It is said that being a Pakistan cricket fan requires nerves of steel as the Pakistan cricket team is known for being one of the most unpredictable sides in the world. They proved it once again after the fifth day of the Karachi Test brought all the unforeseen thrill which was missing in the first four days of the game.
When Pakistan met New Zealand in the second Test of the home series at National Stadium Karachi, the similar track suggested no different result from the first match. While the result remained the same, it was an entirely different show from the first game as Pakistan pulled off a sensational fight on the final day of the series.
At the dawn of Day 1 at National Stadium Karachi, New Zealand won the toss and decided to bat first. The Kiwi openers quickly raced away to a hundred-run partnership on another batting-friendly track. As the 10th man scored his fifty, New Zealand posted a mighty 449 runs on the board.
On the other hand, the Pakistani top-order did not have a starry start as they were 56 for 2 down in no time. The middle order batter Saud Shakeel then helped stabilize the ship with his slow but steady century while batting together with Imam-ul-Haq, Sarfaraz Ahmad, and Agha Salman for the vital runs. In the end, Pakistan too reached the 400-mark. But New Zealand came out to bat again with some lead.
So far, the game felt quite expressionless, attracting viewers neither to the stadium nor the screens. While the fans flipped through the scorecard every now and then expecting yet another boring end to the match and the series, New Zealand decided to add spice to the scene.
New Zealand added quick 277 runs to notch the target up to 319 as they declared the innings at the loss for 5 wickets. All of a sudden, a boring Test match earned the interest of the fans but seeing the record, many predicted another batting collapse for Pakistan with an easy victory for New Zealand. At one point, it seemed very accurate with Pakistan two down for zero.
The sun rose on Day 5 hinting at an imminent defeat for Pakistan as the wickets were falling and it was looking like a tough task for Pakistani batters to see off the sun without getting all out. At 80 for five, in came Sarfaraz Ahmad, the former skipper but a newcomer to the current squad playing his fourth innings after years of being out of action. Sarfaraz had already scored three fifties in his last three innings but it was least expected, the magic he weaved with his bat on the final day of the Karachi Test. The wicket-keeper batter brought up his career-best hundred at his home ground, sparking hope in the hearts and sparkling tears in the eyes. Years of resilience had finally earned him back the status of being the savior of Pakistan cricket he once was.
As Sarfaraz scored the most iconic tons of his career, fans hoped for an iconic Test victory to end the drought of zero Test wins at home. When Pakistan were 273 for 6 down, it looked quite doable. However, the Kiwis were quick to turn the tables. In a blink of an eye, Pakistan were 287 for 9 down. Sarfaraz Ahmad, the star of the Karachi Test had to walk back at 118 when the target was only 32 runs away.
It might have seemed like Pakistan were all wrapped up but there still stood a tail-ender who should never be written off as a tail-ender, Naseem Shah. With the field closing in on him, he decided to free his arms hitting a six down the ground. He scored 15 off 11 balls as Pakistan were only 15 runs away from clinching an iconic Test victory. With Naseem Shah on the crease, there is always hope. There was hope in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, and Islamabad. However, the umpires decided to call it a draw as the bad light in Karachi winters was no longer favorable for the play.
An unpredictably unprecedented match came down till the last ball with all four results possible. Although it ended in a draw which might seem unexciting to those who read through the scorecards in the years to come, it looked fair to both teams as New Zealand deserved to get the reward and recognition for the brave decision to declare the innings, keeping it worth-playing and worth-watching but with Sarfaraz Ahmad delivering the most sensational Test performance of his career and Naseem Shah on the crease fighting till the end, Pakistan did not deserve to lose either.
Hence, to sum things up, it was a great game of cricket, competitive enough to end without a result.
