1st Test: Pakistan post 438; New Zealand openers shine
New Zealand bowled out Pakistan for 438 on Day 2 of the 1st Test at the National Stadium, Karachi. Middle-order batter Agha Salman anchored Pakistan's innings after skipper Babar Azam departed. He batted with the tail-enders to get Pakistan past 400. NZ skipper Tim Southee scalped three wickets. Meanwhile, NZ openers Tom Latham and Devon Conway returned unbeaten.
The summary of Day 2
Pakistan resumed the innings at their overnight score (317/5). They lost captain Babar in the first over of the day itself. Salman led the charge for Pakistan thereafter. He brought up his maiden Test century in the 128th over bowled by Ish Sodhi. Salman soon succumbed to Southee, with Pakistan compiling 438. Latham and Conway got NZ off to a flier (165/0 at stumps).
Maiden Test ton for Salman
Salman arrived in the middle after Pakistan were reduced to 306/5, losing Sarfaraz Ahmed. The former joined Babar in the final session, with the duo adding over 50 runs. Salman operated with the tail-enders once Babar departed, having taken Pakistan past 400. Notably, each of the four tail-enders scored in single digits. Meanwhile, Salman finished with 103 off 155 balls (17 fours).
Salman enters an elite club
Salman has become the 15th Pakistani batter to have scored a Test ton batting at number seven. The likes of Moin Khan, Kamran Akmal, and Sarfaraz Ahmed own three centuries at this position in the format.
Southee completes 350 Test wickets
NZ skipper Southee led from the front in the first innings. He was the pick of their bowlers, having taken three wickets for 69 runs in 25.5 overs. With this, the right-arm seamer raced to 350 wickets in Test cricket. Southee is just the third NZ bowler to have reached this landmark after Sir Richard Hadlee (431) and Daniel Vettori (362).
New Zealand (165/0) trail by 273 runs
Latham and Conway set the tone of New Zealand's innings. The duo added 165 runs for the opening wicket and returned unbeaten. Latham, having smashed his 24th Test fifty, is batting at 78* (126). He has struck 8 fours so far. His partner Conway slammed his fifth Test half-century. He will restart from 84*(156). Conway has already smacked 12 fours.
Fastest NZ batter to 1,000 Test runs
Conway has touched the 1,000-run mark in Test cricket. The left-handed batter is the fastest New Zealand batter to this milestone (19 innings). He broke the record of JF Reid, who completed 1,000 Test runs in 20 innings.
