Williamson firm, but Nauman and Abrar bring Pakistan back

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Tea New Zealand 353 for 4 (Latham 113, Conway 92, Williamson 66*, Mitchell 42, Blundell 5*, Nauman 2-106, Abrar 2-115) trail Pakistan 438 by 85 runs

The post-lunch session on the third day of the Karachi Test was action-packed, led by Daryl Mitchell‘s breezy 42-ball 47 and Kane Williamson‘s 34th Test half-century. A total of 108 runs were added by New Zealand to reach tea at 353 for 4, putting them only 85 runs behind Pakistan’s first-innings total of 438.

Pakistan continued with the old ball even with the new one available midway through the first hour, but when Henry Nicholls chopped a Nauman Ali delivery on to his stumps in the 81st over, they took the new ball with Mitchell on strike. However, Mitchell enjoyed the experience and started off his run-scoring with a reverse-sweep for four.

That intent never died as the No. 5 batter tore into Nauman early by hitting him for six over his head, followed by a four over mid-on. But it was Mohammad Wasim, who bore the brunt of Mitchell’s aggression, conceding four consecutive fours in one over, the first over of pace with the new ball. After that, Mitchell was on 34 in 23 balls.

As the new ball got softer, Mitchell’s aggression took a back seat, and he relied on his running with Williamson to reduce the gap with Pakistan. Mitchell, though, fell in the 95th over, out to a reverse-sweep off Abrar Ahmed that took his glove for a simple catch to Sarfaraz Ahmed behind the stumps.

Williamson, who started the session on 19, made full use of Abrar’s first spell after the break, where the bowler was guilty of trying too many variations. He flicked and clipped Abrar for three fours in the space of seven deliveries to race into the 40s.

He reached his half-century in the 86th over by punching Abrar to extra cover, his first Test half-century since the one he got against India at the WTC final in the summer of 2021. He finished the session unbeaten on 66, 34 runs away from a fifth Test century against Pakistan, his most against any Test side.

The session also saw Babar Azam returning to the middle after sitting out in the morning. He was one of three Pakistan players who did not take the field at the start of the day’s play because of “viral flu” symptoms. Salman Agha and Shan Masood, the other two missing players, were also back on the field.

Babar’s return meant Sarfaraz Ahmed’s brief spell as stand-in skipper came to a close. Sarfaraz was named stand-in captain in the morning, in a way completing a full circle – he was captain when he last played a Test for Pakistan in January 2019. He would play a big role in the DRS-overturned dismissal of Devon Conway before lunch, when the opener fell for 92 off Nauman. But he did miss two chances to stump Williamson after lunch.

The morning session witnessed Tom Latham scoring his 13th Test century, the most by a New Zealand opener in Tests, going past John Wright’s tally of 12. Like Mitchell, Latham also fell to a reverse-sweep while trying to hit Abrar, only for a top-edged shot to loop into the hands of first slip.

At the break, giving Williamson company was Tom Blundell. He was unbeaten on 5 at the end of a session that saw the scoring rate touch four per over, the first session in the Test to move that fast.

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