Cricket: Humiliation as NZ slump to worst loss

LAHORE - New Zealand's cricketers could safely say they had suffered no bigger humiliation when they were dispatched by an innings and 324 runs by Pakistan in the opening test in Lahore.

The tourists perished inside three days for their worst test defeat - beating the dubious record of an innings and 322 held by Ken Rutherford's 1995 side against the West Indies.

It was the fifth worst test defeat suffered by any team as they were bowled out for 246 in their second innings.

Their fate was sealed by Shoaib Akhtar's test best figures of six for 11 as New Zealand were skittled for 73 in their first innings, their ninth lowest test score.

Akhtar, though, was absent, injured, for the second innings.

Legspinner Danish Kaneria ripped through the tourists' follow-on innings with five for 110.

New Zealand's position was hopeless, but they again had some crucial second-innings lapses which gifted the Pakistani bowlers some wickets on a pitch taking more turn but not unplayable.

Captain Stephen Fleming - who was also part of the huge 1995 loss - did his best to anchor a recovery, but he threw his wicket away on 66 after battling for 199 minutes.

In the process, he joined Martin Crowe and John Wright as the only New Zealand players to top 4000 runs in tests, Fleming achieving the feat in his 69th test.

But it won't be a statistic he remembers fondly.

"We were massively outplayed and we weren't even in the picture, so it was just batting practice for the latter part of the day," Fleming said.

New Zealand showed some of the spine they had been lacking in a humiliating previous 24 hours, but no-one reached anywhere near the heights of Inzamam-ul-Haq's magnificent 329.

After the early loss of Matthew Horne, Mark Richardson and Lou Vincent both got under way, but were removed by spin to shots they need not have played.

Vincent passed 50 for the fifth time in his seven-test career off 77 balls, but he replicated his first innings dismissal when he pushed at Kaneria and was caught behind.

Fleming and Chris Harris then combined for a stand of 85 in 104 minutes before Harris, who was lucky to survive a missed stumping on 33, pushed forward to Abdur Razzaq and was trapped in front for 43.

That signalled a flurry of wickets as Kaneria honed in, trapping Craig McMillan with a quicker ball, then bowling Robbie Hart immediately with a googly.

Fleming had not played a false shot until Kaneria bowled one from a metre behind the umpire and Fleming skied a pull shot, looking for his 10th boundary.

It was all over soon afterwards, in the day's penultimate over.

The first innings misery was completed in less than an hour as New Zealand, resuming on 58 for six, put up little fight.

After Daniel Vettori and Hart's early departures Akhtar returned, hobbling off a short run with an injured left leg but still mustering useful pace.

He fired in a brute of a yorker to remove Brooke Walker, who was hit on the toe, then Chris Martin stood no chance next ball when Akhtar hit the woodwork for a fifth time in the innings.

Akhtar's bag of six bettered his previous test best of five for 24 against the West Indies in Sharjah two months ago.

He has twice been reported for a suspect action, only to be cleared by experts, but the New Zealanders were not going to incite any controversy, despite being bitterly disappointed.

Coach Denis Aberhart gave a firm "no comment" when asked about the bowler's slingy action, saying it was up to match officials to make any calls.

"He swung the ball at pace and got it right.

"It's pretty hard to play at that pace when you get it right like that."

In the Pakistani innings, gloveman Hart made a tidy test debut in the most trying conditions, conceding only one bye when McMillan strayed down the leg side.

- NZPA