Kyle Jamieson took five wickets in the first innings of the second test against Pakistan. Photo / Photosport
Kyle Jamieson took five wickets in the first innings of the second test against Pakistan. Photo / Photosport
Dylan Cleaver provides five takeaways from day one of the second test between the Black Caps and Pakistan.
What. A. Ball.
It was going to take a bit to upstage Tim Southee's late-swinging sand shoe crusher that left Shan Masood sprawled on the turf and out for a duck.
Well,it happened. Kyle Jamieson's ball that lifted off a length to Fawad Alam was simply unfair. The in-form Fawad could only throw his gloves up in front of his face as he, like Masood, crumpled to the turf.
The ball ballooned in the air to be one of the simpler of his 250-plus dismissals BJ Watling has had to pull off.
Kyle Jamieson took five wickets in the first innings of the second test against Pakistan. Photo / Photosport
Jamieson's lightning start to his test career has left him in good position to challenge Shane Bond's mantle as the fastest New Zealander to 50 test wickets.
Bond achieved the feat in his 12th test, a laugher against Zimbabwe in 2005, when he took 10 wickets in the match.
To compare the two, after six tests Bond had 26 wickets, while Jamieson is in the midst of his sixth and he has 30. Bond had two five-wicket bags by that stage, Jamieson has three.
Hagley Haircut
The weather on day one of the test was skittish and that has also affected preparation for the test.
Groundsman Rupert Bool apparently had to shave 12mm more grass off the wicket than he usually would leading into a test. He was forced into that because poor weather had reduced normal preparation by four days.
The weather for the next three days should be okay but New Zealand, who need a win, would not want to place their fate in the hands of the weather gods on day five.
Plane Sailing
Zafar Gohar looked a more-than-capable middle order option late on day one. The 25-year-old was making his debut but according to legend it should have come more than five years earlier. The left-arm spinner was meant to replace an injured Yasir Shah to play against England in the UAE in October, 2015, but never made the flight after oversleeping.
Azhar Ali scored 93 before being dismissed by Matt Henry. Photo / Photosport
When Matt Henry had Azhar Ali nicking into the hands of Ross Taylor for a silky 93, it was richly deserved but also continued a curious streak. His 1-68 represents his sixth one-fer on the trot. In his last five completed test innings (from most recent to oldest) at the bowling crease, he has taken 1-54, 1-94, 1-87, 1-40 and 1-67.
