Consistency has been Pakistan’s issue in the recent times, but the Misbah-ul-Haq-led showed no signs of this weakness and was off to a flying start on the Day 1 of the first Test against New Zealand at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.
Pakistan started the first Test against the Black Caps from where they left the Test series against Australia and posted 262 runs on the opening day at an expense of one wicket. The Pakistan batsmen showed a lot temperament on the opening day and converted the starts.
The hosts got a solid start when Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad made a 178-run stand for the opening wicket. Hafeez stuck to his natural style and played some delicate shots, while Shehzad took his time and played through the day.
Hafeez was the only wicket fell in the day, when he was deceived by Cory Anderson on a slow ball. The stylish right-hander played well for 137-ball 97 but couldn’t complete a century.
Shehzad (126 not out), however, remained unaffected from the dismissal and went on to complete his third century in whites. He has also made an unbeaten 98 runs stand for the second wicket with Azhar Ali (46 not out).
