Shoaib and Razzaq indeed bowled well in tandem, the former generating a lot of pace late in his spell. In the meanwhile, the Kiwis went past their 100 off 124 deliveries. With half the overs gone, and the asking rate pegged at exactly seven, Harris tried breaking the shackles, with some success hitting Afridi and Saqlain for a few boundaries. At the end of the 30th over, the Kiwis were halfway through, at exactly 144. They had wickets at hand for the onslaught, though the asking rate had gone up to 7.3

Chris Nevin and Nathan Astle stroked a four apiece on the leg side off skipper Waqar Younis to take 12 runs off him. Next over, Nevin send Akram soaring over the long-on fence, and another one dozen runs had been gathered off the great southpaw when he struck, Astle failing to stay out of the harm’s way on the fast outswinger and Rashid Latif brought off a spectacular catch. Next over Younis got through Sinclair’s defences, played on, to make Black Caps 34 for 2.

Neither the two quick wickets, nor some rough treatment at Waqar’s hands could curb Nevin’s aggressive instincts. With Craig McMillan giving him company, he kept going after the bowling, clubbing Akram to extra cover for four, and two overs later miscuing him over the keeper for another boundary to raise New Zealand’s 50, off 62 deliveries.

Shoaib Akhtar came into the attack, bowled him short and wide on the leg side, and Nevin helped it all the way to the fine leg fence. Another widish delivery outside the off-stump, and Nevin tried to loft it over long-off, only holing out to a grateful Waqar. Akhtar had struck on the last delivery of a not so great over, and the Kiwis were in a spot of bother. The asking rate had already climbed to 6.2 an over.

Pakistan could have gone on to make an even more formidable total, but in the slog overs, despite a comedy of errors by the stand-in skipper Craig McMillan in the 48th over (not just a catch and a run-out missed but four overthrows given in the bargain as well), the Kiwis didn’t concede many boundaries. That is until Wasim Akram (unbeaten 26, off 16 balls, 1 four, 1 six) smote McMillan for a straight six and a four off the last two deliveries to bring the innings to an emphatic close.

The partnership between Inzamam (68, off 96 deliveries, 4 fours) and Younis Khan (56, 59 balls, 4 fours, 1 six) first steadied the Pakistan innings with rotation of strike and occasional boundaries after a sort of mini-collapse threatened to self-inflict total disintegration, and then consolidated on the good work in the later part.

By the time Inzamam holed out to Mathew Horne at extra cover, with less than five overs to go, Pakistan had already made 251. Younis followed close on his heels, getting clean bowled behind his legs while trying to sweep Tuffey to long leg, the shot that had brought him his only six against Astle.

But by then Pakistan was well and truly home, and Akram and Rashid added 35 runs without losing a wicket till the end. All in all a good effort, with a solid start and a good finish. The Kiwis now have their job cut out for them.

But Inzamam-ul-Haq, in good form since he made 99 in the second innings of the Asian Test Championship final to give respectability to a lost cause, remained there, solid as a rock, holding the middle order together.

Yousuf Youhana, going through a bad patch which has not been helped by some atrociously indiscreet shot selection, tried to graft his way back to form with single and twos. The resolve definitely was there to not to give it away this time, but Styris’ lack of sting snared him into a false shot, and the Black Caps ‘keeper Chris Nevin, who had dropped three catches the other night, all of Marwan Atapattu, grabbed everything on offer today, so far. Good for Nevin, and New Zealand for had he missed any of the three, they may have rubbed it in by making quite a few runs, and at a fast pace.

Before Youhana, Imran Nazir had fallen in almost identical fashion, when only three runs short of what would have been a most well-deserving 50. Imran’s 47 had come at better than a run a ball, off 46 deliveries to be precise, with the help of seven boundaries.

Despite the loss of four upper order wickets, there was a bit of a drop in the run rate, as Inzamam and Younis were intent on not taking many risks, making the partnership progress.

At the end of the 30th over, as Pakistan reached 160 for four, Styris’s figures read nine overs, 28 runs, four wickets. Not really incredible, but in the context of this match, of immense significance for New Zealand.

Having lost the first game of the event, Pakistan needed a good start to re-ignite hope, and as Waqar got lucky with the toss and elected to bat, Afridi and Imran rose to the occasion. Unlike the previous game, in which he had to tried to play himself in, Imran this time quite visibly was backing his strengths and going for his strokes. Second ball of the innings from Daryl Tuffy was creamed for a boundary at cover, and next over he was lofted to the long-off fence.

Circumspect in the beginning, at least by his standards, Afridi had hit just one boundary by the sixth over. From then onwards, he unleashed his strokes, Franklin and Tuffy to extra cover and mid-wicket fence in successive overs, and then tearing into Franklin by sending him straight in to the grand stand and then over long-off fence in one over.

He was now in full cry, and Tuffy felt the full weight of his willow when he dispatched him for three fours in the mid-wicket region in one over to speed things further after the fifty of the innings had been reached off just 53 deliveries.

Mostly watching this strokeplay by Afridi from the other end, Imran decided to join in the scoring spree, taking 10 runs off Ian Butler with the help of two well-timed stroked to the mid-wicket fence. Afridi clouted Jacob Oram for a six at the mid-wicket to bring off 50 in a spectacular manner only to throw it all away in the next over, Styris’ first.

Despite the twin loss of Afridi and Razzaq things looked for Pakistan. For once, the openers had put quite a few runs on the board, and in quick time to boot. It was now left to the middle order to deliver and guide Pakistan to a formidable total. A distinct possibility, despite Younis and Youhana not really being in top form.

New Zealand, coming off a fine performance defeating tournament favourites Sri Lanka on Tuesday, must be named as favourites today. Pakistan were lacklustre in their opening encounter on Monday and will be going flat out to get back in the running in this key encounter. They have an enviable record at the venue in recent years, whereas New Zealand have lost 17 of the 26 matches they have played here.

New Zealand are playing their second match of the tournament, and they will be looking to carry on winning. The weather at Sharjah did not dampen New Zealand and they performed well in the warm and humid conditions in Sharjah.

New Zealand have a long batting line-up as was seen on Tuesday, even when their top performer, Nathan Astle was out early. Pakistan batting is brittle particularly at the top and they will need some partnerships to make a game of it against the New Zealand's accurate medium pacers.

Teams:

New Zealand: NJ Astle, IG Butler, JEC Franklin, CZ Harris, MJ Horne, CD McMillan, +CJ Nevin, JDP Oram, SB Styris, DR Tuffey, MS Sinclair.

Pakistan: *Waqar Younis, Shahid Afridi, Imran Nazir, Yousuf Youhana, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Abdul Razzaq, +Rashid Latif, Saqlain Mushtaq, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar.