Williamson urges batsmen to learn from Dubai experience

Kane Williamson

New Zealand Captain Kane Williamson was pleased with the determination he saw in his side’s second dig after having been steamrolled for 90 in the first by Pakistan.

The Dubai Test isn’t one that New Zealand will look back on fondly. A collapse from 50 for no loss to 90 all out after Pakistan had declared at 418/5 set the tone for their massive innings-and-16-run defeat even though, following on, they fought a lot harder.

Leg-spinner Yasir Shah engineered the side’s downfall with spells of 8/41 and 6/143, thus equalling Imran Khan’s record for most wickets in a Test match by a Pakistan bowler.

Skipper Williamson is hoping that his batsmen learn from the Dubai experience going into the deciding third Test at Abu Dhabi – the site of New Zealand’s famous four-run victory in the first game of the series.

“Obviously, 90 wasn’t ideal. Yasir Shah played extremely well the whole game and Pakistan played extremely well the whole game,” Williamson said after the match. “But from our perspective, we wanted to be a lot better in that first innings.

“If we go back to the way Pakistan started, they were able to bat for two days on that surface, which put them in a very good position to be able to bowl and exploit those conditions with their spinners.

“They played very, very well, but we also showed in the second innings – perhaps on a wicket that had worn a little bit more – that there were opportunities to score runs, to bat and create an innings. I think it’s really important we build on that going into the next game.”

Williamson acknowledged that the win in the first Test at Abu Dhabi was one of New Zealand’s best as they triggered a collapse to arrest Pakistan’s chase just short of the target. New Zealand will hope to draw inspiration from that win as they return to the venue for the third and final Test.

“It was a great game in Abu Dhabi – one of our great Test wins, which was extremely exciting to be a part of,” he said. “Then to come here wasn’t our best performance by any means, but we know how difficult Pakistan are to play in those conditions.

“It’s important that we are better and we learn from this experience here in Dubai. Pakistan will be full of confidence after their performance, but hopefully we can build on some of the confidence that we got in the second half of this game.”