Pakistan vs New Zealand: Kane Williamson, Henry Nicholls lead Kiwi fightback

New Zealand staged a fightback of sorts in the deciding Test match against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

Resuming the day at 26/2, it didn’t take long for Pakistan to make a mark as Yasir Shah dismissed William Somerville to register his 200th victim in 33 Test matches, making him the fastest to reach that mark, surpassing an 82-year old record set by Australian leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmett.

Shaheen Shah Afridi kept that momentum going by dismissing Ross Taylor for just 22 off 14 balls to rattle the Kiwis at 60/4.
But an unbeaten 212-run stand between Henry Nicholls and skipper Kane Williamson was what turned the game around its head. The duo not only arrested the slump but also showed a lot of resilience in fending off the threat posed by the Pakistan bowlers. Williamson scored a sparkling 139 off 282 deliveries with 13 fours while his partner Henry Nicholls consumed 243 balls for his unbeaten 90–a knock that had eight hits to the fence.

Also read: Yasir Shah becomes fastest to get to 200 Test wickets, breaking 82-year old record

Surprisingly, none of the bowlers could find any success all throughout the day. The Kiwi duo, who now have helped their side attain a 198-run lead, would want to carry on in the same vein on the fifth day as well.

Brief scores: New Zealand 272 for 4 (Williamson 139*, Nicholls 90*, Shaheen 2-55) and 274 (Williamson 89, Watling 77*, Bilal 5-65) lead Pakistan 348 (Azhar 134, Shafiq 104, Somerville 4-75) by 198 runs.

(Image credit-BBC)