PAK vs NZ, 1st Test: Williamson, Sodhi give Kiwis 81-run lead over hosts

Kane Williamson and tailender Ish Sodhi dug in a lot to the frustration of Pakistan as New Zealand moved forward by 81 runs on the third day of the primary cricket check on Thursday.

Williamson, who accomplished his first check hundred in nearly two years late on Day 2, was not out on 137 off 308 balls whereas Sodhi was unbeaten on 41 off 127 balls in his comeback check match after 4 years.

New Zealand reached 519-6 at lunch.

Williamson has totally capitalized on two stumping probabilities early in his innings and now has batted for practically eight hours, hitting 12 fours. Sodhi was closing in on his fourth check half century and confirmed loads of dedication with the bat on a sluggish turning wicket.

Resuming on 440-6 with a lead of two runs, each batters did not get troubled towards spinners Abrar Ahmed (3-172) and Nauman Ali (2-154), who’ve bowled bulk of the overs.

Pakistan could not get by means of the defenses of each in a single day batters even after taking the third new ball with Sodhi hitting three boundaries towards seamer Mir Hamza on the off facet of the wicket.

Hamza, additionally making a comeback after taking part in his solely earlier check towards Australia in 2018, might have gotten his first wicket within the penultimate over earlier than the break however Pakistan did not enchantment because the TV replays urged he obtained a skinny exterior fringe of Sodhi’s bat.

New Zealand’s lead was 24 when Nauman got here near dismissing Williamson on 116 in his second over of the day.

But Williamson shortly went for a profitable tv referral towards umpire Aleem Dar’s lbw ruling after he missed a full-length supply down the legside and the TV replays urged the ball had pitched exterior the off stump.

Both Abrar and Nauman additionally induced high edges that landed near fielders as New Zealand continued to construct its lead on its first check tour Pakistan since 2002.

(Only the headline and film of this report could have been reworked by the Business Standard employees; the remainder of the content material is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)