Cricket: Time for batsmen to repay debt

In making 117 not out, Farhat became the fourth Pakistani to bat through a complete test innings. Photo / Getty Images

Here's a familiar story: New Zealand's batting will be under the spotlight again over the next two days of the third and deciding test against Pakistan.

New Zealand's bowlers, not for the first time, did their bit yesterday by dismissing the visitors for 223 - a decent outcome considering they were half sunk at 51 for five before lunch.

By stumps, New Zealand's latest opening pair, Tim McIntosh and BJ Watling, had got to 47 without mishap.

It was painstaking at times - seven runs off the first seven overs - but you can't have it all ways. New Zealand's opening stands in the last two tests were 0 (one ball), 0 (four), 1 (five) and 4 (11), so patience and graft were fine for McIntosh and Watling and their team-mates.

Today is the batsmen's opportunity to repay a large debt to their bowling chums.

The McLean Park pitch, grassy with some bounce and movement earlier, eased up late in the day. That won't change today or tomorrow and so New Zealand's under-fire batsmen must step forward.

If they do, New Zealand can take a decisive step towards winning the test and series.

Failure to grab the chance could hand back the initiative to Pakistan - remembering New Zealand must bat last.

They will be acutely aware that if they can't score runs on this pitch, something is badly amiss.

It won't be a romp, Pakistan's lively seam trio and handy legspinner Danish Kaneria will see to that. But test cricket was never meant to be beer and skittles.

Three players dominated the day - fast-medium pair Iain O'Brien, in his final test, and Daryl Tuffey book-ending a gritty, resolute unbeaten century by Pakistan opener Imran Farhat.

In making 117 not out, Farhat became the fourth Pakistani to bat through a complete test innings, the most recent being the terrific left-hander Saeed Anwar, against India at Kolkata 10 years ago.

Farhat also bats the "wrong" way around, but there comparisons with Anwar should stop. His first 50 was often dodgy, but was compiled while carnage was taking place at the other end.

O'Brien ripped through the top half of Pakistan's innings with a fine, hostile spell, helped on occasion by sloppy shot selection.

He took four for three in the space of 26 balls. Sharp lift and some lateral movement did for the middle order, of whom captain Mohammad Yousuf - trying to play an attacking shot too close to his body to be one of four ducks - was the prize scalp.

Around that time Yousuf must have wondered if batting first was the right decision. It was, but his batsmen made a hash of it.

Farhat opened up in the middle session, cut and drove strongly and reached a resolute third test hundred off just 138 balls. By the end of the innings, there was the feeling Pakistan had managed a partial jail break for which Farhat deserves the plaudits for knowing where the keys were.

Tuffey almost matched O'Brien's morning heroics with a yeoman job either side of the tea break, a nine-over spell in which he netted four for 28.

Chris Martin was lightly bowled, while captain Dan Vettori was ordinary.

Still, O'Brien and Tuffey - combined age 64, but both with the spring in their step of much younger men - did the business impressively.

McIntosh, in a real jam in this series, was given lbw to Mohammad Asif for 0 early on. After a long delay, he sought a review and got a reprieve, the ball heading over the stumps.

The trick now for the Auckland left-hander is whether he can make use of it today.

Watling looks up for the challenge. A crunch day for the batsmen lies ahead.

PAKISTAN

First innings

I Farhat not out - 117
S Butt b Southee - 9
F Iqbal c Guptill b O'Brien - 6
MYousuf cMcIntosh b O'Brien - 0
U Akmal c Guptill b O'Brien - 0
Misbah-ul-Haq cMcCullum b O'Brien - 0
K Akmal c Guptill bMartin - 22
MAamer cMcCullum b Tuffey - 23
U Gul cMcCullum b Tuffey - 24
MAsif cMcCullum b Tuffey - 0
D Kaneria cMcCullum b Tuffey - 16
Extras (2lb 4nb) - 6
---
Total (all out, 64.3 overs) - 223
Fall: 14), 39, 43, 51, 51, 9, 159, 194, 194, 223.
Bowling: CMartin 9-0-37-1, T Southee 17-4-62-1, I O'Brien
15-5-35-4 (2nb), D Tuffey 15.3-4-52-4 (2nb), D Vettori
8-0-35-0

NEW ZEALAND

First innings

TMcIntosh not out - 31
BJ Watling not out - 13
---
Total 0 wicket(s); 19.0 over(s) - 47
Bowling:MAamer 7-3-8-0,MAsif 5-1-11-0, U Gul
5-0-20-0, D Kaneria 2-1-8-0.