It's been a tough week for cricket. Regardless of whether you love cricket, the death of Phil Hughes was a shocking reminder that sport can be a dangerous pastime, even the pastoral pastime of leather on willow. Even people who take little interest in cricket have beebn affected. After appropriate delays and postponements, international fixtures resumed, with the deciding Test between Pakistan and New Zealand the most intriguing.
Misbah-ul-Haq's side have been in the zone lately with plenty of runs and fine spin bowling. Younis Khan in particular has been in spectacular form. Unfortunately for Pakistan, the runaway train derailed at Sharjah. The fairytale script would have had the recalled Daniel Vettori scoring a century and nabbing ten wickets, but there was no fairydust sprinkled on the bespectacled Black Cap legend. After a gap of more than two years, the 35 year-old did score 15 and add two wickets to his impressive Test tally of 360, but in many respects he was outperformed by just about all his team-mates.
Misbah won the toss and elected to bat. While Mohammad Hafeez was at the crease, that looked an excellent decision. However, once he top-edged a pull to be fifth man out for 197, the side collapsed to the spin of Mark Craig, a 27 year-old with only thirty games' first-class experience. What came next was unprecedented in New Zealand cricket. In under two days, they amassed a record 690 at getting on for five an over.
Skipper Brendon MaCullum led from the front, making another double-century at more than a runa ball, and shattering his country's second-wicket partnership record alongside Kane Williamson, who notched 192 himself. Four others also reached 50; the total of six half-centurions another first for NZ. Faced with the need to bat to save the game to win the series, Pakistan made a terrible start. Trent Boult had them reeling at 24-3 with swift in-swingers and seamers, his victims including Younis Khan first ball!
As in the first innings, one man attempted to hold it all together. This time it was Asad Shafiq, choosing attack as the best form of defence. He fell on 137 and the final wicket fell the next over, McCullum pouching the catch to hand Craig a first 'ten-for'.
While delivering disappointment for Pakistan in the Middle East, this counter-attacking performance will do the Black Caps the world of good. As well as the record run and 50 tallies for New Zealand, the whole match boasted 35 sixes, easily smashing the previous Test record of 27 notched by Pakistan v India in 2006 (Shahid Afridi at his best) and Bangladesh against - of all opponents - New Zealand last October. They've now won or drawn each of their last five series, with six victories and three draws out of eleven Tests and if they take this confidence into the 50-over World Cup, they might actually have a chance of winning the tournament instead of being perennial mere thorns in the side of the big guns.
As for this week in Sharjah, nobody was hurt, the match was played in good spirit and the late Phil Hughes was not forgotten. The same can be said for this Third Test.
