Black Caps bats fail again, Pakistan level series

BY CHRIS BARCLAY

New Zealand could not rewrite history and now risk a dark chapter repeating itself after Pakistan cruised to a series-levelling victory at the Basin Reserve today, winning the second cricket test by 141 runs with more than a day to spare.

New Zealand's quest for 405 - what would have been the highest successful fourth innings run chase - fizzled out at 263 during the middle session on day four.

Pace bowler Mohammad Asif appropriately ended a lopsided contest before rain set in, claiming the fifth five-wicket bag of his career - and the man-of-the-match award on the back of a match analysis of nine for 107.

Pakistan now head to Napier for the third test beginning on Friday, capable of turning a 0-1 deficit into a series win, as England managed in the summer of 2007-08.

Any hope of New Zealand held of reproducing their heroics in Dunedin last weekend were erased inside 37 overs on Friday when their first innings amounted to a feeble 99 runs.

From that point on, Pakistan could only be denied their first test victory in 13 matches stretching back to South Africa at Port Elizabeth in January 2007 by a combination of an inspired Ross Taylor and appalling weather.

Neither impediment materialised though Taylor again offered the only innings of substance - a hollow 97, his second dismissal in the nineties in consecutive tests.

Once Taylor trudged off after edging Mohammad Aamer to first slip half an hour before lunch, Pakistan encountered only token resistance.

Brendon McCullum's charmed existence ended five balls after the resumption on 24, the wicketkeeper unable to benefit when dropped on 19 - one of six Pakistani fielding blunders.

Counterpart Kamran Akmal made no mistake when an edge flashed his way and by gloving the catch, Danish Kaneria was anointed Pakistan's most prolific test wicket taking spin bowler.

His haul of three for 74 enabled him to draw level and then pass legspinning predecessor Abdul Qadir, who held the previous mark of 236 wickets in 67 tests.

Kaneria has 238 wickets in 55 tests and is now fourth on Pakistan's all-time test wicket taking list behind fast bowling luminaries Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Imran Khan.

New Zealand have only one impressive statistic to reflect on and even Taylor's rich vein of form was tempered by a downside.

Taylor boosted his series aggregate to 280 runs in four innings at 70 with a bold 135-ball knock studded with nine boundaries and five sixes.

In contrast the other five specialist batsmen have cobbled together 270 between them in 20 innings - suggesting changes are necessary, if not for Napier, then later in the summer when Bangladesh and Australia arrive.

Taylor's contribution dwarfs his contemporaries - Martin Guptill's 75 at 18.75 is the next best though he had been on a downward spiral since making 60 in the first innings at University Oval.

Asif, two tests into his comeback from 24 months in the test wilderness now has 17 wickets in the series at 15.17, just reward for maintaining an unerring line and length.

Taylor seems the only strokemaker capable of thriving though he flirted with danger when restarting on 15 and facing a 335-run shortfall.

New Zealand had 197 overs to reel in the total over two days, the run-rate required a minuscule 1.70 - but Taylor was never going to potter around.

He raced from a patient 15 to fifty in 27 balls thanks to a six hitting spree that saw Kaneria twice slammed over mid wicket. Gul was later hooked on to the street at deep backward square.

Taylor also took the long handle to Asif, when he and McCullum posted 50 for the sixth wicket, the wicketkeeper's input was seven.

A third century of the year loomed only for celebrations to be placed on hold a second time - Taylor was also snapped up at slip for 94 in Dunedin.

The troubled Fulton was the first departure today, after adding a single to his overnight 12; Kaneria then struck Elliott's middle stump after he made six.

Vettori (40) joined McCullum as the high profile casualty after lunch while England-bound Iain O'Brien at least enjoyed his last innings at the Basin - he was dropped on nought and went on to make 31, his highest test score before his dismissal gave Asif five for 67 and Pakistan cause for overdue celebration.

SCOREBOARD:

PAKISTAN
First innings 264
Second innings 239

NEW ZEALAND
First innings 99

Second innings (target: 405)
M Guptill b Asif                   15
T McIntosh lbw b Asif               2
D Flynn c K Akmal b Asif           20
R Taylor c Misbah b Aamer          97
P Fulton c K Akmal b Aamer         13
G Elliott b Kaneria                 6
B McCullum c K Akmal b Kaneria     24
D Vettori c U Akmal b Asif         40
D Tuffey lbw b Kaneria              3
I O'Brien C Malik b Asif           31
C Martin not out                    0

Extras (6b 6lb)                    12

Total (all out, 82.5 overs)       263

Fall: 4 (McIntosh), 36 (Guptill), 37 (Flynn), 80 (Fulton), 108 (Elliott), 186 (Taylor), 207 (McCullum), 212 (Tuffey), 252 (Vettori), 263 (O'Brien)

Bowling: M Aamer 16-3-64-2, M Asif 23.5-9-67-5, D Kaneria 31-6-74-3, U Gul 11-2-41-0, S Malik 1-0-5-0.

- © Fairfax NZ News