Mohammad Asif marked his return to Test cricket with three wickets as Pakistan restricted New Zealand to 276 for six on day one of the first Test in Dunedin. The fast bowler, back after a two-year absence through injury and a drug suspension, struck early to dismiss Daniel Flynn then removed Peter Fulton and Grant Elliott in quick succession in the final session to finish with three for 76 off 24 overs.
“I played a few domestic matches and built up confidence and that showed today,” said Asif. “The second spell the rhythm came back and the balls were going through a good line and length and I just maintained that.
“For the first hour there was a bit of seam but after that the balls were going straight. You needed to pitch the ball in the right area and be accurate.”
The highlights for New Zealand were half-centuries for Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor. Their third-wicket stand of 117 dug the team out of trouble after a terrible start which had seen them reeling at 27 for two inside six overs. A maiden Test fifty for Guptill, who was dismissed in the second session for 60, and 94 from Taylor appeared to give the Black Caps some hope of setting an impressive total but their good work was undermined when Asif removed Fulton and Elliott in successive overs to leave them at 211 for six.
Once again New Zealand’s captain Daniel Vettori (40 not out) was left to shore up the batting as he and Brendon McCullum (unbeaten on 25) made it to the close at University Oval, although not without some drama in the final over when Simon Taufel’s lbw decision against the wicketkeeper was reversed after the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) was called into play.
“The partnership of Daniel and Brendon has probably put us back in the match a bit,” said Taylor afterwards. “Hopefully we can both kick on a bit more in the second innings.
“Obviously the goal as a batsman is to try and get to three figures and to be very close in the end and not close enough is disappointing. But I can’t really complain too much because the shot I played was a poor shot in the end really.”
It could have been worse for the New Zealanders but for some poor fielding from Pakistan. Imran Farhat missed two chances – Guptill when he was on 26 and Vettori when he had yet to score – while Gul, who toiled hard for no reward (none for 78 off 21), also gave Guptill a life on 26 when he failed to take a catch at fine leg.
Pakistan got off to the perfect start when the left-arm quick Aamer (two for 62 off 19) struck first ball to dismiss Tim McIntosh with a yorker after Mohammad Yousuf had won the toss and inserted the Kiwis. Flynn, who replaced McIntosh at the crease, added just eight to the total before he edged an Asif delivery to Kamran Akmal to leave New Zealand reeling.
But Guptill and Taylor dug in, showing plenty of patience in the face of accurate and testing bowling from Aamer, Gul, Asif and the spinner Saeed Ajmal (one for 49 off 26). By lunch they had added 48 as New Zealand reached 75 for two.
Guptill looked the more comfortable of the two in the opening session, taking two boundaries off Asif in his first over but the right-hander could also count himself lucky after Farhat and Gul’s fielding errors. The opener made the most of his escape to be four short of a half-century by lunch.
After the interval the momentum swung their way as Taylor began to find his rhythm and moved from 19 at lunch off 68 balls to register his sixth half-century off a further 29 deliveries. By then Guptill also had his fifty, which he brought up with lovely drive through extra cover – his ninth of the innings.
In the 41st over the UDRS was called upon for the first time when Asif thought he had trapped Taylor leg-before. But the umpire Billy Doctrove’s original decision was upheld, leaving Yousuf with just one challenge left in the innings.
The partnership was eventually broken when Guptill hooked an Aamer delivery to Fawad Alam, who ran back from square leg to take the catch. It was the only wicket to fall in the second session as New Zealand reached tea on 171 for three.
But Pakistan fought back strongly in the final session as Ajmal and Farhat combined to remove Taylor. Asif then bowled Fulton for 29 before enticing an edge from Elliott (8) which Kamram Akmal snapped up. Vettori had a lucky escape the next ball when his edge to the slips was missed by Farhat. He and McCullum had added 65 when stumps were drawn.
