Pakistan struck thrice in the morning but New Zealand's lower order resisted in the afternoon to push the score past 400. They also kept Pakistan on the field for more than five sessions, something Misbah-ul-Haq's men hadn't endured during their three successive previous wins in the UAE, over Australia and New Zealand.

The hosts' batsmen were then at the receiving end of spin for once in the 19 overs they had to negotiate till stumps. There was no swing for the new-ball pair of Trent Boult and Tim Southee but Mark Craig and Ish Sodhi took out the fresh pair of openers. Sodhi spun a flighted legbreak through the gate to hit Shan Masood's middle stump and Craig had Taufeeq Umar stumped as he failed to drag his back foot in after missing on a forward push.

The late strikes capped a proper scrap of a day for New Zealand after they had lost their overnight batsmen within the first three overs. Corey Anderson gifted his wicket to Ehsan Adil, and Rahat Ali removed Tom Latham on his overnight score of 137. Jimmy Neesham fell to Yasir Shah after an hour of resistance, and had Rahat not dropped Craig off the same bowler, New Zealand would have lost four before lunch.

Anderson had managed to scrap and survive against the second new ball on the first evening but he tried to drive his fourth delivery of the second morning and only spooned it to cover. Latham, meanwhile, had carried on in his calm manner, leaving assuredly, and defending solidly off either foot, when Rahat produced a beauty. He made Latham play with one pitched up on off, the opener ensured he pushed straight, but his feet did not move much for once, and the slight away movement took the nick through to the wicketkeeper.

The spinners set about the new batsmen BJ Watling and Neesham with slightly more help from the surface compared to day one. The first ball from Zulfiqar Babar turned and bounced past Watling's forward push, and the last ball of the same over squared him up and went over the stumps.

Neesham was troubled by the legspinner Yasir with men at forward short leg and leg slip. The occasional straighter ones outside off were another challenge, beating the left-hander. Watling was content to block and awkwardly block some more, but Neesham, eager to break the stranglehold, walked out to Yasir, failed to reach the pitch, and chipped a catch to midwicket.

Craig swung Yasir cleanly over midwicket but skied a slog in the same over on 9, only for Rahat to overrun the ball running in from the deep, even as Asad Shafiq looked on from nearby at square leg.

It was back to attrition for New Zealand till lunch. They had managed 24 runs in 14 overs in the first hour, 28 in 15 in the second, and had still not reached 300.

Pakistan reprieved Craig, on 13, again after the interval. Adil induced an edge in the first over upon resumption but the keeper Sarfraz Ahmed did not go for the ball a couple of feet away to his left. In Adil's next over, Craig punched just short of a diving Shafiq at gully. Craig was beaten several times outside off stump, especially by Adil's excellent lines, but he hung on.

Watling and Craig went through five successive maidens and it was only off his 78th delivery that Watling picked up his first boundary with a cut off Yasir. The fifty of the partnership came in the 24th over when Craig pulled and Watling cut Rahat for fours.

Misbah-ul-Haq turned to the part-time legspin of Azhar Ali, and off his third ball, Watling failed to keep a cut down on 39. It was Azhar's second Test wicket after he had dismissed Kumar Sangakkara leg-before for 211 in October 2011 in Abu Dhabi.

In the next over, Craig missed a pull off Babar to depart leg-before for 43. Ish Sodhi batted very competently once more and remained unbeaten on 32, and Tim Southee hit a couple of big ones before Babar ended the innings in the 156th over to finish with figures of 45-8-137-4.

The most overs Pakistan had bowled in the previous six innings was 103.1. Their batsmen had posted 450-plus totals in each of their three previous first innings. Reaching that mark this innings will be a challenge.

(cricinfo)