Ijaz inspires Pakistan rise

Pakistan 208 and 369-7 New Zealand 286

A century of rare quality by Ijaz Ahmed, his second in successive Tests, helped Pakistan into a position of control against New Zealand yesterday. They lead by 291 runs with three second-innings wickets standing.

Ijaz's 103, his fourth Test century and his first against a country other than Australia, followed his 137 in the third Test against Australia at Sydney.

Ijaz and Inzamam-ul-Haq broke a 30-year-old record by extending to 140 a second-wicket partnership that had begun on Saturday. That beat the 114 against New Zealand set by Mohammed Ilyas and Saeed Ahmed at Rawalpindi in 1965.

Ijaz hit 13 fours and two sixes in his 213-ball innings and looked in a class of his own in the match. He was out, caught behind, trying to run a ball from Dion Nash backward of point. Inzamam also fell to Nash, with the score on 195, when he attempted to off drive his 14th boundary and edged the ball to Stephen Fleming at first slip. His 82 came off 141 balls.

Ramiz Raja made 62 before he was lbw to Danny Morrison, the bowler's 150th Test wicket. Salim Malik scored 21 off 22 balls and Rashid Latif added 39.

(Third day of five)

PAKISTAN - First innings 208 (Aamir Sohail 88, Ramiz Raja 54; Chris Cairns 4-51).

NEW ZEALAND - First innings 286 (C Cairns 76, R Twose 59; Wasim Akram 5-53).

PAKISTAN - Second innings

Aamir Sohail b Patel 30

Ramiz Raja lbw b Morrison 62

Ijaz Ahmed c Germon b Nash 103

Inzamam-ul-Haq c Fleming b Nash 82

Salim Malik c Germon b Morrison 21

Basit Ali lbw b Cairns 0

Rashid Latif c Germon b Cairns 39

*Wasim Akram not out 11

Mushtaq Ahmed not out 1

Extras (lb6, b5, w4, nb5) 20

Total (for 7) 369

Fall: 1-55, 2-195, 3-224, 4-260, 5-265, 6-339, 7-363.

To bat: Waqar Younis, Ata-ur-Rehman.

Bowling: Morrison22-4-78-2; Nash 24-4-77-2; Cairns 29-4-98-2; Patel 24- 8-61-1; Larsen 24-7-44-0.

n Martin Crowe has abandoned thoughts of retirement and hopes to make a comeback for New Zealand at next year's World Cup. The 33-year-old batsman has been suffering knee and thigh injuries for the past four years but he said yesterday he also hopes to play on New Zealand's 1996 tour of the West Indies.