It has often happened in cricket that dull and dreary proceedings on a day have been livened up by funny events and things. Pitch invaders, political protesters, streakers and professional pranksters have all had their share in cheering up the crowds when the progress is slow on the field.

In the Test match here in Abu Dhabi, where the second session of the opening day produced only 72 runs in 32 overs without a wicket falling, any kind of prank would have been welcomed by the crowd and had provided more than mirth for those watching the dreary session.

Unfortunately, here in an almost non-existing crowd atmosphere, I have not witnessed any such happening, nor do I expect it to happen.

But here I am surely reminded of a strange and an unusual incident during an Ashes Test of 2001 at Headingley when England opener Marcus Trescothick was dismissed and Nasser Hussain walked in.

He had hardly reached the crease when the crowd witnessed another batsman walking in from the side of the pavilion attired as an England batsman. First we thought it would be a runner for Mark Butcher or Nasser Hussain, but as the intruder walked nearer to the batsman he was found out to be the famous prankster Karl Power who had walked in to liven up the proceedings of the Test.

The police immediately apprehended the intruder and took him out of the ground. I am sure he ended up in a magistrate court and was fined.

Karl Power had done similar stunts before masquerading as a Manchester United player when he walked in the team’s apparel to stand in a group photo with the MU team at the Munich Olympic Stadium before being getting discovered and then marched out.

No chance here for such a prank no matter how snail-paced the proceedings have been in the Test.

A fresh and lively pitch in the morning did promise plenty of action and a chance for Pakistan to once again decimate the visiting Kiwis through Yasir Shah - their second Test tormentor. But then a defiant stand between skipper Kane Willia­mson and B.J.Watling provided some stability and prevented the Pakistan attack running through them.

With the wicket settling down and with the freshness of the morning moisture evaporating, the two batsmen managed to bring in some respectability to halt Yasir, Hasan Ali and the debutant Shaheen Afridi’s attempt to demolish them cheaply.

Looks like this Test is too is on its way towards a result but it all depends on how new Zealand progress on Tuesday and how Pakistan batsmen tackle the visiting side bowling attack.

Even the young Shaheen Afridi, who took a wicket in his third over as a debutant, was played with utmost caution and respect. But Pakistan did well to end the day by picking up a few quick wickets.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2018