NZ vs Pak: Kane Williamson, Henry Nicholls put Kiwis in command in 2nd Test

Image Source : GETTY IMAGES New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson (proper) is congratulated by Henry Nicholls after scoring a century throughout day two of the Second Test match within the collection between New Zealand and Pakistan at Hagley Oval on Monday.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson on Monday continued along with his dream run with the bat as he scored one more century to place the hosts in a commanding place within the ongoing second Test towards Pakistan on the Hagley Oval.
On Day Two of the Test match, Williamson batted in his traditional trend to ease to his twenty fourth Test century — and first at Hagley Oval. And, together with Henry Nicholls, the primary ranked Test batsman turned a precarious place right into a dominant one in Christchurch as New Zealand ended the day at 286/3.

After bowling out Pakistan for 287 on the primary day itself, the Black Caps did not have an ideal begin to their first innings as Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Abbas bowling superbly on a pitch that had some assist and had New Zealand in a precarious state of affairs at 71/3 at one stage.
Openers Tom Latham (33) and Tom Blundell (16) safely negotiated the primary 90 minutes of the day however each succumbed earlier than Lunch. Ross Taylor, who got here to bat at quantity 4, additionally did not keep lengthy as he went again to the dressing room after contributing 12 runs to New Zealand’s rating.

The rating ought to have been 74/4 if not for that dreaded no-ball which gave Nicholls a reprieve and adjusted the complexion of the sport.
After that incident, nevertheless, there was no trying again for the hosts as Williamson and Nicholls initially batted with endurance towards the Pakistan bowlers, particularly Afridi, then steadied the ship and in a while modified gears to place the hosts in a robust place.
The duo stitched collectively an unbeaten 215-run partnership for the fourth wicket and made certain the guests did not have the higher hand on the finish of the day’s play.
At Stumps, Williamson was unbeaten on 112 and Nicholls 89 and New Zealand path by one run in response to 297 compiled by Pakistan on the primary day.
Brief scores: New Zealand 286/3 at Stumps on Day 2(Kane Williamson 112*, Henry Nicholls 89*; Mohammad Abbas 1/37), Pakistan 287 all out in first innings