Salman's first Test century.

[Donny]

Southee traps Hasan in front. DRS. Out.

[Donny]

33 to win. Light, a little better.

[Donny]

4 r.p.o. to win. Sarfraz 118*.

[Donny]

Could yet be a fizzer.

Light meters checked. Dar decrees only spinners to bowl.

[Donny]

Review against Sarfraz. Out.

9/287.

[Donny]

SIX !! 17 to win.

9/302.

[Donny]

15.

[Donny]

Appeal for leg before. Rejected.

[Donny]

Damn. Bad light.

Draw.

[Pies4shaw]

And, after that draw, NZ sits second-last on the ICC Test table - ahead of only Bangladesh - with 2 wins, 3 draws and 6 losses from 11 Tests. Wins against South Africa and Bangladesh, losses to England (3), South Africa, India and Bangladesh and draws against India and Pakistan (2).

[K]

NZ 9/385.

Unbroken 10th-wicket stand of 40.

Matt Henry could tonk a 50 here.

10th-wicket stand ended on 104 runs.

Henry 68*(81) might say he was robbed of a century! Has a higher average than Southee but batted below.

Babar Azam run out in first innings... Dunno whose fault but modern batters are atrocious runners.

Conway 122 (191) in the first innings... Bowled for a golden duck in the second.

Sarfraz PotM and PotS... but how was his keeping?

[K]

This was NZ's first series without Guptill, CdG & Boult.

But dunno if Guptill would make the XI anyway... And CdG was prolly not missed 'cos the pitches were suited to a batting spinner, not a batting seamer. (So the spot was Bracewell's.)

The home series against England may say more about how NZ goes without players. It feels like NZ have almost resigned themselves to being uncompetitive in Tests. It feels like they are pushing for one last shot at ODI and Slogathon WCs in the next two years. They can't defend the Test World Championship this year, but the next one must also be in two years. Feels like they don't think they're gonna be a chance in Tests again. That's sad.

[K]

BTW...

Babar Azam scooped two ICC awards:

ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Year
and the big one,
Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year