Tim Southee became the third New Zealand bowler to capture 300 proving grounds when he fired two Pakistani batsmen to help push his team to a solid position late in the game on the fourth day of game one Tuesday. .
Pakistan was 71-3, still 302 runs from their goal of 373 victory, with Azhar Ali at 34 and Fawad Alam 21 without losing.
They will have to hit the entire final day at a deteriorating Bay Oval field in Mount Maunganui on Wednesday to prevent the hosts from taking a 1-0 lead in the two-game series.
Southee joined Richard Hadlee (431) and Daniel Vettori (361) when Mitchell Santner caught Haris Sohail in extra-short coverage for nine to reduce Pakistan to 37-3 after tea.
“I knew it was reasonably close,” Southee told Spark Sport. “It’s nice, but we still have a bit of work to do on the ball for the next day.”
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson had declared his team’s second inning at 180-5 about 30 minutes before tea after starters Tom Blundell and Tom Latham produced a 111-run first-inning partnership.
The pair survived a torrid opening spell from Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Abbas, with several nicks missing or straying from the fielders, before Blundell made his second half-century test in the first session.
Blundell was fired after the break by 64 as New Zealand looked to pick up the pace, with Latham falling by 53, his twenty-half century of testing, before Williamson, Henry Nicholls and BJ Watling followed in quick succession.
Ross Taylor (12) and Santner (six) were not left out when Williamson called them with a 372 run lead.
Trent Boult and Southee provided the best possible start when they had Abid Ali and Shan Masood without scoring a run.
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