Cricket

New Zealand vs Pakistan Test: Twitter reactions on NZ beating PAK in a cliffhanger at the Bay Oval

Dixit Bhargav
|Published December 30, 2020

New Zealand vs Pakistan Test: The last international match of 2020 has ended in a dramatic manner in Mount Maunganui.

During the fifth day of the first Test of the ongoing Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand beat Pakistan by 101 runs in a cliffhanger.

The margin of victory might suggest a comfortable win for the hosts but it wasn’t the case as they were forced to grind hard only to go 1-0 up in the two-match series in the last 30 minutes of the match.

Needing 302 runs to win with seven wickets in hand on the last day, Pakistan were expected to buckle down under pressure but it wasn’t to be as batsman Fawad Alam and captain Mohammad Rizwan put together a quintessential resistant act in the form of a 165-run stand for the fifth wicket.

Rizwan, who was dismissed by New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson, played well for his 60 (191) and became the first Pakistani captain to score two half-centuries in his debut Test as captain.

However, it was Alam’s second Test century which not only provided substantial hopes of saving Pakistan but also registered an inspiring story of a player being determined enough to score a Test century after more than a decade of scoring his first one. Having scored 102 (269) with the help of 14 fours, the southpaw fell shortly after Rizwan’s dismissal.

While the Pakistani lower-order tried their best to take the match as deep as possible, the opposition’s bowlers kept on making inroads to bundled out the visitors for 271 in 123.3 overs.

While Tim Southee was the pick of the Kiwi bowlers with figures of 23-8-33-2, the likes of Jamieson, Neil Wagner, Mitchell Santner and Trent Boult also picked a couple of wickets each.

Twitter reactions on New Zealand vs Pakistan Test:

Loading embed tweet https://twitter.com/JimmyNeesh/status/1344155544450297856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Loading embed tweet https://twitter.com/MazherArshad/status/1344156669517979651?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Loading embed tweet https://twitter.com/BLACKCAPS/status/1344156327543619584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Loading embed tweet https://twitter.com/sreshthx/status/1344157888315445248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Loading embed tweet https://twitter.com/MazherArshad/status/1344158043798429696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Loading embed tweet https://twitter.com/ESPNcricinfo/status/1344132059837566979?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Loading embed tweet https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1344154819347542017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Loading embed tweet https://twitter.com/nic_savage1/status/1344155863410376707?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Loading embed tweet https://twitter.com/andymcg_cricket/status/1344140323207798785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Loading embed tweet https://twitter.com/cricketcomau/status/1344126953138241536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Loading embed tweet https://twitter.com/melindafarrell/status/1344160947821113347?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Loading embed tweet https://twitter.com/OptaJason/status/1344161881544564739?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

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About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who is currently into his fifth year as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. His first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.