Henry and Ajaz add 104 for the last wicket to put New Zealand in the driver’s seat

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Innings New Zealand 449 (Conway 122, Latham 71, Henry 68*, Blundell 51, Abrar 4-149, Naseem 3-71, Salman 3-75) vs Pakistan

A 104-run stand between Matt Henry, the No. 10, and Ajaz Patel, the No. 11, gave New Zealand many more runs that they might have expected and put them in the driver’s seat after just over four sessions of action in the second Test in Karachi. Pakistan, who were hoping to wrap New Zealand’s innings up for under 350, now have almost 100 more runs staring at them.

The century stand between Henry and Patel was the fourth-highest in Test cricket for a tenth-wicket pair. The innings ended when Ajaz attempted to sweep an Abrar Ahmed googly, only to get a top-edge for slip to gobble up. Ajaz finished on 35 – his highest Test score – but it was Henry who was the more aggressive, smacking eight fours and two sixes in his 81-ball 68.

The two came together when New Zealand lost their ninth wicket with the score reading 345. However, Henry took on Abrar early with a four through midwicket before hammering Hasan Ali for four, four and six in consecutive deliveries.

When Naseem Shah came back, Henry went down the ground, in the V, before depositing a shot beyond deep midwicket for six that needed a ball change. He slogged Abrar for a fifth four soon after and struck his sixth boundary by slapping Agha Salman through the off side.

Ajaz was more circumspect, freeing his arms on rare occasions in his 78-ball stay. He hit three fours and looked quite comfortable on the whole, especially against the short-pitched bowling that Pakistan tested him – unsuccessfully – with.

Henry’s fifty came eight minutes after the scheduled lunch break, and the umpires extended play in the session since New Zealand were nine down. They still survived the session, and after lunch, added 16 before Abrar ended proceedings with his fourth wicket.

Earlier in the day, Ish Sodhi and Tom Blundell started proceedings for New Zealand, but Sodhi could not last long, falling for 11 to Naseem to a length ball that held its line and knocked off stump back.

Blundell, in Tim Southee’s company, reached his ninth Test fifty after starting the day slowly. But when Abrar dismissed him for 51 and Southee for nine, Pakistan seemed to have the upper hand. However, Henry and Ajaz frustrated Pakistan, with a number of misfields helping them along.

On day one, a 134-run first-wicket stand between Tom Latham and Devon Conway had set New Zealand up well after they opted to bat despite a green surface on offer. Latham scored 71, and once he was out, Conway led the charge to make 122. However, Pakistan had fought back late in the day when three wickets for Salman took them from 255 for 3 to 279 for 6. But Blundell’s half-century, across the third session of day one and the first session of day two, took New Zealand closer to 350, which Henry and Ajaz took them much further.

For Pakistan, Abrar finished with the innings’ best figures, but his four wickets came at a cost of 149. Naseem was the most impressive of the bowlers, finishing with 3 for 71, an economy of 2.95. Salman, who barely bowled in the first Test, took 3 for 75.

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