DUNEDIN, Nov 28: Riding on comeback star Shane Bond’s brilliant match figures of 8/153, New Zealand defeated Pakistan by 32 runs in the first Test.
Bond, who was declared Man-of-the-match, almost matched his first innings performance by claiming three wickets in the second innings.
Bond was ably supported by Iain O’Brien, 3/63, and Chris Martin, who took 2/45.
For Pakistan, it was debutant Umar Akmal who once again showed promise with the bat by top scoring with 75 runs. Though his team lost the match, Akmal made his way into the record books by becoming only the ninth Test player to compile a century and half-century on debut.
Needing just 251 runs to win, none of the Pakistani batsmen stayed at the crease for long. Captain Mohammad Yousuf offered some resistance, but he too fell after making 41.
Former captain Shoaib Malik (32) and wicket keeper Kamran Akmal (27) tried their best to prevent the Kiwis from taking the lead in the three-match series, but the harm was already done as none of the top three batsmen could even cross double figure.
The last three batsmen tried their best to avoid the inevitable for nine overs, but the difficult task was made harder by some intelligent bowling changes by Daniel Vettori, who shuffled his resources remarkably well making the Pakistani batsmen’s task harder. Earlier, resuming the day on 147/8, the Black Caps managed to add just eight runs before being bowled out for 153. Ross Taylor top scored making 59 runs, while Tim McIntosh was the second top scorer making 31.The second Test starts in Wellington on Thursday. (Agencies)
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