Opener Imamul Haq anchored Pakistan with a pugnacious half-century as the home team reached 154-3 at the close on Tuesday after New Zealand piled up a handy 449 in their first innings of the second Test in Karachi.
\nAt the close of day two, Haq was unbeaten on 74 and Saud Shakeel 13 as the home team need another 96 runs to avoid the follow-on.
\nPakistan started chaotically, losing opener Abdullah Shafique (19), Shan Masood (20) and skipper Babar Azam (24) before the Haq-Shakeel stand added 55 runs for the unbroken fourth wicket.
\nIn contrast, New Zealand\u2019s tail wagged furiously, with Matt Henry (68 not out) and Ajaz Patel (35) both scoring Test-bests as they added an invaluable 104 runs for the last wicket.
\nThe two-match series is tied after the first Test, also in Karachi, ended in a draw.
\nThe National Stadium pitch offered little to the bowlers, but Pakistan did themselves no favours by having skipper Azam, the team\u2019s best batsman, run out.
\nHaq drove Bracewell towards mid-wicket and saw Azam stranded at his end attempting a third run.
\nBut Haq took charge with his seventh half-century \u2014 even as Shakeel needed 42 balls to get off the mark at the other end.
\nEarlier, Shafique was the first Pakistan wicket to fall when he pulled pacer Henry\u2019s short delivery straight to the hands of Ajaz Patel and Masood gave a catch off Patel.
\nHenry and Patel had combined earlier to lift New Zealand from 345-9. Henry smashed eight boundaries and two sixes in his knock, improving his previous high against Australia at Christchurch in 2016 by six runs.
\nPatel also bettered his previous Test-best of 20 \u2014 against England last year \u2014 before he was the last wicket to fall, caught off spinner Abrar Ahmed.
\nNaseem took the day\u2019s first wicket when he bowled Ish Sodhi for 11 with a ball that cut through sharply.
\nBlundell, who was 30 overnight, reached his fifty with a boundary and a single off Ahmed. He hit six boundaries in his 51 before being bowled by Ahmed.
\nThe spinner then had Tim Southee stumped for ten, before Henry and Patel prolonged the innings, helping New Zealand cross the 400-mark.
\nAhmed was the pick of the bowlers with 4-149, while Naseem Shah (3-71) and Agha Salman (3-75) were the other successful bowlers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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