Cricket: Black Caps in the box on the first day of the first Test against Pakistan

One of the fundamentals of leadership is not telling anyone to do something that you would not be willing to do.

When New Zealand discussed the approach they would take if they missed the pitch and were forced to hit, they would have talked about holding out, making Pakistan’s closers cast multiple spells with an aged ball; they would have highlighted patience not just as a virtue, but as a prerequisite.

At 13-2, Captain Kane Williamson and former Captain Ross Taylor came together to demonstrate exactly what that meant.

By the end of the day, Taylor was down for a vital 70, Williamson 94 was not out, Henry Nicholls 42 and New Zealand were well placed at 222-3.

At the beginning of the day, the sun might have been shining, the crowd was large and the atmosphere festive, but the cricket was the complete opposite.

This was a tough, wear cricket; the furthest thing from a joyous holiday.

Reflections may have been lacking, but quality was not lacking.

Pakistani seamstresses started out beautifully and rarely deviated from that standard.
Shaheen Shah Afridi may have made the first breakthroughs, but Mohammad Abbas was just as impressive, making a living at the fourth stump line.

But we are a little ahead of ourselves here. The action began, as is often the case in New Zealand, with a pitch that both captains wanted to win. A cheerful Mohammad Rizwan only needed a microsecond to announce that his team would pitch. New Zealand is used to this.

Shaheen, whose baby face sits on a body built for fast bowling, induced an airborne lead between the slide and the first ball of the match, but Tom Latham wasn’t so lucky from the third.

It is not the first time that Williamson has approached the wicket in the first over of a test match, but it is the first time he has done so in his home soil in a Boxing Day test. It might not be pressure like Tendulkar faced every time he came out of Wankhede, but most of the 6,285 were here to watch him hit.

Pakistan also knew that he was the key. It may be the only plausible reason they reviewed a silly catch behind the leg-down appeal, even as close outfielder Abid Ali advised the pitcher and captain not to.

At the other extreme, Tom Blundell might not command the same respect, but he was getting all the attention from Pakistan. After 29 graft balls, he shoved Shaheen hard and Yasir Shah took a comfortable catch on the third slip.

Blundell is a made starter, not a born one. The 121 he scored a year ago against Australia are only beginning to look like an anomaly.

That door was ajar and the Pakistani attack seemed equipped to charge through it with out-of-form Ross Taylor walking towards the gate. He can be scary in these situations and when he hit his first ball through the square leg of four, he passed Williamson on the scoreboard, who had been in 10 overs.

The hour between drinks and lunch was exciting. The wicket might not be a teal color like Hamilton and Wellington, but it was green enough. More importantly, new bowlers from Pakistan, Shaheen and Abbas were in the loop.

However, the problem when those two play in tandem is that the ones that follow seem friendly in comparison. It went from looking like a 180-race wicket to one where 350 was par.

As it stands, New Zealand has a chance to grit its teeth and get over that.

If they do, it will be because of the platform placed by their leaders.

Taylor scored 70 of 151 balls before Shaheen tempted him to follow the angle of his left arm. By then, the pair had hit 120, the 10th time they have achieved a century-long partnership in testing.

Taylor’s departure marked the entry of Nicholls. He gave his usual chance early – Abbas made a mess with a simple fine leg catch – but then he seemed comfortable and, compared to his employer, carefree.

Williamson needed 154 balls to get to his 50. He almost got away early, his trademark backstroke rarely penetrated the inner ring, and as is his great skill, a pair of edges fell just before the cord (and twice, even could have carried).

He never actually looked in, and yet he never really seemed to come out.

“It’s just Kane, right? He hit really well. It was good to hit with him and get through that early stage,” Taylor said.

“He hit most of the day, aside from three balls. The temperament, the timing, obviously you need a little luck here and there, but I thought he hit fantastically well.”

“We need him and Henry Nicholls to go ahead and pass that new ball around and keep them there as long as possible.”

Williamson even found time to greet a streaker who approached uncomfortably with a minimum of fuss.

He is a remarkable cricketer. One that they like to call their own in these parts.