Stunning late wickets put Black Caps in box seat for possible incredible win over Pakistan

By Kris Shannon

Two wickets in the final three overs of day four have put the Black Caps in charge as they look to snap a five-test winless run.

After Tim Southee declared late in the final session with his side’s total on 277-5, setting Pakistan a target of 319 to win the second test, the skipper and Ish Sodhi both struck to leave the tourists full of optimism at stumps.

All three results in the series are possible on day five, though only once, in 1994, has a team successfully chased more than 261 to claim victory in Karachi.

At 0-2, Pakistan’s focus tonight will be firmly on survival. Given the ball began to keep low in the final session, snaring eight more scalps looks well within the Black Caps’ reach.

The bowlers would have been especially buoyed by Southee dismissing Abdullah Shafique with a delivery that skidded onto the stumps. And that mood was only enhanced when Sodhi - New Zealand’s most threatening bowler this series - found an encouraging level to turn to dislodge the bails of nightwatchman Mir Hamza.

The third session breathed life into what had been a faltering effort from the Black Caps, as any earlier plans to advance their scoring rate - and the test - hit a speed bump midway through day four.

Tom Blundell (74) and Michael Bracewell (74 not out) did well to lift their side from a position of some danger, forming a 127-run partnership after the Black Caps had stumbled to 128-4.

The declaration followed a six-over flurry in which New Zealand racked up 47 runs, showing a level of comfort with the bat that could have made them question whether the charge had been left a little late.

It was a similar scenario in last week’s first-test draw at the same venue, when the tourists potentially batted too long and were unable to dismiss the hosts in requisite time.

But time now seems on their side as they look to leave with victory from their first tour to Pakistan in 20 years.

Those final three overs before stumps could prove pivotal, after the Black Caps had sufficiently recovered from a three-over miscue of their own.

Once Sodhi had ended Pakistan’s first innings in the opening over of the day, New Zealand progressed to lunch with the dismissal of only Devon Conway, bowled for a golden duck as Hamza claimed his first test wicket in four years.

The lead stood at 117 runs, with two in-form batsmen at the crease, but that’s when their control of the match loosened, losing Tom Latham and Kane Williamson in quick succession.

Latham registered his third half-century of the series before falling to a fine piece of fielding from Abrar Ahmed, snagging a one-handed catch at midwicket. Williamson was then unable to escape after a third lbw review from Abrar’s bowling, missing an attempted sweep to depart for 41.

That brought Blundell to the middle, with illness preventing Daryl Mitchell from taking his place at No 5, and the allrounder’s absence was more keenly felt after another brief stay from Henry Nicholls.

After being dismissed for five while mishitting an unseemly pull to mid off, Nicholls was averaging 15.8 in his last 10 innings, but Bracewell proceeded to lift the Black Caps out of any peril.

His partnership with Blundell was hardly flawless - both men were fortunate to avoid fielders early in their innings, and the wicketkeeper was twice dropped behind the stumps.

Blundell also received treatment on a groin injury that later saw Latham take the gloves for the fourth innings, but that ailment didn’t prevent him from posting an eighth test half-century.

Bracewell also reached 50 for the first time in tests as what had been a sedate final session sparked to life after 12th man Neil Wagner made a quick visit to the middle and imparted brief instruction.

The message was received, the boundaries began to flow and, with a couple of strikes in waning light, the tactics proved effective.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission