Opening in AD

Shehzad, Hafeez reset Pakistan opening records

Stats highlights from yet another day of a commanding batting performance from Pakistan in Abu Dhabi

Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad added a record 178 runs for the first wicket against New Zealand. © AFP

178 Runs Pakistan's openers added before Mohammad Hafeez was out for 96. This is Pakistan's highestfor the first wicket against New Zealand, beating the 172-run stand between Rameez Raja and Shoaib Mohammad in Karachi in 1990.

13 Number of 150-plus partnerships by Pakistan's openers. Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad's latest entry was Pakistan's fourth-highest for the first wicket in Tests. Pakistan have had three double-century opening partnerships, with the highest being the 298-run stand between Aamer Sohail and Ijaz Ahmed against West Indies in Karachi in 1997. This was also Pakistan's highest opening stand in over 14 years. Imran Nazri and Mohammad Wasim had added 219 runs against West Indies in Bridgetown in 2000.

10 Century partnerships by Pakistan's top-two in the first innings of a Test. Hafeez and Shehzad's was thesecond-highest opening partnership for Pakistan in the first innings of a Test, after the 249-run stand between debutants Abdul Kadir and Khalid Ibadulla in Karachi over 50 years ago. The last century stand at the top for Pakistan was in 2005, when Salman Butt and Yasir Hameed added 102 runs against Australia at the SCG.

3 Centuries for Shehzad in eight Tests. Before Shehzad, no Pakistan batsman had managed to hit three tons by his eighth match as an opener. Shehzad has scored 575 runs in 13 innings this year at an average of 47.91. Among openers, only David Warner has more centuries than him.

2 Instances since 2000 that a Pakistan opener has batted through the first day of a Test. Before Shehzad today, it was his opening partner, Hafeez, who had been unbeaten on 172 against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2012. Mudassar Nazar has achieved this the most often for Pakistan - five (excluding rain-curtailed days) times.

96 Runs Hafeez scored before getting dismissed - his first fifty in his last 14 innings as an opener. He had scored only 150 runs in 13 innings at an average of 11.53 since his last fifty at the top of the order. Overall too, Hafeez was having a bad run coming into this Test, averaging just 16.43 since 2013 with one fifty from 17 innings.

101 Dots bowled by Ish Sodhi in 23 overs (138 balls) he bowled in Abu Dhabi. He finished the day with a respectable economy of 2.95. Sodhi and Mark Craig bowled 40 overs of spin in the day giving away 127 runs at an economy of 3.17. In contrast, Australia's spinners had conceded 146 runs for one wicket in 36 overs on the first day of their Test against Pakistan at the same venue last month.

248 Balls Corey Anderson went wicketless between dismissing Hafeez and Marlon Samuels, his last Test victim at Seddon Park in December 2013. Anderson's 12 Test wickets have come at 30.58 runs apiece and at a strike rate of 63.5.

8 Number of times Pakistan's openers have scored 90 or more in an innings. Before today, the last instance came at the Oval in 2006. On that occasion though, neither man could get their centuries with Hafeez, again, getting dismissed on 95 and Imran Farhat on 91.

14 Hundreds by Pakistan's top-order in 2014 with Shehzad's unbeaten 126. This is the second-highest ton tally by their top-order in any calendar year after the 19 centuries scored in 2006.

4 Times since 2000 that Pakistan have got to 250 runs before the fall of their second wicket. Before today, the last time was against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2012 when their second wicket fell at 365. Overall there have been 17 such instances for Pakistan.


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