Asif rounds off day of domination

New Zealand 99 and 70 for 3 (Asif 3-19) need another 335 runs to beat Pakistan 264 and 239 (Yousuf 83, Umar 52, Martin 4-52, O'Brien 4-66).

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Two reasons emerged from the Basin Reserve for Test cricket to live long and live fruitful. Mohammad Yousuf first reminded us, in this age of Virender Sehwag and Tillakaratne Dilshan, that there was once another way to bat in Test cricket, his patient, educated 83 enabling Pakistan to set New Zealand 405 for victory. And when the chase began, the genius of Mohammad Asif torpedoed it, in a typically cunning and persevering ten-over new-ball spell of Test virtues. At the end of it all, Pakistan stood on the brink of their first Test win in 12 matches and nearly three years, New Zealand staggering at 70 for 3.

The fall of 11 wickets in prime conditions suggests another day of mediocre batting, hurtling the Test towards a swift conclusion. Perhaps it was, as Grant Elliott sparked a Pakistan collapse that saw them go from 197 for 3 to 239 all out and the New Zealand top order was ruthlessly shred apart by Asif. But for nearly two full sessions, it was also an opportunity to see some old school Test batting, from the one solid rock in Pakistan's order, possibly on either side.

Questions will always be there about Yousuf's leadership, but for over four hours he led Pakistan as best he can: with bat in hand. The decision to send Umar in at No. 3 in the first innings was abominable, but atonement was at hand as the captain, fittingly, walked in at one-drop at a sketchy time yesterday evening. Whenever he faced, calm descended over proceedings, where elsewhere there was helter-skelter.

The morning session was of a kind Pakistan can really do more with, if only for the element of serenity Yousuf's batting instills into an easily-panicked batting order. Pace and spin was hurled at him and he remained unmoved. He was tested early morning by a fairly spirited and energetic assault on his body and head, particularly by Daryl Tuffey. Occasionally he was hurried but mostly he repelled the attack in much the manner an elephant might swat away flies around him; in any case New Zealand might have prospered from fuller lengths. By the time he was expertly riding the bounce and guiding Tuffey through gully, he had won the first battle.

Daniel Vettori immediately settled into bowling maidens like he was Errol Flynn but Yousuf was unrushed, biding his time. A run of four scoreless overs was broken by a fine sweep for two, a skipped beat essentially, in the normal tempo of things. Misbah-ul-Haq was a sturdy foil, as laidback and content to build run by run, minute by minute. Gradually, over the course of a sleepy hour and a half, he established a nice rhythm, picking off runs adroitly.

The real beauty of Yousuf shone through, however, after Misbah's dismissal and the arrival of the young, fearless and very modern Umar. He watched idly as Umar played a game different to the batsmen around him. In a blaze of daring, he stamped himself all over New Zealand and in the half hour to lunch, a traditional preserve of caution, he twice smote Vettori for massive sixes, cutting and pulling him for afters. Yousuf reached a sedate fifty in the over before lunch, by which time Umar was already on 39 and Test match batting, in all its wonderful shades, was in full bloom.

Soon after lunch, Umar was treating the whole thing like a net session, swinging away at Chris Martin like a scorned wife and bringing up his fifty off 32 balls. Impetuosity got him immediately after, panic crept into Pakistan and breathed life into New Zealand. And as wickets began to fall, Yousuf continued to navigate a way through, picking up only three boundaries in the afternoon session. Elliott was thrown into the mix by Vettori and Shoaib Malik and Kamran Akmal, in successive balls, believed him to be Glenn McGrath; for the former there may not be many more chances. Where Elliott went, others followed taking cue from his fuller lengths. Martin benefitted the most and with new ball in hand, finally trapped Yousuf, ending four hours of solitude. Iain O'Brien, the pick of the bowling, wrapped it up, and four wickets a just reward for bowling more intelligent lengths.

Chasing 405, instead of 500-plus, seemed to buoy up New Zealand, to such an extent that their openers even lasted the entire first over. Not the second, however; bluntly put, Asif has worked over better batsmen than New Zealand's top order. He was over them like a rash from the very start, working his way methodically through their chinks, with changes in length and the usual minimal cut, shining as brightly as the afternoon sun. Had Yousuf not dropped an absolute sitter to reward a fierce, fast spell from Umar Gul and Misbah not done likewise off Danish Kaneria, New Zealand would've been in greater strife; some old-school traits are clearly better than others.

