I was expecting 400 or so runs but it seems just like Pakistani bowlers I also underestimated the Kiwi tail enders. Henry already scored his 50 and Patel might too. A score of 400+ would not be easy for Pakistan. They have a very inconsistent batting line up and if they want to win this match or draw it they would need a good partnership.

I believe it is time for Prithvi Shaw to be given a chance. As far as I am concerned, I believe this guy is doing well at the moment, and he has also proven his worth in recent times. In any case, I was quite surprised to learn that he did not get any chance in the upcoming Sri Lanka series that is going to take place.

There is also another thing that is always perceived to be more significant in T-20 cricket than in regular cricket, and that is the strike rate. Although 130 strike rate is actually very favorable, so I have no idea why he didn't get the chance that he deserved, as 130 strike rate is actually very positive.

He has proven in domestic cricket that he has the ability to score runs at a good rate but still the selectors have neglected him for both T20 & ODI series with Srilanka. I guess they are prefer players who have done well in IPL and are not considering those who have done good in domestic. Last IPL I do not remember Shaw doing good.

Not having any hopes for the next one scheduled tomorrow. They will play in the same manner and Inam sure they will create another flat pitch that will only help the batters. Being said that I still feel NZ will try to win the next but looking at he boady language of Pakistan players they are more in defense mode than attack. I hope the new PCB chairman takes some big action to improve the overall performance of Pakistan cricket.

I think Prithvi Shaw could be a better replacement for Rishabh Pant but unfortunately it has been quite long since he has played any international matches and KL Rahul may take care of wicket keeping in the test matches. But, I guess finding a replacement as wicketkeeper cum aggressive batter for the test matches must be quite challenging one for BCCI selection panel.

As of now, it seems like Rishabh Pant may make a quick comeback like in 3 to 4 months of time. So, BCCI may not look for long term replacements in my opinion.

The first T20 bilateral match for this year will payed between India and Srilanka on 3rd of January. The match will be played in the wankhede stadium in Mumbai. A lot of new Indian talents are part of the team. How many of them become part of the playing 11 would be interesting to watch. I am also looking forward to find out who will be opening the batting with Ishan Kishan and will Umran Malik be given an opportunity in the first match. 

Yes, I agree with you. There is a problem with test cricket, which is that you need a certain amount of skills in order to be able to execute the plans that you have made. In spite of that, if you are giving this job to a young player, he is most likely not experienced enough to be able to put the plan into effect as you planned.

But in one-day internationals or T20 cricket, that is not necessary, because the batsman is most likely to play shots anyway. It is true that test cricket is a form of cricket where the margin for error is really low. And experience is much needed in test cricket.

BCCI announced that Pant and Bumrah are their best players in tests for 2022. This just goes to show how good he is in tests despite his epic strike rate. I absolutely loved how he played against the Ozzies in their own backyard sometime back.

He could still play in 2023 as long as his injuries aren't very, very severe.

The sad thing is that his cricket career is most probably completely over due to those serious injuries.

I would say suicidal declaration and its not recommended if you have lost two consecutive home series. Bracewell is gone in first over, he was bowled by Abrar. NZ need 122 runs on 74 balls at the moment and this is very much in there range. NZ are going with 6 runs per over and they to do some more acceleration if they really wanna win this game.

~snip~.

On papers it is an easy draw when the morning session started, but the pitch has worn off badly and the ball is spinning a lot and they lost 5 wickets and if not for the innings from Imam-ul-Haq and Sarfaraz Ahmed they would still be trailing and the New Zealand spinners are bowling well outside the leg stump expecting it to hit a crack and turn sharply and with 55 overs left in the day anything is possible.

Shocked to learn that Pant almost died in a car crash a little while earlier.

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/2998671

The car was totally burnt to a crisp. I have no idea as to how he managed to survive that without major injuries. This accident could have ended his life or career. He's one of the best cricketers at present and I hope that he recovers quickly.

India also has Parthiv Patel & Ishan Kishan. Both are also good openers as well as middle order batters. They both are much younger and can also replace Panth. We have already seen he has been replaced by Ishan Kishan in the upcoming bilateral series with Srilanka. Selectors have multiple options available at the moment.

The crazy thing is that South Africa still managed to lose by such a margin despite Green not bowling thanks to his fractured finger. This just goes to show the difference in level between Aus and SA in the test format currently.

I won several easy bets in this match luckily. One of them was Sodhi to score 50 runs when he was on 41 and the odds were around 1.49. Great value!