Cricket: Kiwis offer limited resistance: Trio of pace bowlers put Pakistan in driving seat during second Test

New Zealand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175

Pakistan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35-1

AFTER four days of much-publicised soul-searching, deliberation, instruction and direction, New Zealand's batsmen fared only marginally better against Pakistan's seam bowlers on the first day of the second Test here at the Basin Reserve than they had in Auckland. They were bowled out for 175 and by the close Pakistan had made 35 for 1.

The pitch allowed less movement than in Auckland although it also had an uneven bounce. The plain truth is that New Zealand's batting has again been outbowled by Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Ata-ur-Rehman.

Their three most experienced batsmen self-destructed; two of them, Andrew Jones and Mark Greatbatch, unforgivably, for they had done the hard work in playing themselves in and reached the 40s.

Jones, who, in typical fashion, defended energetically with both feet off the ground, moved so far across to turn Ata-ur-Rehman to leg that he was hit on the pad in front of his middle stump.

Greatbatch, who had played three lovely drives off the back foot through the covers and had once straight-driven Ata-ur-Rehman for six, started to duck to a short one from Waqar. Half-way through the duck and off-balance he gave a hoick over his right shoulder intending to steer it to fine leg. Instead it lobbed to the wicketkeeper.

The captain Ken Rutherford was not much better when, to the first ball he received after lunch, he played an airy steer to a ball outside the off stump to Ata-ur-Rehman, a stroke which might have been justified in a one-day game. As it was, he was caught at third slip.

Once again, Salim Malik handled the Pakistanis capably, but he did not have too much against him. After a fierce opening spell which produced Bryan Young's wicket in his first over, Wasim bowled within himself while Waqar and Ata-ur- Rehman did just enough to

exploit New Zealand's serious technical deficiencies.

(First day; NZ won toss)

NEW ZEALAND - First Innings

B A Young lbw b Wasim . . . . . . . . . . 0 B A Pocock b Ata-ur-Rehman . . . . . . . 16 A H Jones lbw b Ata-ur-Rehman . . . . . .43 * K R Rutherford c Akram Raza b Rehman . .7 M J Greatbatch c Rashid b Waqar . . . . .45 S A Thomson b Wasim . . . . . . . . . . . 7 T E Blain c Anwar b Waqar . . . . . . . . 8 M N Hart not out . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 D K Morrison c Latif b Wasim . . . . . . .5 S B Doull c Basit b Waqar . . . . . . . .17 R P De Groen b Wasim . . . . . . . . . . .4 Extras (lb7 nb4) . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Fall: 1-0 2-40 3-49 4-100 5-126 6-128 7-140 8-149 9-170.

Bowling: Wasim Akram 24-10-60-4; Waqar Younis 22-5-51-3 (3nb); Ata-ur-Rehman 15-4-50-3 (8nb); Akram Raza 6-4-7-0.

PAKISTAN - First Innings Saeed Anwar not out . . . . . . . .30 Aamir Sohail lbw b Morrison . . . . 2 Akram Raza not out . . . . . . . . .0 Extras (lb2 nb1) . . . . . . . . . .3 Total (for 1) . . . . . . . . . . .35

Fall: 1-34.

To bat: * Salim Malik, Asif Mujtaba, Basit Ali, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Rashid Latif, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Ata-ur-Rehman.

Bowling: Morrison 6-1-21-1 (1nb), De Groen 3-2-6-0, Doull 3-1-6-0.