“He walked in as if he was Imran Khan” - Naseem Shah and Abrar Ahmed relive their last-wicket stand in Karachi

Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah was left impressed with last-man Abrar Ahmed’s confidence when he walked out to bat in the closing moments of the second Test against New Zealand in Karachi on Friday, January 6. Shah quipped that Ahmed walked in as if he was Imran Khan.

The Pakistan-New Zealand Test ended in a thrilling draw after the hosts’ last-wicket pair batted out three and a half overs following Sarfaraz Ahmed’s (118) dismissal. Set to chase a target of 319, Pakistan ended on 304/9. The draw meant the two-match series ended with a 0-0 scoreline.

Naseem and Ahmed reflected on their crucial partnership in Karachi in an interaction posted on the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) official Twitter handle. Recalling the moment when Ahmed walked into bat after Sarfaraz’s dismissal, Naseem said:

“When he was coming in, I told (Tim) Southee - look he’s wearing glasses, it’s so late, he won’t be able to see the ball properly. This is not fair. But he walked in with style, as if he was Imran Khan. I realized this guy has confidence.”

Ahmed chipped in and said that his batting partner gave him confidence that they could save the Test and also boosted his morale. He elaborated:

“Naseem told be, ‘have belief in yourself. I have seen you in the nets. You bat well, especially against spinners’. He told me to face the leg-spinner since, being one myself, I can read the googly and flipper. He decided to play the off-spinner. That was our discussion.”

Ahmed further asserted that if they had a few wickets, they could have even won the Test. He commented:

“If we had wickets in hand, we could have chased the target with one-two overs to spare.”

Chasing 319, Pakistan lost half of their side for 80. However, Sarfaraz resurrected the innings with a superb hundred.

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“I told Southee, if you keep the same field, I will go for the chase” - Naseem Shah

Although Pakistan were nine down, Naseem took on Michael Bracewell in the 89th over, slamming him for a six and a four. The fast bowler revealed an interesting interaction he had with Kiwi skipper Southee ahead of the last over. The 19-year-old said:

“I told Southee, if you keep the same field, I will go for the chase. But he sent the fielders back after that four and six. Then I decided I wouldn’t go for it and a draw would be best.”

Naseem also admitted that there were nerves out in the middle during the closing stages of the Test. He signed off:

“You work hard over five days and then it comes down to the last 20-30 minutes, whether we can survive on not or even push for victory.”

Sarfaraz was named Player of the Match as well as Player of the Series. He scored 335 runs in four innings at an average of 83.75.