NEW ZEALAND v. PAKISTAN

With a prudent approach to the match, Pakistan held New Zealand at arm's length and thus recorded their first Test rubber success away from home. It was a remarkable match, full of interest almost until the end. Intikhab again won the toss, but this was of little moment for the pitch played quite easily after it had given a little bounce and movement before lunch on the first day. Once more Majid Khan led the Pakistan batting, but this was a very subdued innings, compared with his earlier brilliance. He was in almost four and a half hours for 110. Taylor and Howarth commanded considerable respect as Pakistan went to 300 for seven at the close. Once more the New Zealand catching was below standard. Khan and Mushtaq scored 104 for the third wicket, then Asif Iqbal was with Khan while 86 were added. During the day Wadsworth broke the New Zealand Test wicket-keeping record of 50 (set by A. E. Dick) and in the last over he took a magnificent diving catch to give Taylor his hundredth wicket in Tests, only the second New Zealander to reach that mark. In Pakistan's second innings he took two more wickets to leave R. C. Motz's record behind.

The second day, a Saturday, was a study in contrasts. Pakistan, determined to take no chance, batted on for three hours to add 102. Saleem was undefeated for 53, made in three hours and Pervez, sharing a last-wicket stand of 48, had a personal Test best, much to his and everyone's delight. Wasim Bari stayed nearly two hours for 30 as Pakistan made the game safe. In his Test debut the tall, fair-haired left-hander, Redmond, contributed a spectacular century. Diffident and unsound at first, he began to attack vigorously after the first half-hour. Strangely, the only other New Zealanders -- J. E. Mills and Taylor -- to make centuries on their Test debuts were also left-handers. Redmond, driving, cutting and pulling with tremendous confidence, reached his century in two hours, twelve minutes from 110 balls. He hit twenty 4's and one 5 in a scintillating display. When Khan bowled, Redmond hit all of the first five balls to the fence. At 97, he thumped a ball away to mid wicket and it seemed a certain four. A crowd of about 300 boys and youths streamed on to the field to congratulate Redmond, but on the boundary Asif Iqbal had made a magnificent save and Redmond was only 99. This demonstration, which lasted several minutes, was without parallel in New Zealand domestic cricket. Redmond was hoisted shoulder high, a bail was souvenired, an umpire slightly injured in the jostling throng. But Redmond went to his century with another four. With Redmond was Turner, playing a flawless innings as New Zealand scored 159 for the first wicket. Once the stand was broken, Intikhab took command with another splendid display of spin bowling. On the third morning he took five for 42 as New Zealand wickets tumbled and at lunch nine were down with Hastings fighting grimly for survival and two runs still needed to avoid the follow-on.

In this crisis, Collinge batted with extraordinary solidity and aggression. Using his considerable reach, he played the spinners safely and from time to time let go with powerful attacking strokes. As soon as the batsmen had forced the removal of Sarfraz from a close leg-side catching position, their progress became easier and faster. Hastings, although not batting without blemish, won admiration for his concentration and his cutting and driving. Soon they left the New Zealand tenth-wicket record behind, and went on to beat the world record of 130 set by Rhodes and Foster almost seventy years earlier. They went past that mark when Collinge crashed Pervez through the covers, and they were not separated until they had added 151 and the totals were level. They made the runs in two hours, thirty-five minutes. Hastings batted over four and a half hours.

New Zealand made further progress by capturing three wickets for 73 before the close, but could not get wickets quickly enough on the last day to have a chance of victory. Asif was missed very early and batted another seventy minutes: New Zealand were always a little behind the striking rate needed.

It was a determined defensive action by Pakistan. The normally ebullient Mushtaq batted two hours fifty minutes for 52, Saleem an hour and three quarters for 11 but Raja shaped well. In New Zealand's second innings Redmond was even more convincing than in the first and scored a fine 56.