It’s nice when you achieve something that hasn’t been done for a long time. 49 years since the New Zealand cricket team last won a series away to Pakistan. This one was in the UAE but close enough. It’s been funny seeing that achievement chucked out there like we’d all been sweating and fretting for every one of those 49 years just waiting for them to finally beat Pakistan in an away series, as if that was the most important thing in all kiwi cricket, but it was a great performance and a great series victory. Chur chur.

It was also a timely team effort, with only a couple performers exceeding overall. It wasn’t until the last innings of the series that anyone got to triple figures for the Blackcaps with the bat, with only two of the top seven batting ahead of their career averages. But timely runs and timely wickets add up over multiple games and apparently debutant spinners do the trick too. Here are the breakdowns in all their numerical glory.

BLACKCAPS BATSMEN

Kane Williamson remains one of the finest batsmen on the planet, just in case you’d forgotten in the long, long, agonising wait between Test matches. There are differing seasons, obviously, but Virat Kohli scored 777 runs in the seven and a half moths between Tests for the Blackcaps. Joe Root had 15 Test innings in that time. Stuart Broad got four Test ducks in that time (which is only three short of Williamson’s entire career mark).

Right so Kano was magical yet again. He scored 67 and 37 in the first Test, scored 28* and 30 in the second, then absolutely lit it up with 89 and 139 in the third. Add ‘em all together and you’ve got a series leading 386 runs. He top scored in three of the six innings that New Zealand batted and on top of that was the only man left undefeated when the kiwis were skittled by Yasir for 90 all out in the second Test. In the third Test it was his 104 run partnership with BJ Watling that ensured the NZers were able to set a total that kept them in the match (and therefore in the series) and then after coming to the crease one down with a 73-run deficit in the second innings, a deficit that wasn’t surpassed until they’d already lost four wickets, it was his 212-run stand with Hank Nicholls that batted NZ into a winning position. He was just incredible that day. Like watching Da Vinci paint the Mona Lisa.

And his mate at the other end wasn’t half bad either. He had a great ton one time against South Africa but this was clearly Henry Nicholls’ best Test innings. 126 not out, good for the average. Also good for keeping himself in that number five position for the rest of the summer after a little bit of pressure was growing on him. Nicholls has now passed 1000 runs in Tests too. Average of 39.20. Funny thing about his series is that he did all his damage in the second innings’, scoring 28, 0 & 1 in the firsties and a much more impressive 55, 77 & 126not for seconds. Not sure what that means but his other two Test centuries came in first innings bats so not sure it’s a trend (he averages 47.40 in second innings and 34.89 in firsts but that’s skewed by this series).

By the way, the best average in Test cricket in his team’s second innings (min. 10 inns) over the last five years? That’d be Kane Williamson, naturally. Scoring those tough runs. He’s averaging an eye-bulging 64.48 with five tons in 32 innings within that criteria. Henry Nicholls and BJ Watling are also in the top ten, as is, strangely enough, Mark Craig (277 runs at 46.16, thanks to five not outs in 11 innings). Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor are 11th and 12th.

BJ Watling’s Test batting has been down a bit recently, averaging just 31.16 with only one fifty in the calendar year of 2017. Batting at six in this series he wasn’t able to score his first century since July 2016 but he did score a couple halfies, including that marathon 77 not out in the third Test where he faced 250 balls and hit 4 fours. Passed 3000 runs in the process. That’s our Bradley John.

Ah, the openers were a bit average. There was one 50-run partnership and we ended up being bowled out for 90 anyway, with the rest of Jeet Raval and Tom Latham’s stands together yielding 55 runs combined. Raval got some time at the crease in with 349 balls faced but he didn’t score a lot of runs for it. No scores past 50 in six attempts. After a really dependable start to his career in which he scored double figures in 13 of his first 14 innings, he has only done so in four of his last 10 – including his first Test duck in the last innings he played (and the last thing he did in the series was drop a catch). There were three good starts but he didn’t go on with any and is averaging only 17.33 this year. Similar story for Tom Latham who batted for a fair while, facing 317 balls, but couldn’t score the runs. Just 99 runs in six innings, getting dismissed for 22 or fewer in five of them. Latham is also averaging only 23.11 in Tests in 2018 (all five of them that we’ve played).

