Tea New Zealand 160 for 5 (Young 2*, Williamson 12*, Rehman 2-32) v Pakistan
Pakistan compensated for the lack of assistance from the Seddon Park pitch with a more determined effort after lunch that undermined a strong foundation laid for the New Zealand innings by Brendon McCullum. His dismissal shortly after the break, the subsequent stagnation against Abdur Rehman's left-arm spin and the run-out of Jesse Ryder, just when he was trying to inject some fluency to the innings, tilted the scales after it had seemed Pakistan had erred by opting to field on a dryish surface.
New Zealand had themselves to blame for the turn in the tide. Their batsmen didn't take advantage of opportunities given, through umpiring errors or lapses in the field, and lost track during a shift in momentum brought about by Martin Guptill's self-imposed grind. He played out five consecutive maidens against Rehman, who kept a tight line around middle and off and despite the lack of turn was met respectfully with a straight bat that seemed devoid of intention to force the pace.
It was McCullum's wicket, though, that was the trigger. Since giving up wicketkeeping duties in Tests, McCullum has enjoyed his role at the top of the order and looked set for a big score when he took off this morning. He went after Umar Gul in the first over, driving him over the in-field and despite there being a deep point and two fielders square on the leg side, showed no inhibitions playing the cut and the pull with success. He was even more ruthless against deliveries that were pitched up, driving Younis Khan and Wahab Riaz to the extra-cover boundary before dispatching Gul over the ropes soon after lunch. He followed up with a mow over midwicket for another six but fell to a trap, slashing Gul the same over to a perfectly-placed deep point.
Rehman, brought on after lunch, attacked with a slip and two close-in catchers on either side of the pitch. He bowled quicker through the air, from a flat trajectory and only managed to extract some spin when he flighted the ball. None of this, however, was by any means threatening but the nagging line sent Guptill into a shell that he only managed to free himself from with his wicket.
Balls were either pushed back to Rehman, or knocked around past the close-in fielders but the singles were absent. Guptill had looked quite assured against pace, leaving deliveries in the channel outside off in the morning session where there was a bit of nip, and kicking things off with a couple of lovely straight drives. But his misery against Rehman - he had scored 4 off 44 balls against him - ended when the bowler had given him the best possible chance to score; the full toss, however, was gifted as a catch to cover.
In the interim, Taylor, who had a poor time in the Tests against India, feathered one to the keeper as he tried to cut Rehman while Ryder, keen to restore the advantage gained earlier in the day, batted enterprisingly. Deliveries strayed on the pads by the spinners were deftly shown the way to the fine-leg boundary and when the opportunity came, Rehman was slog-swept for a six over midwicket. But a moment of ill luck robbed him of his wicket as he was run-out backing up too far as Wahab Riaz deflected a straight drive onto the stumps at the non-striker's end. Despite his half-century, it was a forgettable day for the man who played that drive, Guptill.
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