Vettori and Tuffey rattle Pakistan

Stumps Pakistan 161 for 6 (Umar Akmal 46, Vettori 3-42, Tuffey 2-32) vs New Zealand.

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How they were out

The weather took time to clear up and New Zealand took time to wake up, but by the end of a shortened, disrupted first day at what was the Basin Reserve's 50th Test, both had taken firm hold of this match.

Incessant rains over the last few days had forced both sides to practice indoors in the run-in and a wet outfield delayed the start until lunch. Overcast conditions, a pitch only just uncovered and some bounce quickly lulled Daniel Vettori into sending Pakistan in after winning the toss. And after an unusual first bout of Pakistan control, New Zealand struck back to leave Pakistan at 161 for 6, bad light stopping play early.

Pakistan made two changes to their batting order after the limpness of their first Test display, bringing in Salman Butt and Misbah-ul-Haq to solidify their spine. But the inherent timidity in their senior players - and the ineptitude of some - surfaced again, as they lost the opportunity of a rare opening platform. A familiar story of uncertain prods outside off, awkward encounters with short balls, airy swishes and brain-dead shots unfolded thereafter, 60 for none dwindling to an inadequate first day total.

On balance New Zealand deserved their reward, if only because they came back so well after Butt and Imran Farhat had made Vettori's decision to bowl first look misguided early. Whether Vettori himself would have expected to end up with three wickets on a pitch offering as much turn as an ice-rink might to an early 90s Anil Kumble is open to question, but the spark for the revival was provided by the pacemen.

Things had looked difficult more than halfway into the afternoon session. First up, everyone seemed to agree that there would be mischief in the air and pitch. There wasn't. Chris Martin and Daryl Tuffey - looking every inch a man returning to Tests after nearly five years - had been tight, nothing more. Nothing moved off the pitch and the bounce was true and good. Not that it made much of a difference to the openers, as roused as two turtles on Valium.

Carefully, reluctantly, they battled through, the odd boundary signaling growing comfort, but they never broke away decisively. A nervy equilibrium had been reached by the time they put on a second fifty stand in six Tests as a combination; they have a century partnership as well, which in Pakistan's context makes them Haynes-Greenidge-esque. It had taken time - the first hour produced 32 runs and the 50 came up just before the second drinks break in the 24th over - but the situation was quite dory, if not entirely hunky.

It was only after that break, however, that New Zealand finally got with it. Martin, Tuffey and right-arm blogger Iain O'Brien may not match Shane Bond for impact, but they are persevering, under-rated men. Having bowled either the wrong line or length initially, they returned to more basic plans. Tuffey went short, and O'Brien reaped the benefit, Butt pulling loosely straight up to the skies. Fear - and Vettori - now took hold, as the captain lodged himself at one end, and let the pacemen relish the right lengths at the other.

In one over came two realisations; Farhat remembered first that he is not perhaps, after all, an international batsman of any quality, lazily cutting to slip. And then, that Vettori's arm ball is deadly, as he trapped Mohammad Yousuf. As is the way, the ball suddenly began to swing and cut a little, though perhaps that was because both O'Brien and Tuffey hit proper lengths.

In a move that confirmed many sad things about Pakistan, bluntest among them that none of their senior batsmen had the guts to front up at that spot, Umar Akmal was thrown in at one-down. Reports from New Zealand yesterday suggested that all senior batsmen had refused to move there, so Umar, presumably, was offered for sacrifice. He was a changed man and O'Brien was just about to have him for brunch, leaving him rooted with movement and surprising him too often with bounce, before tea rudely intervened.

Umar sped along after tea, like some crazy, brave firefly glowing madly but always in danger of going out. Just when he seemed to be settling, however, Tuffey undid him with a peach that hit off. As the bowlers continued to probe, fear was replaced by stupidity, as two men supposedly more experienced holed out to shots that should condemn at least one of them. Faisal Iqbal will wonder which God he ever upset if Pakistan continues to think Shoaib Malik worthy of more Test opportunities than him; Malik's slap to mid-off should, ideally, put an end to that farce.

Just before bad light intervened, there was enough time for Misbah to prove again that all the world's MBAs and domestic experience cannot iron out his tendency to getting out at the worst possible time, in the worst possible way. Vettori would have been smiling anyway at the way the day turned, but Misbah's ugly sweep would have left him laughing.