Abrar Ahmed

New Zealand: Will Young, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (C), Matt Henry, Nathan Smith, Will O’Rourke

Umpires: Richard Kettleborough (ENG) and Sharfuddoula (BAN)

TV umpire: Joel Wilson (WIS)

Match referee: Andrew Pycroft (ZIM)