LONDON: Azhar Ali’s resolute half-century helped Pakistan reach 139 for three in reply to New Zealand’s 274 on day two of the third and final test in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
After the very slow day’s cricket the abiding memory will be the announcement from struggling Pakistan opener Mohammad Hafeez that this will be his last Test. The 38-year-old has managed just 66 runs in seven innings since scoring a hundred against Australia in Dubai last month following his Test recall after two years away.
The Abu Dhabi Test is Hafeez’s 55th since making his debut against Bangladesh in 2003. He has so far scored 3,644 runs with 10 hundreds and 12 half centuries, with the chance to add to that in his second innings in this Test.
“I feel time is up. I am announcing my retirement and feel happy that I worked hard in my career,” said Hafeez, who has also played 203 one-day internationals and 89 Twenty20s.
“I had been thinking of retiring from Tests for the last two weeks and thought that now is the time to leave the five-day format but I will continue to play limited-over matches.”
In the absence of runs from the outgoing opener — who was out for a duck, taken at slip off the bowling of Trent Boult — it was left to Azhar to provide ballast to the Pakistan innings. The batsman finished the day unbeaten on 62 off 169 balls, to help Pakistan recover from the loss of two early wickets to trail New Zealand by 135 runs with seven wickets remaining.
Asad Shafiq was unbeaten on 26 after the pair shared an unbroken fourth-wicket partnership of 54 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.New Zealand pace bowler Boult , having removed Hafeez then got rid of Imam-ul-Haq with only 17 runs on the board, both openers caught by Tim Southee in the slips.
With Pakistan facing a familiar top-order collapse, Azhar stitched together a 68-run stand with Haris Sohail (34) to ease their nerves.
A well-set Sohail was dismissed when he edged Southee to wicketkeeper BJ Watling, but Azhar and Shafiq dropped anchor to ensure Pakistan did not suffer any more losses.
Earlier, New Zealand added 45 runs to their overnight score of 229 for seven, with Watling finishing unbeaten on 77.
Off-spinner Bilal Asif, who picked up two wickets on Monday, completed his second five-wicket haul in Tests.
Debutant William Somerville was bowled for his overnight score of 12 after he failed to read Asif’s sharp turn and the same bowler had Ajaz Patel caught at slip and bowled Boult to finish with figures of five for 65.
New Zealand won the opening test in Abu Dhabi by four runs before Pakistan levelled the three-match series with victory in the second test in Dubai by an innings and 16 runs.
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Pakistan resolute against New Zealand as Mohammad Hafeez announces Test retirement
Pakistan resolute against New Zealand as Mohammad Hafeez announces Test retirement
- Opener has struggled from runs recently, managing just 66 runs in seven innings since scoring a hundred against Australia in Dubai last month.
- Pakistan show backbone in crucial winner-takes-it-all Test in Abu Dhabi.
Salford ‘way more prepared’ for Man City rematch says manager
- Karl Robinson is adamant Salford will be a better side when they return to the scene of last season’s 8-0 defeat by Manchester City
LONDON: Karl Robinson is adamant Salford will be a better side when they return to the scene of last season’s 8-0 defeat by Manchester City.
The fourth-tier club side were thrashed by Pep Guardiola’s men in an FA Cup third-round tie at the Etihad Stadium.
They will now make the same short journey in England’s northwest in the fourth round on Saturday and the Salford manager is confident of a very different game.
“Last year was really emotional,” said Robinson. “It wasn’t too long ago our owners were leaning on iron bars watching non-league football.
“To then walk out at the Etihad in front of 60,000 with their football club was incredible. That’s the journey of all journeys.
“This year we have other things to worry about. We have a different mindset. We’ve learned from last year. We’ll be way more prepared.”
Playing City in the FA Cup was an indication of Salford’s rise through the ranks of English football from non-league level, with their ascent propelled by their takeover by a group of former Manchester United stars from the celebrated ‘Class of 92’.
Salford are now in their seventh successive campaign in League Two, with the ownership changing last year as a new consortium fronted by Gary Neville and David Beckham bought out their former Old Trafford teammates.
Forging their own identity in the shadow of some of England’s leading clubs is an issue for Salford, who will revert to their traditional orange kit after the ‘Class of 92’ brought in a red and white strip.
“Salford is a proper football club and that’s our message going into this game,” said Robinson.
“Last year we wore the red kit but we’ll wear our away kit this year, just to signify it’s a new era. We do sit separate to City and United. We have our own identity.
“We’re a completely different football club now.”
For all Robinson’s renewed optimism, City thrashed League One Exeter 10-1 in the last round of the FA Cup.
But he insisted: “There’s always hope, there’s always a possibility. You don’t know 100 percent. You might know the odds are 99.9 percent against, but there’s still that chance.
“Everyone goes to bed the night before with that thought of ‘what if?’, and that’s exciting.”
The fourth-tier club side were thrashed by Pep Guardiola’s men in an FA Cup third-round tie at the Etihad Stadium.
They will now make the same short journey in England’s northwest in the fourth round on Saturday and the Salford manager is confident of a very different game.
“Last year was really emotional,” said Robinson. “It wasn’t too long ago our owners were leaning on iron bars watching non-league football.
“To then walk out at the Etihad in front of 60,000 with their football club was incredible. That’s the journey of all journeys.
“This year we have other things to worry about. We have a different mindset. We’ve learned from last year. We’ll be way more prepared.”
Playing City in the FA Cup was an indication of Salford’s rise through the ranks of English football from non-league level, with their ascent propelled by their takeover by a group of former Manchester United stars from the celebrated ‘Class of 92’.
Salford are now in their seventh successive campaign in League Two, with the ownership changing last year as a new consortium fronted by Gary Neville and David Beckham bought out their former Old Trafford teammates.
Forging their own identity in the shadow of some of England’s leading clubs is an issue for Salford, who will revert to their traditional orange kit after the ‘Class of 92’ brought in a red and white strip.
“Salford is a proper football club and that’s our message going into this game,” said Robinson.
“Last year we wore the red kit but we’ll wear our away kit this year, just to signify it’s a new era. We do sit separate to City and United. We have our own identity.
“We’re a completely different football club now.”
For all Robinson’s renewed optimism, City thrashed League One Exeter 10-1 in the last round of the FA Cup.
But he insisted: “There’s always hope, there’s always a possibility. You don’t know 100 percent. You might know the odds are 99.9 percent against, but there’s still that chance.
“Everyone goes to bed the night before with that thought of ‘what if?’, and that’s exciting.”
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