Good thing it was a combined team effort because Ross Taylor didn’t do anything after his lovely 82 following on in the second Test. Pretty rare that he’s kept this quiet in a series. Nothing to mention from the tailenders who mostly all had a half-cameo or two but that was it. Colin de Grandhomme won’t remember his attempts with the willow this series too fondly. 63 runs in six innings with two ducks. He did hit three sixes, which was the most of any players in the series, but his first series away from home (yeah, you read that right, CDG and Jeet Raval had never played a series outside of NZ before) did some damage to his career batting average, dragging it down to a career 30.00 flat.

PAKISTAN BATSMEN

Shout out to Mohammad Hafeez, who announced his retirement from Test cricket at the culmination of this series. He finishes with 55 Tests to his name, having scored 3644 runs at an average of 37.95, with 10 hundreds and 12 fifties. Not the best final series for him though, scoring just 47 runs in his five innings. Fellow opener Imam Ul-Haq wasn’t much better with 73 runs in five innings. Opening partnerships of 27, 40, 18, 0 and 19. Even worse than New Zealand, mate.

Similarly captain Sarfraz had a 30 not out as Pakistan declared their only innings in the second Test at 418/5 on the way to an innings victory. That was decent… but even with that red ink he still only scored 88 runs in five knocks at an average of 22.0. He’s been a bit rubbish with the bat since taking over as captain, if we’re honest. The opposite of the bloke captaining the other side.

But aside from those three there were some monster efforts in the top/middle order. Babar Azam and Azhar Ali in particular. Each of them passed fifty three times in five innings, with Babar taking the battle of the averages thanks to his pretty brilliant 127 not out in the second Test. Azhar scored 81 in that game before being run out, combining with Haris Sohail for a 126 run partnership before Babar came to the crease two wickets later and he and Haris Sohail added 186 runs for the fifth wicket. Hence how Pakistan were able to bat New Zealand out of that match. That and the small matter of 90 all out in response.

The rest of it wasn’t as flash as ball dominated bat with all but a few exceptions. Pakistan scored 227 and 171 in the first Test and 348 and 151 in the third. Again, that third Test first innings was anchored by one huge partnership, Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq adding 201 runs for the fourth wicket, each of them tonning up. The next best scored was Haris’ 34. New Zealand responded with a big effort in their second innings, Kane Williamson and Henry Nichols’ superb partnership doing the business, and then only Babar Azam could offer any sustained resistance with 51 in the second innings.

And the less said about Pakistan’s lower order contributions the better. Losing their last seven wickets for 41 runs in the first Test (when 46 runs would have won them the Test) was the lowlight but then none of them scored any runs even at the best of times.

BLACKCAPS BOWLERS

Spin was the order of the tour for New Zealand. Tim Southee didn’t even play the first two games and when he was recalled it was at the expense of Neil Wagner. Wagner tried as hard as he always does. 68 overs in the steamy heat including some dead set heroics in that spell with Ajaz Patel in the first Test, locking down one end so that Ajaz could spin the team to a famous victory. But then he bowled 37 overs without a wicket in the second Test and it was clear that a little more guile from Southee was needed. Fair call, it’s horses for courses and all that. That was Wagnut’s 38th career Test match and the first – the FIRST – in which he failed to take a wicket.

Southee then came in and took four wickets, including a couple late ones, as NZ wrapped up the series. Doing what needed to be done after the batting heroics of Williamson and Nicholls. Similarly Colin de Grandhomme was solid with the new ball in the first two games, doing what was asked of him by chipping away outside the stumps, though he wasn’t overly used by his captain. Only bowled three overs amidst the aggression of the second innings of the first Test, Williamson not looking at him to be the wicket-taker, then when he gave up the new ball in the third he only bowled 17 combined overs in that match. The thing is, CDG still has a batting average of exactly 30 and a bowling average under 30. However if you take out his debut series against Pakistan in 2016 then that bowling average rises to 35.90. He’s the bloke whose place in the team is probably under the most threat in the upcoming series against Sri Lanka.

Wouldn’t say Trent Boult had the most fun he could have had. His 4/54 in the first Test was a wonderful way to start but he took 3/208 over the next two and a half Tests. Don’t worry too much, he was scintillating earlier in the year against England and Boulty’s one of the three players in this team that are beyond reproach (along with Williamson and Taylor, obvs). Getting 0-for in the second innings of the first Test snapped a 17-innings streak in Tests going back to October 2016 with at least one wicket. That streak is still unbeaten at 19-games in home Tests though. One to keep an eye on.

