CHRISTCHURCH: Pakistan’s accurate bowling attack tied down New Zealand between lunch and tea Monday on the second day of the second cricket test.
Even Kane Williamson, the New Zealand captain who has had scores of 251 and 129 in his last two innings, was hard-pressed to accelerate the scoring.
New Zealand added 79 runs for the loss of Ross Taylor’s wicket in the second session and was 145-3 at tea. Williamson had scored 40 in 149 minutes, Henry Nicholls scored 25 in 101 minutes and their 50 partnership spanned 105 deliveries.
A little flourish which brought three boundaries in the last three overs before tea bumped the run rate up to 2.8.
The first hour of the middle session produced only 30 runs from 14 overs as Taylor fell for 12 to the bowling of Mohammad Abbas and Williamson and Nicholls worked to staunch the fall of wickets.
New Zealand also lost the wickets of Tom Blundell and Tom Latham in the half hour before lunch after the pair had shared a 52-run opening stand. Taylor’s dismissal left New Zealand 71-3 and under pressure as it replied to Pakistan’s first innings of 297.
Nicholls also seemed to have fallen soon after lunch. When he was 3 and New Zealand was 74-3, Nicholls edged a ball from Shaheen Afridi to wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan.
Nicholls was walking when the television umpire called the front foot no ball by Afridi, which gave the New Zealander a very fortunate reprieve.
Naseem Shah later beat Nicholls with a yorker angled into the batsman which passed under the bat and grazed the off stump on the way to Rizwan.
The incidents were reminiscent of the start of Nicholl’s innings in the second test against the West Indies this summer when he was dropped three times on the way to 50 but went on the make 174, a career-best score.
Even Williamson, imperious in recent winnings, found batting difficult. The Pakistan bowlers, especially Afridi, generated pace and hit a relentlessly testing line. They stifled the back foot shots Nicholls and Williamson enjoy and worked on a full length outside off stump which made driving perilous.
Pakistan kept in two gullies at times to Williamson, who was aware of the danger and curbed his shot making outside off stump.
The pitch at Hagley Park mostly has retained its pace from the first day and the batsmen have been wary of any movement away from the bat.
New Zealand 145-3 at tea on day 2, 2nd test against Pakistan
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New Zealand 145-3 at tea on day 2, 2nd test against Pakistan
- Pakistan bowlers, especially Afridi, generated pace and hit a relentlessly testing line
- New Zealand also lost the wickets of Tom Blundell and Tom Latham in the half hour before lunch after the pair had shared a 52-run opening stand
Pakistan to raise special force to guard Balochistan minerals as Barrick reviews Reko Diq project — official
- Barrick decision follows coordinated separatist attacks in several districts across Balochistan last Saturday that killed over 50 civilians and security personnel
- Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, is the site of a decades-long insurgency by Baloch separatist groups who often attack security forces, foreigners
KARACHI: Pakistan has decided to boost intelligence network and raise a special force to guard the mineral-rich Balochistan province and its borders with Iran and Afghanistan, a provincial government official said on Saturday.
The development comes days after Canadian giant Barrick Mining Corporation said it planned to “immediately” begin a comprehensive review of all aspects of the multibillion-dollar Reko Diq copper-gold project in Balochistan.
Barrick decision followed coordinated separatist attacks by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) group in several districts across Balochistan last Saturday that killed 36 civilians and 22 security personnel. Authorities said they had killed 216 militants in follow-up operations.
Mineral-rich Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, is the site of a decades-long insurgency waged by Baloch separatist groups who often attack security forces, foreigners and non-local Pakistanis and kidnap government officials.
“In light of the terrorists events, the provincial government in tandem with security forces is redesigning the entire security architecture,” Shahid Rind, an aide to Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti for media and political affairs, told Arab News.
“This includes raising of dedicated Frontier Corps for the mineral-bearing area, securing both borders i.e. Iran and Afghanistan.”
Arab News reached out to Pakistan’s information minister, Attaullah Tarar, but he did not respond to questions seeking comment on the matter.
The Balochistan government will also beef up intelligence network and work closely with mining companies in the region.
“The Balochistan government is extremely serious about foreign investment in the province and considers Reko Diq as the flag-bearer of foreign investment,” Rind said.
“The provincial government will do whatever is necessary to maintain that.”
The recent attacks have apparently alarmed international investors, especially Barrick, which is developing one of the world’s largest copper and gold mines in Balochistan.
“As we stated in our public documents, Barrick is undertaking a review of all aspects of the Reko Diq project, including with respect to the project’s security arrangements, development timetable and capital budget,” a Barrick spokesperson said in response to an Arab News email.
In a Feb. 5 statement issued with its fourth-quarter financial results, Barrick said the Reko Diq project “continued to advance site works in Q4, although in light of a recent increase in security incidents, management is currently reviewing all aspects of the project.”
“The review will begin immediately,” the Barrick spokesperson said. “An update will be provided when the review has been completed.”
Barrick owns 50 percent share in Reko Diq, along with three Pakistani federal state-owned enterprises that own 25 percent, while the Balochistan government has the remaining 25 percent share in the project.
The project is expected to begin production in 2028 and is central to Pakistan’s hopes of boosting mineral exports and attracting foreign investment into its underdeveloped mining sector. Despite heightened threats in Balochistan, development linked to the project continues in other parts of the country.
Barrick is expected to start investing in Pakistan’s port infrastructure soon as it prepares for exports.
Pakistan International Bulk Terminal Ltd. (PIBT), the country’s first dirty bulk terminal located at Port Qasim in Karachi, will host dedicated facilities to ship Reko Diq’s output.
PIBT CEO Sharique Azim Siddiqui told Arab News this week that Barrick would invest $150 million to build a shed and upgrade other dedicated facilities to handle shipments of copper-gold concentrate once Reko Diq production begins in 2028.
Barrick’s Pakistani subsidiary, Reko Diq Mining Company, last week signed an export agreement with PIBT under which the miner will export 800,000 tons of copper and gold concentrate through the terminal in the first phase, doubling the volume in the second phase, according to Siddiqui.
Revived in 2022 after years of legal disputes, the Reko Diq project is billed by the government as a transformative investment for Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least developed province.
But persistent militant activity and rising attacks targeting security forces, state institutions and infrastructure have raised concerns among investors.
The latest separatist attacks, one of the deadliest flare-ups in Balochistan in recent years, have prompted large-scale security operations across the province as authorities continue their hunt for militant facilitators.
Siddiqui said the recent surge in militancy in Balochistan remains a concern for them.
“Security challenges have always been there in Pakistan. The investors do realize that, and we take it in our stride, and we hope for the best,” Siddiqui said.
“If there is no security for the cargo movement, then that’s going to hurt that (Reko Diq) project and hurt everyone.”
