Pakistan near parity in absorbing session

Pakistan 133 and 50 for 1 (Azam 23*, Azhar 19*) trail New Zealand 200 (Raval 55, Nicholls 30, Rahat 3-62, Amir 3-43, Sohail 3-78) by 22 runs Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Unlike the previous four sessions, the post-lunch passage on Saturday didn’t produce runs or wickets by the truckloads. Yet, nearly every ball was an event on a surface that offered just enough in terms of lateral movement. Pakistan lost Sami Aslam after nearly 18 overs of defiance, in which the opening pair added 21, but their slow progress in an attempt to wipe out a 67-run deficit meant New Zealand still held the edge at tea on day three of the first Test in Christchurch.

The first hour after lunch produced just 19 runs in 15 overs, with Tim Southee, who bowled five successive maidens in a row, troubling the batsmen by swerving the ball away quite late. This was a classic case of pressure built at one end resulting in a release at the other. Colin de Grandhomme, whose cameo 29 helped New Zealand drive into the lead, picked up his seventh wicket on debut when Aslam’s tentative push to a delivery that angled in and then deviated a little off the pitch resulted in a thin edge through to wicketkeeper BJ Watling.

Trent Boult, meanwhile, made optimum use of the crease through subtle change in …

continue reading in source www.espncricinfo.com