Rightio, must be time to talk spin. Ajaz Patel was the king of that lot, taking 5/59 in the second innings to spin Aotearoa to a Test victory in game one. That’s a rare occurrence and he was rewarded with a spot in the squad for the first game in Sri Lanka ahead of the other two spinners here. To be fair he was way less effective in his next couple spells, but he bounced back with 3/42 in the last innings of the series.

Will Somerville didn’t get that difficult second Test match but he did also take seven wickets in his debut. Only Mark Craig with 8 wickets in his debut can say he took more for New Zealand. Colin de Grandhomme also took seven wickets on debut which is a pleasant coincidence… it’s also a bit of a warning since CDG is clinging to his spot at the moment and Mark Craig’s Test career is probably over now with a career bowling average of 46.52. Wickets on debut don’t guarantee wickets in future matches. Paul Wiseman also took seven in his first Test.

But it’s still something to celebrate. If Will Somerville never plays another Test (not at all impossible with Todd Astle and Mitch Santner also ahead of him in the queue) then he’ll end with a better Test bowling average than Shane Bond. As for Ish Sodhi, he had a tough time but he also got through fewer overs in two Tests than Somerville bowled in one. Simply didn’t get enough overs, and that’s been a regular frustration with Sodhi. He didn’t exactly command them with only one maiden in 44 overs, clearly too leaky, but you can see why he didn’t play the third Test. Regardless, we’re suddenly in this weird place where there are too many good and varied spinners to choose from. Probably for the first time in kiwi cricket history.

PAKISTAN BOWLERS

It wasn’t completely a one-man show. Hasan Ali took a solid 13 wickets at 21.07 which continues his red hot start to his international career. He’s averaging 25.16 in Tests and 23.41 in ODIs, having only first tasted international cricket in 2016. His 5/45 in the second innings of the first Test was the best of them, in fact those were the best innings figures from any of the pace bowlers in this series. Dude’s a real talent. Bust out the cross-armed celebration.

Let’s see, not much going on with Azhar who only bowled one over, nor Mohammad Hafeez, whose dobbly spinners are mostly part time these days (with the ol’ action controversies and whatnot). Haris Sohail got a couple wickets on the first day of the series and didn’t even bowl much after that (one was BJ Watling, which is always crucial against NZ).

Then Shaheen Shah Afridi only played the last Test and didn’t do much, getting through 43 overs but at the worst RPO of any Pakistani bowler, although he picked up an opener in each innings he bowled in. That’s what you want your new ball bowlers to be doing and at just 18 years old the lad’s got a huge future. This was his Test debut so you can’t fault him. Remember he took two four-fors in the ODI series. Mohammad Abbas played the other two games and looked solid if not especially threatening in these conditions. Fantastic economy rate, just didn’t get the wickets. To be fair to him he also only got 58 overs across four innings of bowling (and almost half of them were maidens).

Which brings us to the spinners. Bilal Asif took seven wickets in 122.1 overs, a poor strike-rate of a wicket every 104.7 deliveries which only Mohammad Abbas and, strangely, Neil Wagner were worse than in this series. But he also got through heaps of overs at a relatively low RPO which tied up an end for Yasir Shah to do what he did at the other one.

And, c’mon, how good was Yasir Shah? He took 29 wickets in a three Test series. An average of under twenty which he sustained over 190.5 overs, those are insane numbers. Those numbers are clinically deranged. He was the second most expensive Pakistan bowler in RPO but who really cares about that when he’s taking this many wickets. More than the entire rest of his team combined. Quick pop on old mate Statsguru at bowlers who’ve taken the most wickets in a three match series and you have to go back to 2001 when Murali and Harbajan each topped this. Almost exactly 27 years ago Waqar Younis also took 29 wickets in a Pakistan home series against New Zealand. By the way, Richard Hadlee once took 33 in a series against Australia, including his legendary 9/52. I remember learning about that one of the back of a Weet-Bix box.

Yeah so Yasir began with 3/54 and 5/110 in the first Test. He then obviously shredded the Blackcaps to pieces with an untouchable spell of bowling in the 90-all out innings, taking 8/41 there – his new personal best Test figures. The third Test was his toughest and he still took 3/74 and 4/129. In the process he passed 200 career wickets and he did so in fewer Test matches (33 of them) than any other player in the history of the sport. Clarrie Grimmett had the old record of 36 which he set 82 years ago – Grimmett, if ya didn’t know, also being a leg spinner and one who was born in Dunedin but moved to Australia aged 22 since Aotearoa wasn’t playing Tests yet at that point (1914, mate, it was a while ago).

I mean, how can you even touch this?

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