Cricket: Black Caps win first Test against Pakistan on incredible final day

A small leap for Mitchell Santner, a giant step towards Lord’s for his New Zealand team.

With his left paw in the air, Santner leapt to catch a catch back from No. Pakistan’s 11th Naseem Shah as New Zealand won an incredible opening round with 4.3 overs to spare.

An inspired Pakistani rearguard, a tame wicket and a grueling attack seemed surely to conspire against New Zealand’s victory, until a bowling association that had both heart and skill changed the course of the series.

Kyle Jamieson and Neil “Three toes” Wagner teamed up when Pakistan not only looked like they could save the game, but possibly have a race to win, and they threw themselves to the ground and their team on the brink of victory.

When they joined forces, Fawad Alam and Mohammad Rizwan were not only ready, they were beginning to dominate. They were in the middle of a partnership that would rack up 165 brave runs and span 63.2 overs.

A game that New Zealand had dominated for four days was bleeding out.

Out of nowhere, Jamieson slammed one into Rizwan’s front pad, and while outfield referee Wayne Knights didn’t like it, the off-field technology was easier to seduce.

Pakistan was 240-5 and the door was slightly ajar provided they could get Fawad out, who was clinging to the handle on the other side as hard as he could.

His century was all about tenacity and denial, but Wagner can have a strange effect on even the most sober of hitters. He came up short, again, around the wicket and Fawad holstered himself to Watling.

It was Watling’s 250th firing, it wouldn’t be his last.

The splinter of light was now lightning and Jamieson struck again, Yasir Shah weakly pushing Tim Southee into the ravine.

On a roll, Wagner brought the hero of the first inning, Faheem Ashraf, closer to Watling.

It was a sea change for the ages and kept New Zealand’s hopes for a World Trials Championship alive.

By the time they were pulled from the bowling alley, Wagner had thrown 11 at the trot, Jamieson nine.

Wagner’s comeback in that spell was 11 overs, five maidens, 28 runs, two wickets; 9-4-6-2 from Jamieson.

May your ice baths be filled with Moet.

Santner, who had yet to cover himself in glory in the fourth inning, caught Mohammad Abbas up front with an arm for one.

Given that Shaheen Shah Afridi had been hull-cracked by Wagner and looked vulnerable, and Naseem Shah had a test batting average of three, the chances of the last pair holding 11 overs seemed remote, but this had been a day of wild twists.

Even reaching the last hour had required a profound change in fortunes after Pakistan lost its first two wickets within three overs of its second inning without a dash run before tea on the fourth day.

Even on the final day, which started 75-3, the win seemed like a formality as Trent Boult duped Pakistan’s most successful hitter, Azhar Ali, with a two-card trick in his first over of the day to make it 75-4. .

That was a sign for a quick day at the office, but all the signs were wrong.

In fact, the signals couldn’t be trusted all day.

Try cricket, go figure.