NZ thrash Pakistan to draw Test series

Paceman Trent Boult took four wickets as New Zealand beat Pakistan by an innings and 80 runs to win the third and final Test within four days and draw the series 1-1.

Pakistan, who won the first match of the series in Abu Dhabi by 248 runs, were all out for 259 in their second innings in Sharjah on Sunday.

Asad Shafiq staged a lone battle for Pakistan and completed his fifth Test hundred with an aggressive 137 off 148 balls but ran out of partners in the end.

On a docile pitch at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium where New Zealand posted their highest total in tests, the 25-year-old Boult extracted enough movement and pace to rattle the Pakistan top order.

Shan Masood (four) edged Boult to Tim Southee at slip in the third over, while the paceman bowled Azhar Ali (six) with the last delivery of his fourth over and then returned to dismiss Younis Khan for a duck leg before with the first ball of his next.

Late fightback

Off-spinner Mark Craig, who took seven wickets in the first innings, continued to punish Pakistan by dismissing opener Mohammad Hafeez and captain Misbah-ul-Haq.

Sarfraz Ahmed (37) took the attack to the New Zealand bowlers and added a quickfire 73 for the sixth wicket with Shafiq.

But leg-spinner Ish Sodhi, who saw Sarfraz dropped twice off his bowling in one over, took out the wicketkeeper-batsman and Yasir Shah (10) to take New Zealand closer to victory.

The 28-year-old Shafiq smashed 18 fours and six sixes in his knock and added 78 for the ninth wicket with Rahat Ali to delay New Zealand’s celebration. He fell to Boult.

Rahat became the last man out and Craig’s 10th victim in the match.