SHARJAH // As the cricketing fraternity grappled with the death of Phillip Hughes after he was injured in a domestic match in Australia, the players of Pakistan and New Zealand faced the tough task of returning to the field yesterday with emotions still running high.
Friday was the second day of the match, after the teams had agreed to abandon the day’s play on Thursday before a ball was bowled, following the news that Hughes had succumbed to the head injury he had received on Tuesday in Sydney.
The game continued but, for the Black Caps in particular, the day was about lending support to those close to Hughes.
“Today wasn’t about cricket. Today was about supporting one of our fellow players,” said Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach.
“The key for us was just helping the individuals in the group, some were struggling a lot more than the others and we were just trying to get through the day, to be fair.”
The day ended with the visitors on top, having bowled out Pakistan for 351 and then racked up a breezy 269 for one at stumps, courtesy of a Brendon McCullum century – the fastest Test hundred recorded for New Zealand.
The coach had no desire to talk about yesterday’s play.
“Frankly, we were just trying to get through the day, session by session. It was quite hard on Brendon but he handled it remarkably,” Hesson said.
He said that it was a mark of respect that the players, who sported the initials P.H. on their shirts, did not bowl a bouncer when Pakistan were batting.
Mohammed Hafeez also dedicated his career-best knock of 197 to the deceased Australian Test cricketer.
“The mood was really depressing and, while batting, thoughts of Phil going through those moments came to my mind. I would like to dedicate my highest Test score to the great personality of cricketer Phil Hughes,” the opener said.
McCullum, who played with Hughes at New South Wales in 2009, smashed his 10th Test hundred in 78 balls and is unbeaten on 153 (17 fours and eight sixes) along with Kane Williamson (78), who could not control his tears when he reached 63 – the score Hughes was on when he was hurt.
Unlike New Zealand, Pakistan’s fast bowlers, Mohammed Talha and Rahat Ali, had no qualms in sending down short-pitched deliveries.
To the credit of McCullum and fellow opener Tom Latham, both batsmen responded with a boundary the next ball on three occasions after bouncers.
“We, as a family, are sad with what happened. But on the field the bowlers had a job to do and there were no instructions. It was up to them but there were no specific instructions,” Hafeez said as he addressed the bowlers’ strategy.
Pakistan lost seven wickets for 66 runs and New Zealand off-spinner Mark Craig returned career-best figures of seven for 94, which are the best bowling figures at the ground.
“We were beaten for the first time in all three sessions this season,” Hafeez said.
“We have to come back with something new before they get too far.”
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