Pakistan hold edge after Yasir Shah spins out New Zealand in Abu Dhabi

Leg-spinner takes three wickets as 'home team' bowl out Black Caps for 153 before ending Day 1 of first Test on 59-2

Leg-spinner Yasir Shah was once again among the wickets for the Pakistan Test team. Getty Images

Pakistan appear to hold a slight advantage over New Zealand after an absorbing opening day’s play that saw 12 wickets tumble in the first Test at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Friday.

Azhar Ali (10) and Haris Sohail (22) took Pakistan to 59-2 at close of play after New Zealand were shot out for 153.

Pakistan began well after New Zealand won the toss and elected to take first lease of the wicket.

They held the upper hand in the first hour before Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls swung it around for them by taking the score from 39-3 to 81-3 at lunch without any further hiccups.

Nicholls (28) departed at 111 after sharing a 72-run stand for the fourth wicket and Williamson fell 12 runs later for a top score of 63 and the New Zealand inning folded for 153.

The visitors electing to bat first lost both openers, Jeet Rawal (7) caught behind by Sarfraz Ahmed off medium pacer Mohammed Abbas at 20.

Tom Latham (13) fell to leg-spinner Yasir Shah, pushing one straight to Mohammed Hafeez at short midwicket at 35 and Ross Taylor (2) became Yasir’s second wicket four runs later.

New Zealand lost the remaining seven wickets in the post-lunch session, four of them within a 10-over period for the addition of only 10 runs before Yasir wrapped up the innings when he had last man Ajaz Patel trapped in front of the wicket.

Yasir was the pick of the Pakistan bowling with 3-54 in 16.3 overs while Abbas, Hasan Ali and Haris Sohail picked up two wickets apiece.

As in the New Zealand inning earlier in the day, Pakistan lost both their openers cheaply.

Imam-ul-Haq played a wide delivery from Colin de Grandhomme to Williamson at gully and Hafeez pulled a Trent Boult delivery to the Black Caps captain at short midwicket for his second catch, both falling at 27.

Azhar and Haris saw Pakistan through with the remaining 14 overs, a good part of it under the stadium lights, and will resume on Saturday with a deficit of 94 runs and 8 wickets in hand.

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