Cricket: Skipper too Dan good as old heads save the day

Daniel Vettori was 100 not out at stumps on the second day against Pakistan. Photo / Getty Images

Click here for LIVE SCORES

Daniel Vettori has been New Zealand cricket's saviour for some time.

If he didn't have enough labels beside his name - captain, selector, coach - he can now add accomplished No 6 batsman.

The Black Caps have been lacking in the middle order recently, so why not shore it up with the solution to all of New Zealand's key personnel problems?

Vettori completed his fifth test century against Pakistan in Napier yesterday, after going so close with 99 in the first test in Dunedin.

Mind you, he had another close moment just before stumps, hammering a drive at leg-spinner Danish Kaneria on 97, bruising his hand as he spilt the catch.

It is Vettori's third century this year, and he was 100 not out at stumps with New Zealand on 346-6, 123 runs ahead.

It has been the story of the test summer to date for New Zealand. One person in the top order excels - this time Tim McIntosh with 74.

The rest largely capitulate, then a partnership involving Vettori rights the batting wrongs to get the Black Caps an acceptable score.

Vettori and Brendon McCullum (89) did more than that, setting a new record sixth-wicket partnership of 176 against Pakistan.

It was just what New Zealand needed when they came together at 145-5. Things had looked a lot more comfortable at 118-2.

Both reached their half-centuries from 62 balls and were largely level pegging throughout. It was relatively blistering considering McIntosh's 50 took 147 balls.

McIntosh, though, was thrilled to establish the innings for his team-mates.

"It was great to see them doing well in those batting conditions. We can now look to bat on as long as possible tomorrow," McIntosh said.

Vettori slipped into the No 6 position with relative ease and produced a number of his trademark back cuts.

McCullum was able to keep a check on his exuberance and knuckled down for the most part, although there were nervous moments for the purists when he started edging down the wicket Twenty20-style as the Pakistani pacemen ran in.

But after a tranquil, plodding morning's session it woke a number of punters from siestas as he sent one clunking on to the roof of the new stand at McLean Park.

McCullum was particularly brutal through the leg side, pulling with conviction and producing lofted sweeps at will.

He eventually flicked one to gully, cutting a ball too close to his body. The most major impact of the pair's last session onslaught meant the new ball was only 4.3 overs old before Kaneria returned to the attack.

The other highlight of the innings was the 60-run opening stand from McIntosh and BJ Watling, the first such partnership to surpass 50 in 14 months.

McIntosh is no Viv Richards, but kept his right elbow high to give the Black Caps an emphatic defensive platform from which to launch the sixth-wicket assault.

He eventually gloved a sweep behind off Kaneria, who finished as the best of the bowlers with 4-119 off 37 overs.

"I just tried to bowl in the right areas," Kaneria said. "Unluckily, I dropped the one catch I needed for a five-wicket bag off Vettori. My fingers are OK, though.

"I was frustrated at not being picked in the first test because I'm a top wicket-taker for Pakistan and there was no reason for sitting me out. I was thinking whenever they give me a chance I will come back with a bang."

The leg-spinner wreaked havoc through the middle order with the scalps of McIntosh, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor and Daniel Flynn - he'll be a major threat in the fourth innings.

Kaneria also suffered at one stage from the drug he takes for hayfever, which had him laid out on the ground.

"I took my medicine and my heartbeat started getting low. But it didn't take me long to recover."

Watling look composed at the crease on debut, despite a couple of potential "yes, no, wait, sorry" disasters between the wickets. He showed patience in his 18 off 69 balls.

Watling fell with his first real rash shot, a slash with not quite enough room outside off stump from Mohammad Asif to the head-high cupped hands of Umar Akmal at gully.

Taylor (21) was the biggest disappointment of the top order on a good batting track, given his current form. He teased the crowd with some crisp strikes but lapsed with an erratic slog-sweep off Kaneria.

Guptill (13) was thumped convincingly in front, while Flynn (5) continued his struggles which, unless domestic form intervenes, could see him ousted for the remainder of the summer.

He went via the review system, caught behind on the snickometer, having already survived an lbw verdict that didn't go in his favour early on.

Despite New Zealand's 123-run lead, these are still two of the more evenly-matched sides in world cricket.

Pakistan's performances against Australia, starting this month, will now be eagerly awaited as a gauge of the Black Caps' trans-Tasman chances later in the summer.