Players/Officials: Chris Martin | Misbah-ul-Haq | Younis Khan
Matches: New Zealand v Pakistan at Wellington
Series/Tournaments: Pakistan tour of New Zealand
Teams: New Zealand | Pakistan
Misbah-ul-Haq quelled a threatening spell of reverse swing early on the third morning, before dictating terms against New Zealand's seamers who wasted the second new ball, to drive Pakistan to a 20-run lead as the winds subsided for the first time at the Basin Reserve. Pakistan's progress was based on Misbah's 142-run stand with Younis Khan, during which New Zealand's attack seemed to have run out of ideas. Younis' exit at the stroke of tea - the seventh questionable umpiring decision in the match - sparked a resurgence from the home side. After the break, they attacked with Daniel Vettori's turn and Chris Martin's bounce to skittle out Pakistan's lower half for the addition of just 52, including Misbah on 99.
New Zealand were subdued for the first couple of sessions, barring a lively opening burst from Martin. His first ball of the day was a swerving bouncer that started well outside off before tailing in viciously towards Azhar Ali who had to weave away and drop his wrists in a hurry. Of the next ten balls he bowled at Azhar, five were full, most often swinging in sharply, forcing the batsman to make to come forward to negate the movement. Martin then outwitted him with another sharp bouncer that reared up from a touch outside off. Azhar had to arrest the forward thrust late, leaving him with little time to pull the bat out of the way and he fended the lifter straight into the slips.
With the sun making its first appearance in the day, Martin began to lose his sting as Misbah and Younis checked in with a sparkling array of drives. With the pitch not taking much turn, Vettori worked away with drift and bounce. Misbah handled him by lunging forward instead of across and defending from inside the line. The ball, deemed to be out of shape, was replaced at the stroke of the first hour and reverse swing immediately became conspicuous by its absence.
Younis cashed in as the attack tired, punching a short delivery from Tim Southee square and driving one that was too straight through wide long-on for boundaries. At the other end, Misbah attacked his opposite number in his last couple of overs before lunch, pulling out a slog sweep and a lofted on-drive as Pakistan moved past 200.
Brent Arnel opened with the new ball, running in for a friendly over that underlined New Zealand's lack of intent: it began with a wayward loosener outside off, and included a misdirected bouncer down the leg side. In his second over, Misbah guided him twice through the cordon for boundaries. Martin replaced Arnel and got his inswingers going, but the horse seemed to have bolted by then. The force was with Pakistan when Younis punched him twice down the ground, the first bringing up his half-century and the second, the 100-run stand.
Southee, meanwhile, worked up a lively rhythm at the other end, getting the odd legcutter to nip away from the right-handers. Despite being beaten on a couple of occasions, Misbah had the presence of mind to play with soft hands, and his obduracy frustrated Southee who got into a verbal duel with him. Misbah responded with the bat, calmly stroking him twice through the covers to bring up his fifth successive half-century, and his fifth in six innings since taking over as captain.
Vettori was running out of ideas, and brought James Franklin on, seemingly with the intention of creating a rough outside the right-hander's off stump. Franklin promptly got a warning for running on the pitch, but Vettori began to pose some riddles from the other end. He eventually got past Younis, thanks to drift and a poor call from umpire Rod Tucker, caught close-in on the leg side off the pad.
Younis' exit prompted Vettori to finally go on the attack, and he homed in on the rough with fielders crouching close in. Asad Shafiq duly edged his fifth ball as it ripped away from middle and leg, taking the outside edge on its way to Ross Taylor. Vettori also had Adnan Akmal in some strife with well-disguised arm-balls before getting him to top-edge a sweep.
Martin stepped up to support his captain, and bullied Abdur Rehman into submission with bounce, with Pakistan still 22 behind. Umar Gul biffed Pakistan into the lead with a series of middled pulls and slog-sweeps.
While the action unravelled at one end, Misbah held up the other with the assurance of a monk. He stayed in the crease to ride Martin's bounce, and capitalised when there was width to pick up boundaries through the off side. With Misbah a run away from his third ton, Martin landed a couple of balls well outside off before cleverly slanting one in to rap him on the move in front of off stump. The end came soon after, with Vettori a wicket shy of becoming only the second New Zealander to make a hundred and pick up five in the same match.
