Cricket: Kiwis suffer as Wasim captures six

New Zealand 242 and 110

Pakistan 215 and 3-0

THIS has not been a good pitch for a Test match and it has continued to dumbfound the limited techniques of two indifferent batting sides. Pakistan conceded a first-innings lead of 27 when they were bowled out for 215, but then came back with a vengeance when they dismissed New Zealand for 120 in their second innings.

Pakistan have, therefore, been left to score 138 to win and, after one over, have reached three for no wicket. Provided the weather holds, this first Test is bound to be over in the first half of the third day and in all probability with a victory for Pakistan.

The pitch has changed colour as it has dried. The odd ball has been lifting awkwardly and the bounce has become increasingly inconsistent, with all the attendant dangers. If New Zealand should take a couple of early wickets tomorrow we could still have a wonderful finish.

Pakistan were 61 for 4 at the start and, with the exception of Inzamam, who played a most disciplined innings on the ground where he came to everyone's notice two years ago with a much more flamboyant display in the semi-final of the World Cup, they continued to play strokes which did not suit the conditions and paid the penalty.

Basit Ali succeeded for a while, Rashid Latif played some good strokes and Wasim Akram drove well in the final stages. For New Zealand, Simon Doull, a good honest fast- medium seamer, worked hard and took 5 for 66, his first haul of five wickets in Test cricket.

When New Zealand batted again, Wasim bowled superbly right through the innings, taking 6 for 43 in 16 overs, his best Test figures. Ken Rutherford held his own for a while before an unlikely eighth-wicket partnership of 26 between Chris Cairns and Doull took them past the hundred. Even so, it will be surprising if New Zealand have a big enough lead.

Dickie Bird and Steve Dunne, who are umpiring in the Test, are having problems counting according to the scorers. They said England's Bird and the New Zealander Dunne had lost count six times in the first two days.

Dunne has twice called seven-ball overs, another two of his 'overs' were made up of five balls and one lasted for eight balls. Bird joined in when he ended an over after five balls in Waqar Younis's seventh over in New Zealand's second innings.

NEW ZEALAND - First Innings 242 (A H Jones 66, M S Greatbatch 48 ; Waqar Younis 4-46. Wasam Akram 3-50).

PAKISTAN - First Innings

Saeed Anwar c Blain b Cairns 16

Aamir Sohail c Jones b de Groen 16

Asif Mujtaba c Blain b Doull 8

Mushtaq Ahmed c Young b Doull 0

*Salim Malik c Young b Doull 18

Basit Ali c Blain b Cairns 25

Inzamam-ul-Haq c Young b de Groen 43

Rashid Latif lbw b Doull 30

Wasim Akram c Blain b de Groen 35

Waqar Younis c Cairns b Doull 11

Ata-ur-Rehman not out 2

Extras (lb6, nb5) 11

Total 215

Fall of wickets: 1-17, 2-36, 3-48, 4-50, 5- 87, 6-93, 7-141, 8-176, 9-207, 10-215

Bowling: Cairns 18-2-75-2; Owens 7-1-28- 0; Doull 15-2-66-5; de Groen 17.4-5-40-3.

NEW ZEALAND - Second Innings

B A Young c Latif b Akram 0

B A Pocock c Mujtaba b Akram 10

A H Jones b Latif b Akram 6

*K R Rutherford b Younis 18

M S Greatbatch c Inzamam b Akram 0

S A Thomson c Latif b Younis 0

C L Cairns c Mujtaba b Rehman 31

T E Blain c Latif b Rehman 4

S B Doull c Malik b Akram 29

R P de Groen not out 0

M B Owens c Latif b Akram 0

Extras (b4, lb5, nb3) 12

Total 110

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-8, 3-31, 4-35, 5-40, 6- 44, 7-67, 8-103, 9-110, 10-110.

Bowling: Wasim Akram 16.1-4-43-6; Waqar Younis 10-3-35-2; Ata-ur-Rehman 6- 1-23-2.

PAKISTAN - Second Innings

Saeed Anwar not out 1

Aamir Sohail not out 1

Extras (nb1) 1

Total (for 0) 3

Bowling: Doull 1-0-3-0.

Umpires: S Dunne and H D Bird.

(Photograph omitted)