Misbah-ul-Haq is the replacement of Skipper Younis Khan who had opted out of the NZ tour following a disastrous Cool and Cool Cup Series in Abu Dhabi. Pakistan now has as many as 18 players in its Test Squad.

The 35-year-old Misbah-ul-Haq will most probably get into the playing XI straightaway and making way for him could be either Khurram Manzoor or Imran Farhat. There is a lot of pressure on Pakistan to win the second Test at Basin Reserve after losing the first Test at Dunedin by 32 runs.

New Zealand resumed the final day at 147 for 8 and could add up just 5 more runs despite having Grant Elliott unbeaten at the end of Day four. Umar Gul finished the Kiwi innings taking the wickets of O’Brien and Elliott to leave his team a target of 251.

The hosts straightaway had Pakistan on the backfoot  removing the openers cheaply. They got one more wicket in Fawad Alam before the lunch break and Pak was at a shaky 53 for 3 at the break with Yousuf and Umar Akmal at the crease. Chris Martin provided an important breakthrough by ending Skipper Mohammad Yousuf’s stay for 41 and also a 71-run stand. Umar Akmal kept the fight going with Shoaib Malik (32) and the runs kept flowing before the former got done in by a short ball again.

At Tea, Pakistan was at 165 for 5 with the Akmal brothers at the crease and their side hoping for a repeat of their fighting partnership in the first innings. Shane Bond made sure that the Akmals did not run away with the game by taking a return catch offered by Umar to reduce Pak to 195 for 6. That was the moment for New Zealand and they seized it with both ends taking the remaining four wickets for 21 runs. The important wicket of Kamran Akmal (27) was taken by Iain O’Brien.

It was a perfect team effort from the Kiwi bowlers with Bond, O’Brien taking three wickets each while Martin and Vettori taking two each. Shane Bond picked up the Man of the Match.

The visitors stretched their first innings total to 332 from an overnight score of 307 for 8 which cut the New Zealand lead to 97 runs. In their second innings, Mohammad Aamer came up with another first over dismissal, this time removing Martin Guptill in the fourth ball. In the 3rd over, Asif provided the double break with Flynn getting out lbw for a duck as well.

New Zealand recovered from 0 for 2 to 68 for 2 at lunch with Ross Taylor batting fluently on 48. Pakistan after lunch shot back with quick wickets to turn the match on its head. Five wickets went down in a hurry at the addition of just 36 runs. Khurram Manzoor initiated the downfall for the Kiwis with a direct throw to run out Ross Taylor (59 from 83 balls with 7 fours and a six). Peter Fulton and Brendon McCullum were out for 0 to make it four ducks in this Kiwi innings! First innings hero Daniel Vettori was dismissed by Asif cheaply.

The Kiwis still have Grant Elliott batting on 20 along with Iain O’Brien who is not a bad tailender at all. Pakistan have certainly got back into the match through their bowlers but now its all upto their top order to come good and seize the moment provided the weather holds good. Asif had a rich haul of 4 for 41 in 17.5 overs to follow up with his 4 for 108 in the first innings. Aamer complemented him with a couple of wickets.

New Zealand resumed Day 3 at 404 for 8 and could add a further 25 runs before getting bowled out. Mohammad Asif finished with 4 for 108 in 34 overs. Pakistan in their first innings got off to a bad start when Khurram Manzoor dragged his forcing shot onto his stumps off Chris Martin in the 4th over. By lunch, Pakistan lost their other opener Imran Farhat who challenged an lbw decision through a review but in vain. Martin was again the successful bowler to take this wicket and Pak went to lunch at 50 for 2.

Pakistan had more trouble in store in the afternoon session as they lost three more wickets to put New Zealand in a winning position. Shane Bond bowled at his very best to pick the wickets of Skipper Mohammad Yousuf (17), Fawad Alam (29) and Shoaib Malik (2) in the space of around 4 overs. Yousuf played an uppish drive back to Bond who came up with a forward diving catch. Fawad Alam and Shoaib Malik both fell to rising deliveries.

At 85 for 5, the Kiwis were right on top of Pakistan but the Akmal brothers had different ideas. Umar Akmal initiated the counter attack by slogging Vettori over mid wicket for a six and his older brother Kamran joined the fight in same vein. For the next 40 overs or so, the Kiwi attack was put to sword before Kamran Akmal threw his wicket by giving the charge to Vettori but only to edge his big shot to slip. The wicket keeper batsman scored a superb 82 from 136 balls with 11 fours and a six.

Towards the fag end of the day’s play, Umar Akmal got dismissed getting caught at deep point after a brilliant 129 (from 160 balls with 21 fours and 2 sixes). Vettori rounded off the day with the wicket of Umar Gul.

Skipper Daniel Vettori had a heart breaking moment towards the fag end of the day’s play when he nicked his cut shot to the keeper on a score of 99! Vettori struck 14 fours and got his runs in just 133 runs.

Brendon McCullum, the other overnight batsman went onto score 78 before getting cleaned up by an Umar Gul yorker. McCullum changed the match in New Zealand’s favour with a partnership of 164 with Vettori.

Mohammad Yousuf had won the toss and put New Zealand to bat first on a pitch that was slow and low in nature. Left arm quick Mohammad Aamer gave a dream start by yorking Tim McIntosh in the very first ball of the match. Mohammad Asif caused damge from his end by forcing Daniel Flynn to get an inside edge to the keeper. New Zealand got off to a disastrous start at 27 for 2 in the 6th over.

