New Zealand’s last two batters, Ajaz Patel and Matt Henry, made the Pakistani bowlers look bad by putting up 104 runs for the last wicket.

The first Test between Pakistan and New Zealand was fun to watch, and if the first two days are any indication, the second Test could be just as good. New Zealand was down to 345/9, but Pakistan shot themselves in the foot when Matt Henry and Ajaz Patel added 104 runs for the 10th wicket.

The BlackCaps’ innings started with 71 runs from Tom Latham. Then Devon Conway hit 122 runs to keep his good form going.

Tom Blundell also helped by scoring 51 runs, but the Pakistani bowlers were kept away by Henry’s quick 68-run innings and Patel’s 35-run knock in 78 balls.

As a direct result of this, Tim Southee’s team went from having 345/9 to having 449/10. In the meantime, fans of Pakistan were looking forward to seeing a better performance from the bowling unit, who had previously struggled against England in a manner that was very similar.

Fans cruelly mocked the bowling attack that Babar Azam’s team used since they were unable to stop the New Zealand tailenders from scoring runs.

NZ’s last wicket partnership stood a solid 104 runs against supposedly worlds best bowling team Pakistan (🤣🤣)#NZvsPAK

— Arvind (@petrolheadremix) January 3, 2023

#NZvsPAK NZ were 345-9 and Pakistan needed 1 wicket on 1 ball to get them all out,instead they gave 104 runs to last pair,no wonder we end up at last number of the World Test Championship,
poor bowling,@mirhamza_k and @RealHa55an disappointed.On the defensive again @Shoaib_Jatt

— Saqib M 🇵🇰 (@saqibmusvi) January 3, 2023

10th Wicket partnership of 104 from #NewZeland against the best bowling attack #Pakistan.

🤣 🤣🤣🤣 🤣 🤣
🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣🤣🤣
🤣 🤣🤣🤣 🤣#PAKvNZ

— Norbert Elekes (@N0rbertElekes) January 3, 2023

The 104 run Henry-Patel partnership has broken the record for the highest final wicket partnership by a touring side on Pakistani soil, which reflects really poorly on Pakistan’s bowling attack, and on Babar Azam’s capaincy.#PAKvNZ

— Behram Qazi 🇵🇰 🇨🇦 (@DeafMango) January 3, 2023

Some cricket analysts said Pakistan bowling attack is great. Look at the NZ tail scoring.#PakistanCricket

— Vats of India (@enggbhatta) January 3, 2023

Nothing but a downfall of Pakistan cricket has started. Leave Pakistan bowling aside for a minute. If NZ can score 449 . Y cannot Pakistan score 600 ? #pakvsNz pic.twitter.com/6qiuVtl4PV

— Furkan (@bahutkhatarnak) January 3, 2023

As they get ready to play Argentina in the round of 16, Australia’s players are unable to disguise their adoration for Lionel Messi, but they are confident that they have what it takes to shock the South American powerhouses.

Australia defeated Denmark 1-0 on Wednesday night to go to the World Cup’s knockout rounds, joining Group D champions France for the first time since 2006.

Their reward for doing so, though, is one of the most difficult challenges in football right now: a matchup with a hot-handed Argentina on Saturday night at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.

World Cup Daily: Wild day sees Japan, Spain survive, Germany knocked out – Lynch: Australia dares to dream – we are all Socceroos now – World Cup 2022 bracket: Who plays who in the round of 16?

La Albiceleste defeated Poland in their final group game on Wednesday, helped by a magnificent performance from their talisman.

Despite not directly contributing to either of his team’s goals at Stadium 974 and having a penalty saved against them, Messi was outstanding overall. He broke Diego Maradona’s record for most chances created and dribbles completed in a World Cup game. With 22, he also outdid Maradona in terms of World Cup games played.

Defender Milos Degenek stated, “I always adored Messi and I think he’s the finest to play the game.” However, playing against him is not an honor because he is only a human, just like the rest of us.

“Being in the World Cup round of 16 is an honor. That in itself is an honor. It would have been an honor to represent Australia in the round of 16 of a World Cup, regardless of whether we faced Argentina or Poland.”

In addition to becoming the first Victorian to ever score at a World Cup on Wednesday, Mat Leckie’s goal helped the Socceroos defeat the Danes and ensured that, along with Maty Ryan, they would break Australia’s all-time appearance record at men’s World Cups against the Argentines.

And he claims that his team has little to lose because so few neutrals are forecasting anything other than an Argentine procession.

“It lasts 90 to 120 minutes. It’s also a knockout match “said Leckie. There is no pressure on us because nobody expected us to be here, so we can throw everything at them.

“Prior to the event, I told all the lads that I thought doing what they had always done to get here and express themselves would bring out the best in them.

“We simply need to enjoy the occasion and the time without feeling any strain. Nobody thinks we’ll prevail. So let’s surprise everyone.

“Playing against arguably the best football player to ever grace the game will be challenging. However, it’s 11 versus 11. There is only one Messi, not eleven.”

Argentina and Australia overcame losses on the first day to move on to the round of 16. The Socceroos’ 4-1 beating at the hands of France was far more destructive than Argentina’s 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia, which was far from perfect.

Degenek thinks his team has learned some lessons from that game that they can put into practice on Saturday, thanks in part to Coach Graham Arnold’s rapid decision to reframe it as a “friendly” and learning experience.

We gained a lot of knowledge from the France game. I believe we treated them with a little [too much] respect, said Degenek. “This game in two days will be entirely different from this game.

“Argentina will play one style while France will play another. You can’t really just transfer everything from one game into another game because the two types of football are so drastically different from one another.

“You can, however, draw some positives from it as you prepare for your match against Argentina. However, France does not possess the well-known man that Argentina possesses. He is fully capable of anything.

Unfortunately, even though I am a big fan of his, I would much rather win the World Cup than witness him do so.

With the £64 million Uruguayan striker who impressed and was crucial in a 1-0 victory over West Ham, Liverpool fans now have a new fiery player to cheer for.

Both the current Liverpool season and Darwin Nunez’s Reds career have begun.

The Uruguayan scored the game-winning goal in the first half of Wednesday’s encounter against West Ham at Anfield. This victory gave Liverpool their second consecutive 1-0 victory in the span of three days.

It was Nunez’s first home goal for his new club, and he could have had a hat-trick on the night, as he hit the post with one fierce strike and saw Lukasz Fabianski deny him two further opportunities to score. However, Nunez scored his first goal for his new club, and it was his first home goal overall.

The Hammers, on the other hand, can look back on Jarrod Bowen’s penalty kick miss, which occurred right before halftime, as a pivotal turning point.

Gianluca Scamacca and Said Benrahma both missed opportunities for West Ham, and a combination of Alisson Becker and James Milner prevented Tomas Soucek from scoring a late equaliser. The England international had his shot blocked by Alisson Becker after being brought down by Joe Gomez, and West Ham were unable to capitalise on the tense atmosphere created by their own home crowd in the closing stages of the match.

It is only the second time this league season that Liverpool has been able to win consecutive games in the same competition.

They have moved up to the seventh spot in the league, and on Saturday they will have the opportunity to give their campaign even more impetus when they travel to the team that is now in last place, Nottingham Forest.

The Winners in Liverpool Vs West Ham United

Darwin Nunez :

It doesn’t matter what you think or say about the man who Liverpool paid £64 million to acquire, you can’t take your eyes off of him. It has been quite some time since Liverpool fans have been able to enjoy the services of a fiery Uruguayan striker, but Nunez, much like Luis Suarez before him, appears to have what it takes to become a fan favourite at Anfield.When he steps onto the field, he immediately becomes a bundle of energy and a magnet for shots. He is surely a box office draw. And it was here, on his debut for his new team, that he proved to be the game-winning hero. With a magnificent header in the first half, he put an end to a tense and wearisome battle. It’s possible that Nunez could have scored three or four goals in the first half, but he was thwarted by Lukasz Fabianski’s outstanding save early on, and then he clattered the woodwork with another beautiful and instinctive left-foot shot. It is obvious that he possesses talent, and it appears that he also possesses a great deal of belief in himself. Even though his game ended rather unexpectedly early in the second half when he was replaced by Harvey Elliott, he may look back on a productive night’s work because of his hard ethic, which has won him new supporters. Another one of these.

Alisson Becker :

At the game’s conclusion, the roar from the Kop told it all. They kept repeating, “Alisson, Alisson, Alisson,” over and over again. They are aware of how significant their Brazilian No. 1 is, as well as the significant role he made in achieving this victory. It was his penalty stop from Jarrod Bowen, which was immediately before half time, that kept the Reds in the lead and ultimately helped them secure the three points. During his career in the Premier League, Alisson has been penalised 13 times, although just seven of those penalties have resulted in goals. Later on in the match, he was going to make another key intervention by spreading himself out in order to deflect Tomas Soucek’s shot wide. The same as setting a goal. One of the best goalkeepers currently playing.

Kostas Tsimikas :

The Liverpool left back who started Sunday’s game against Manchester City was outstanding, but Andy Robertson’s backup isn’t half bad either. Liverpool beat Manchester City. Tsimikas has been given a number of chances to shine thus far in this season, and he made the most of this particular opportunity. The Greece international played an important role in the first half, providing a consistent outlet for the team despite the windy conditions. And when he finally had the opportunity to deliver, which was 22 minutes into the game, he did it magnificently, with his curved cross being buried by Nunez for the game’s lone goal. Tsimikas’ defensive performance was just as pleasing as the other risky deliveries, the majority of which came from set pieces. Tsimikas battled effectively against Bowen the whole evening, seldom allowing the West Ham player to get his own way. There were other dangerous deliveries as well. It must be nice for Jurgen Klopp to know that he can rotate players safely in that position. Robertson came on as a substitute to finish the job, and he will most likely be included in the starting lineup when they travel to Forest on Saturday.