Pakistan vs New Zealand, 1st Test - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

Fifty for Azhar Ali

What an innings this has been amidst all the ruins. Gets to his fifty off 91 balls and doesn't even acknowledge it. He needs to get Pakistan, who need 20 more runs, over the line. He has Hasan Ali for company, who's playing and missing and slogging for no rewards, and Mohammad Abbas follows, so Azhar knows he's all by himself.

Eight down!

My heart's racing quicker than time. Wagner gets Yasir Shah caught at a wide slip, using his left-armer's angle from over the wicket to good use.

21 runs, 2 wickets - who's favourite?

Pakistan seven down!

Bilal Asif swipes wildly across the line and is bowled. Guess that was the only way he was going to play it.

And a DRS review follows the dismissal. Yasir Shah given out caught behind off Patel's bowling but the sound came from bat hitting the ground, so the onfield decision had to be reversed there. Good review from Yasir Shah.

Safraz out sweeping

22 more runs needed with 4 wickets in hand. Azhar Ali's not out on 48 and perhaps Pakistan's only hope.

Sarfraz goes for the sweep against Ajaz Patel here, gets a glove onto the pad and Watling catches. Wasn't given out initially but New Zealand went for DRS and gained a shot at winning this Test match.

Welcome back

The players are back. Let's see if New Zealand can surprise us ... ok wait, Pakistan have. An atrocious piece of calling and running means the stumps at the bowler's end takes a pasting, and Babar Azam is run out on 13 off 21 balls. 28 more runs needed, with 5 wickets in hand.

SHAFIQ FALLS

Wagner kept banging it in and now sends one up. Angling away from length, the right-hander poked at it and edged it to the 'keeper. Pakistan still need 46 and it's also lunch.

Four wickets in the session and 93 runs scored. Pakistan still in with a very good chance to win this contest. Spinners kept the visitors in the hunt with three quick wickets. Pakistan slipped from 40 for no loss to 48 for 3.

Azhar Ali and Shafiq steadied things with an 82-run stand but failed to finish things off. We'll be back in about 35 minutes as this Test enters its final leg.

50-run stand!

Shafiq and Azhar Ali are doing it for Pakistan. A very calm and composed half-century stand fir the fourth wicket, which has come off 95 balls. Good going; Pakistan on course to a one-nil lead.

4000 Test runs for Asad Shafiq

Boult into the attack

After an hour of spin, here's Trent Boult with his left-arm pace. If New Zealand are to win this, Boult will have to produce something special, because Shafiq and Azhar Ali look well set.

Much stable now

Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali have steered Pakistan to calmer waters after they looked like botching another run chase. They still can, although the odds seem to be reducing by the minute.

They're sliding down: 48/3

A full toss from Ish Sodhi and Haris Sohail has drilled it straight back at the bowler, who takes a nice low catch. Two in the same over for Sodhi.. What's happening Pakistan?

Another wicket: 44/2

What does Abu Dhabi have up its sleeve? Another wicket, this time to Ish Sodhi. Gets Hafeez pushing outside off and has a chip-drive caught at cover. Gets undone by the dip and loop. Lovely bowling from the New Zealand spinners.

Imam goes early: 40/1

Beautiful bowling from Ajaz Patel. He beat Hafeez three times in the first over of the day, bowled three maidens and here's his reward. From over the wicket to Imam-ul-Haq, who plays back to a delivery spinning in, and is pinned right in front.

Building up

Hello and welcome to Day 4 of the first Test between Pakistan and New Zealand in Abu Dhabi. After Yasir Shah and Hasan Ali registered five-wicket hauls yesterday, Pakistan managed to restrict the target to 176, and look on course to get there. Imam-ul-Haq raced off the blocks and got Pakistan off to a super quick start, and the hosts have 10 wickets left to make the 139 runs.

Anticipating a surprise? We might be in for one. The pitch and the low-scoring nature of this Test demands one *wink*

As we wait, read what Ahsan Iftikhar Nagi has to say on Hasan Ali.