NZ capitulates to 99 all out   4 Dec 2009

On face value, the loss of 16 wickets on the second day, along with six on a weather-shortened opening day, would suggest the pitch has been playing tricks after heavy rain early in the week.

Truth is, it is as flat as a pancake.

The blame lays squarely at the feet of the batsmen, especially those from New Zealand who put up a feeble effort in being knocked over in 36.5 overs.

Not since November 2004, when Australia rolled its trans-Tasman foe over for 76 on a crack-riddled Brisbane deck, has New Zealand failed to reach three figures.

It narrowly avoided being the lowest total at home against Pakistan – that honour still falls to the 1993 side that was destroyed by Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis for 93 in pursuit of 127 for victory.

A fired-up Iain O'Brien, bowling in the mid 140kms, tried to make up for it in reducing Pakistan to 64-2 at stumps but the tourists are still red-hot favourites to square the series at 1-all with an overall lead of 229.

With Pakistan reeling at 161-6 overnight, even the most brazen of gamblers would have struggled to predict it eventually taking a 165-run first innings lead.

But with the aid of a lower-order resistance, and a consistent bowling effort to a feeble New Zealand batting line-up, it became a reality.

Pakistan's 264, after being asked to bat on a pitch that had been under cover for four days, owed plenty to Kamran Akmal's bright and breezy 75-ball 70 in combination with the tail.

The diminutive wicketkeeper survived two television replays along the way. One came on 34 when an lbw was referred by New Zealand, but found to have come off the glove, and one run later when originally given out lbw by umpire Rudi Koertzen and found to be too high on second glance.

He found allies in Mohammad Aamer (21) and Umar Gul (31) until Daryl Tuffey, in his first Test since June 2004, mopped up the tail.

Tuffey ensured the injured Shane Bond would not be missed too keenly with figures of 4-64 while captain Daniel Vettori took 4-58.

The reply started in the worst possible fashion as Aamer took a wicket in the opening over of New Zealand's innings for the third time in a row and it never recovered from there.

The man to go in the two overs available before lunch, Martin Guptill, was one of four players to be dismissed for a duck. Daniel Flynn, the second top-scorer with 29, would have made it five if an absolute dolly was not juggled five times then dropped in comical fashion by bat-pad Salman Butt.

Ross Taylor's 30 was the biggest contribution until he shouldered arms to an Umar Gul off-cutter and heard the death rattle of his off-stump.

Mohammad Asif led the blitzkrieg, taking 4-40 off 12.5 overs including Flynn and Brendon McCullum - who nicked out first ball playing an expansive drive - with consecutive deliveries.

Danish Kaneria, brought in to replace off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, found plenty of rip with his leggies and took 3-6 in six overs.

Pakistan looked to be safely negotiating its way through to stumps, reaching 49-0, until O'Brien (2-16) came bursting downwind to remove both openers.

A vicious short ball saw Salman Butt (18) glove to first slip and Imran Farhat (35) pushed a length ball to third slip.

Source: Sportal

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