Captain Sarfraz Ahmed rued Pakistan’s collective inability to spend more time at the crease as New Zealand secured a tight four-run victory on day four of the first Test in Sharjah on Monday.

The result afforded the New Zealanders a key lead in the three-match affair, with the second Test starting in Dubai on Saturday.

Relatively small first- and second-innings totals of 227 and 171 epitomised Pakistan’s inadequacies with the bat, as New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel rollicked through seven wickets to claim the Player of the Match award on debut.

Babar Azam and Azhar Ali were the only Pakistani players to spend significant periods out in the middle, each securing a half century. Several others meanwhile put in good starts, but failed to convert to innings of genuine substance.

‘We have given away soft wickets. Nobody played a long innings. It is very disappointing, to say the least. The way we started off yesterday we felt we will get through to the target easily,’ said Ahmed.

‘But then we lost three wickets and it was important for set players to play on, but that did not happen and you have to praise New Zealand bowlers, especially Patel.’

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