Cricket: Losing streak ends on dramatic last day

Shane Bond was instrumental in the Black Caps’ win over Pakistan. Photo / Getty Images

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It's over a year since New Zealand last won a test match and the joy was obvious in the way skipper Daniel Vettori threw the ball into the air after his victorious caught and bowled from the bat of Mohammad Aamer.

Vettori raced towards his team-mates and then away into a zone of his own in the outfield as the weight of the 32-run win sank in.

It was the final moment in a vintage day of test cricket, ebbing and flowing in favour of host and visitor. A mesmerised 2200-strong crowd mixed whispered hush with euphoric whooping as New Zealand edged to victory at the University Oval - a good ground for New Zealand, as it has previously had a win and a draw there.

Vettori said: "It was one of those test matches everyone wants to be involved in and be on the right side of. To come down to the last session, it felt like there were 80,000 people out there. It was a great atmosphere and I think the game did it justice. It was almost the first thing we spoke about when we came off."

There's only been five times at home where a team has chased down 251 or more to win, a fact that hadn't escaped the skipper.

"I think there's still frustration. We want to control the game better than we did. We put ourselves in a difficult and precarious situation but if you look at history, it was on our side."

The team fielded well but man-of-the-match Shane Bond, with overall figures of 8-153 from 48.5 overs, and Iain O'Brien with 3-63 from 23 in the second innings, proved stars.

Both battled injuries with Bond ripping the nail off the big toe on his left foot and O'Brien dislocating the ring finger on his right hand in his follow-through, thanks to a Kamran Akmal drive.

Despite the pain in his bowling hand during his match-turning spell, O'Brien persevered - removing Umar Gul before Daniel Vettori wrapped up the tail to seal only New Zealand's third test victory against a major test playing nation in 24 attempts.

Captain Vettori was quick to praise his fast bowlers' final bursts after Pakistan entered the final session needing 86 runs with five wickets in hand.

"It was about breaking that (Akmal brothers) partnership," he said. "You can't deny the spells by Iain and Shane, both bowling eight or nine overs in a row brought us into the game.

"The Kamran Akmal wicket was when everyone started to believe we could finish it off."

O'Brien ended with figures of three for 63 and plaudits for his courage after his ring finger was bent out of shape by a Kamran Akmal drive.

Bond said to come through with a win was not just about the physical hardship.

"It's mental highs and lows, where you're standing out in the field and you think the game's gone - then it breaks open; then your body's telling you it's tired, so you have to get yourself up for it."

Vettori also reinforced how much faith he has in O'Brien.

"I've always backed Obber. I like the effort and the way he bowls in a game - he wants the ball and I think you saw the turnaround from the first innings where he struggled.

"I think I bowled him too much. I kept him fresher this time and he responded. That spell with him and Shane after tea made a real difference.

"The battle with Daryl Tuffey is not as tight a call as people might think. But I'm really pleased with the way Daryl's going, he's putting a lot of pressure on and you can throw Tim Southee and Brent Arnel in the mix as well."

The spell Vettori referred to was crucial in the final swing of the pendulum in New Zealand's favour with the dismissals of the Akmal brothers in the 64th and 65th overs.

Umar Akmal once again proved a star in the making. At just 19, he became only the ninth batsman and the third Pakistani to score a century and a 50 on debut.

However his 75 was relatively patient compared to the 129 he blasted in the first innings. Bond accounted for him with a caught and bowled, but noted his impact.

"We saw a lot of him in the UAE, he's a serious player but he's aggressive and, as a bowler, he is going to offer you a chance. We'll look forward to bowling to him on a wicket with a bit more bounce in it.

"But you've got to give credit to a guy in his first test - especially under pressure. To nearly get them home was a hell of an effort."

Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam also saw potential in his charge, despite the loss.

"He's disappointed getting out at that stage. It would have been wonderful really to get a hundred in each innings and win the game. He's blessed with tremendous talent. I think the senior members have to get runs on the board. We have the bowling side to get New Zealand out."

Misbah-ul-Haq joins the team in two days to shore up the batting.

Akmal's brother Kamran was then adjudged lbw for 27 despite a failed umpire review system plea and Pakistan had slumped from 195 for five to 197 for seven in the space of six balls. The tail then crumbled losing the last three wickets for 19 runs.

Earlier the New Zealand attack sparked, leaving Pakistan 6 for two wickets at the end of the sixth over and 24 for three at the start of the 11th - with the top three in the pavilion.

Bond completed a stellar opening spell of two wickets for 11 runs from his eight overs but, after his second wicket, Pakistan knuckled down to a relatively dull period with Yousuf and Umar under no real pressure.

They moved to 53 for three by lunch, putting on 29 runs in 15 overs and continued steady progress afterwards where they amassed a flow of runs, demonstrating technical savvy.

Yousuf went on to make a dogged 41 as the momentum ebbed and flowed amidst the top order before he feathered a snorter behind off Chris Martin. Shoaib Malik's solid contribution of 32 came to an end with a nick behind off O'Brien with the elation on the into-the-wind-warhorse's face making a nice summary of a team whose discipline is paying off.

The series shapes as a spirited contest in the next two tests in Wellington and Napier.