Cricket: Hard work ahead for pace attack

A good batting pitch means NZ will be looking for inspiration. Photo / Getty Images

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New Zealand will want to banish any sinking feeling of history repeating as they start the fourth day of the final test against Pakistan today.

As things stand, with two days left, the test is similarly poised to the last five-dayer on the Napier ground, against India nine months ago.

Then, India, having been asked to follow on, batted for more than two days, lost only four wickets and scored 476 runs as the pitch died before the players' eyes.

Before New Zealand start muttering darkly about the strip making gurgling noises, they should remember India's batting was decidedly superior to Pakistan's and that should be some comfort.

They will also know Pakistan have form for spectacular batting slides. New Zealand will stick at it, knowing the tourists have lost wickets in clumps earlier in the series.

But the untroubled manner in which openers Imran Farhat and Salman Butt occupied the crease for almost four hours yesterday suggests New Zealand's bowlers will have to find some inspiration today.

Pakistan start today on 128 for none, Butt on 66, first innings centurymaker Farhat on 55.

New Zealand pushed on to 471 yesterday, to hold a 248-run first innings lead which Pakistan had whittled back to 120 by stumps.

"It's going to take some hard work and disciplined bowling because it's a very good batting surface," New Zealand's late innings batting hero Daryl Tuffey said last night.

There was a warning for New Zealand that a challenging assignment lay ahead for the bowlers by the ease with which fast-medium pair Tuffey and Iain O'Brien wielded their bats before lunch.

So it transpired and Farhat and Butt relished the conditions, although Farhat had a close shave when edging Tim Southee just short of wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum on 12.

Both left as much as possible outside their off stump, defended conscientiously and chipped away with some crisp drives, with plenty of glides, nudges, pushes and squirts.

Butt produced a couple of explosive pull shots to show his colleagues to follow that McLean Park is a true batsman's friend right now.

If they forget their lazy shot selection of the first session of day one, when they tumbled to 51 for five, with few excuses, they can make today a laborious one for New Zealand.

Whether they can get enough runs quickly enough to consider a final day declaration and possible late tilt at the hosts tomorrow is a moot point.

Yesterday's play was dominated by three figures.

Captain Dan Vettori pressed home New Zealand's advantage in the first session, moving from 100 to 134 before falling to a brilliant catch at cover by Umar Akmal - a positive moment amid six more missed chances in the innings to add to Pakistan's collection of handling bloopers in the series.

Vettori added 87 with Tuffey for the seventh wicket before Tuffey, maintaining a policy of hitting hard and long in between tidy defence, and O'Brien rubbed it in with a stand of 62 in rollicking fashion.

But O'Brien and Chris Martin went in the same over, leaving Tuffey stuck nine short of his highest first-class score, achieved 10 years ago, and 20 shy of a remarkable maiden test century.

Legspinner Danish Kaneria deserved a long, hot bath last night after toiling his way through 53 overs, taking an outstanding seven for 168.

He is Pakistan's most successful test spinner - and they've had some crackers - and fourth overall on 245 wickets in his 56th test, behind the three great quick men, Wasim Akram (414 wickets from 104 tests), Waqar Younis (373 from 87) and Imran Khan (362 from 88).

Kaneria is only the second Hindu to play test cricket for Pakistan, after his cousin, Anil Dalpat, a wicketkeeper who toured New Zealand in 1984-85.

He could be a key figure tomorrow, but the odds favour a draw.