After securing a 101-run win against Pakistan in the first Test, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson praised the resilience shown by the visiting side and said the result could have gone either way in the last session of the match.
With the win, New Zealand not only gained a 1-0 lead in the Test series but also moved closer to the number one spot in the ICC Test Team Rankings. The side will confirm their place on the top if they clinch the series.
Day five of the first Test was an emotional joy ride. With Fawad Alam and Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan weathering the storm in the first two sessions, it almost looked like the game will be drawn as the duo stitched the eighth-longest fourth-innings partnership of all time. However, New Zealand pacers denied visitors a draw as Pakistan lost all six wickets in the concluding session of the match.
For Fawad, it was like a re-birth as he hit a Test century after 11 years. The left-handed batsman had scored a hundred on his debut in July 2009.
"It could have gone either way in the last session. It is great to come away with a brilliant Test win against a great side like Pakistan. It is a special moment. It (to play in the World Test Championship final) provides the context and added intensity, especially when it comes down to crunch moments like we saw today in the last session. There is the little carrot there," Williamson said after the match.
"However, it is not at the forefront of your mind because in Test cricket, there is so much that goes in to manufacture a result. It is moment by moment for five days, that is why there's so much enjoyment out of playing the game. It is good that we are still in the hunt for that (top-two finish) but we know that there is still a lot more cricket to be played," he added.
Pakistan will take on New Zealand in the second Test of the two-match series at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch from January 3.
( With inputs from ANI )
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