New Zealand appeared to have won after the first two sessions of the fifth and final day when Sodhi took 6-86, but Pakistan battled back to declare their second innings on 311-8.
Despite career-best bowling numbers from New Zealand leg-spinner Ish Sodhi, Pakistan managed to avoid a fifth consecutive home defeat by drawing the first Test on Friday in Karachi. On the fifth and final day, Sodhi took 6-86 and looked to have New Zealand winning, but Pakistan returned and declared their second innings on 311-8. That put New Zealand in a tight spot, needing to score 138 runs in 15 overs. By the time the lights went out, they had only gotten as far as 61-1, with Tom Latham still not out on 35 and Devon Conway on 18.
No one else got out for three save Michael Bracewell.
Sodhi shone as he surpassed his previous high score of 4-60, set in a 2014 match against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.
With Pakistan on 249-7 at tea with 35 overs remaining, the 30-year-old, playing his first Test in four years, swung the match in New Zealand’s favor with three wickets in the second session.
After 75 minutes and 111 balls, the eighth wicket stand between Saud Shakeel (55 not out) and Mohammad Wasim (43) prevented New Zealand from winning.
Sodhi trapped Wasim leg-before shortly after tea, but Mir Hamza (three not out) and Shakeel put up 34 runs for the ninth wicket without losing a wicket in 50 minutes, further frustrating the visitors.
Shakeel, who made 57 (including seven fours and a six), added to the score after Imam-ul-Haq (96) and Sarfaraz Ahmed (53) both suffered hits in the first two innings.
After lunch, Sodhi bowled out Sarfaraz, Agha Salman (six), and Haq for a combined total of 21 runs off 27 balls.
Before Sodhi’s dismissal, Haq and Sarfaraz had scored an impressive 85 runs for the fifth wicket, giving the home team hope that they would still be able to pull off a tie.
With Pakistan’s score at 206-7, he took out Sarfaraz lbw, Salman via bowling, and Haq by stumping.
Haq, who was given not out by the umpires after being referred to lbw twice (on 58 and 74), struck sixes and fours at a rate of over a boundary per ball and scored his sixth fifty, while Sarfaraz smashed seven boundaries.
Haq was so upset at being kicked off the team that he broke a chair with his bat on the way to the locker room.
Pakistan resumed play on 77-2 and quickly lost their nightwatchman, Nauman Ali when spinner Bracewell trapped him leg-before.
After scoring 161 in Pakistan’s first innings of 438, then-captain Babar Azam was dismissed by Sodhi for 14.
Monday is the beginning of the second Test match at the exact location.