Pakistan failed to make most of the inroads as opener Martin Guptill got a partnership going with Ross Taylor. The Kiwis went to lunch without any further damage at 78 for 2 in 28 overs. The partnership blossomed after lunch with both Guptill and Taylor knocking off their respective half centuries.

In the 41st over, Pakistan took a chance with the referral system asking for an lbw decision when Asif had hit the pad of Taylor but the TV Umpire had noticed tha the ball had struck outside the line of the off stump. Pakistan eventually could break the 3rd wicket stand when Martin Guptill (60 from 142 balls with 10 fours and a six) miscued a pull shot off Aamer. Guptill put on 117 runs for the 3rd wicket along with Taylor. The Kiwis went to Tea at 171 for 3 with Ross Taylor closing in to his 5th test hundred.

The final session seemed to go in Pakistan’s favour as off spinner Saeed Ajmal lured Taylor into an expansive drive to have him edge a straighter one in the 63rd over. Ross Taylor was unlucky to miss out on a hundred. He scored his 94 in 174 balls with the help of 13 fours and a six. Asif returned back to clean up Fulton (29) with an indipper and New Zealand lost their 5th wicket with that. The same bowler had Grant Elliott nicking behind to have the homeside wobbling at 211 for 6.

Pakistan in a bid to wrap up the NZ first innings took the second new ball in the 81st over. In the final over of the day’s play they came very close to getting their 7th wicket when Brendon McCullum got hit on the pad by Asif and Umpire Taufel gave that out lbw. But McCullum took advantage of the review system and got his lbw decision reversed as the ball had struck him outside the line of off stump while attempting a shot. The Kiwis were revived in the end through a nice fighting partnership between McCullum and Vettori.

As predicted, Aamer and Asif were the main bowling stars for Pakistan taking a combined five wickets while Umar Gul dissapointed. Saeed Ajmal did a good hold up job by conceding just 49 runs in his 26 overs.

Live Scores powered with Ball by Ball Simulation of this First Test Match between New Zealand and Pakistan at Dunedin can be followed at www.cricketmove.com.

Pakistan most certainly will be going in with a combination of three pacers and a spinner in Saeed Ajmal. The third pacer to give back up to Aamer and Asif has got to be Umar Gul who is right now the fastest bowler in the Pakistani camp. Abdur Rauf has taken four wickets in the tour match against New Zealand Invitation XI but I suspect his chances of making it to the Dunedin Test are very low. Rauf is a predictable bowler as he has this funny way of showing the seam of the ball clearly to the batsman.

The Kiwis will have the real threat coming from the two As – Aamer and Asif. Both these bowlers are pretty good at bowling accuratley and do get a considerable amout of movement in and out off the seam. Asif is certainly a bowler close to Glen McGrath when it comes to the skills. The thing that flashes my mind when I think of Asif is the way he had gone through VVS Laxman’s gate in one of the Test matches with a magic off cutter.

It’s a pity that Asif had been out of international cricket due to all the wrong (non-cricketing) reasons. Hope he does justice to the wonderful talent that he has got in making the cricket ball talk the way he wants to! Guess what Mohammad Asif’s last Test was way back in October 2007. Fortunately enough he is just 26 years and will still get plenty of opportunities to make a name of himself in being one of the best bowlers in Test Cricket.

Mohammad Aamer has no doubt been the most consistent performer for Pakistan in any format of the game. He is just 17 years of age and has already won the hearts of many fans. I particularly remember a placard in UAE which was asking for Mohammad Aamer to be the Captain of the Pakistani team. The lad seems to be playing each and every game and may be he needs to be rested whenever there is an insignificant match around. Pakistan would do good if they can preserve this youngster and make sure that he lasts more than 10 years at the international level.

The third pacer for me is Umar Gul and he has to improve upon the consistency levels. At times, Umar Gul has this tendency of bugging his captain with plenty of no-balls. It’s a good challenge ahead of Umar Gul to prove that he is a better bowler than Asif and Aamer. Looks like there will be some kind of a healthy competition between the trio.

 I would like to see Saeed Ajmal play ahead of Danish Kaneria in the Test Series. Ajmal has plenty of variations up his sleeve and the confidence levels are high because of his recent successes against various teams. Bowling seems to be the strength of Pakistan like always. The batting department and fielding is what needs to be improved by a long way for Pakistan if they have to win Test Series abroad.

The hosts are unlucky to miss one of their key players in Jesse Ryder who is still recovering from an abductor strain which he picked up during his stint in the IPL. Ryder’s place has gone to Peter Fulton who has a mediocre average of under 25.00 and just a fifty in the 8 Tests so far in his career. It could be a toss up between Fulton and Tim McIntosh in the end. McIntosh is fresh from a century against Pakistanis at Queensland which could give him the nod ahead of Fulton.

Apart from Bond, medium pacer Daryl Tuffey makes a comeback in the Test team after similar adventures in the rebel Indian Cricket League. Most likely Tuffey could sit out with New Zealand already having Chris Martin and Iain O’Brien in the ranks to partner with Bond.

New Zealand Squad for first Test at Dunedin : Daniel Vettori (Captain), Tim McIntosh, Daniel Flynn, Ross Taylor, Peter Fulton, Martin Guptill, Grant Elliott, Brendon McCullum (wk), Iain O’Brien, Shane Bond, Jeetan Patel, Daryl Tuffey, Chris Martin

Brief Scores : New Zealand Invitation XI 234 and 231/2 (McIntosh 131* Flynn 56, Abdur Rauf 1/11 Fawad Alam 1/46) drew with Pakistanis 286