By RICHARD BOOCK
Apart from the fact that the ground was half empty and you could find a parking spot outside the main entrance, it might have all been a dream ...
"I think I've seen New Zealand level the series against Pakistan, Doc."
"Oh, really? Well, swallow one of these after every meal and everything should be okay by the weekend."
In the space of a couple of days, New Zealand have performed one of the biggest turnarounds since the Ingham twins converted to Islam, beating Pakistan by a handsome 138 runs in Christchurch yesterday to square the series 2-2.
At the start of the month, anyone tipping New Zealand to win the series would have been considered a sandwich short of a picnic.
But now - thanks to an explosive maiden century from Craig McMillan - the home side are one win short of the upset of the summer.
McMillan's brilliant unbeaten 104 (off 75 balls) equalled Chris Cairns' record for New Zealand's fastest ODI century and is 12th-equal fastest in the world.
It enabled the home side to post 284 for five, their highest total of the home season.
In reply, Pakistan never seriously threatened the target and were bowled out for 146 in the 47th over to leave the series wide open as the teams head to Dunedin for the deciding game on Wednesday night.
It was New Zealand's fourth-biggest winning margin and their first win by more than 100 runs in 10 years.
New Zealand suffered the routine problems at the top of the order when experimental opener Stephen Fleming departed after four balls, but McMillan's dashing innings, with support from Nathan Astle and Roger Twose, provided an ample cake for the bowlers to ice.
Days after leading New Zealand's run-scorers with 64 at Wellington, McMillan brought up his 12th ODI 50 at a run-a-ball and then pushed the accelerator to the floor, crashing his second 50 off only 25 balls, including 19 of the 24 runs from the last over.
On 85 at the start of the 50th, McMillan struck three sixes off spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, the last of which carried him from 98 to his first century in 83 ODIs.
It was a triumphant moment for the powerfully built 24-year-old.
In front of a crowd of 7000, Astle celebrated his return to form with his first half-century in nine innings, scoring 71 off 88 balls, and Twose recovered from being dropped on 0 to post 42, his highest score of the home season.
With the backup of a reasonable total, the New Zealand bowlers turned the tables on the tourists' batting line-up in dramatic fashion, reducing them to 15 for four in the seventh over and effectively sealing the game when they snared the fifth wicket in the 14th - with Pakistan's total stalled on 36.
Rejuvenated paceman Daryl Tuffey made the initial inroads, having the dangerous Saeed Anwar and Azhar Mahmood caught behind.
Between these two, James Franklin tempted young opener Imran Nazir into an ill-advised hook.
Weakened by an injury to key batsman Inzamam ul-Haq, forced to bat at No7 after suffering a groin strain, Pakistan were never able to recover from the early damage despite some late resistance.
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