Adam Parore may be only a few dismissals away from being the most successful of all New Zealand's Test wicket-keepers but it is the one that got away that has been frustrating him of late.

The one that got away was the catch he dropped of Pakistan's Younis Khan in the first innings in Auckland when he was on five. He went on to score 91 to warm up for his second innings effort of 149 not out.

"It was the first dropped catch I have had in two years and that was disappointing but it would have given me six catches in an innings for the first time," he said.

"It was the critical moment of the game. The defining moment, more than the toss or the performance of the top order batting," he said.

"I don't like dropping them, I like to keep a year or two between dropping them.

"I felt I had it the whole way. When you go one-handed they either hit perfect and they stay or they go in fractionally off and they go straight out again. That's the risk you take when you go one-handed.

"I found it ironic that it was the only catch I've dropped in two years and it probably cost us the Test match. If I had hung onto that our chances of winning would have been greatly increased," he said.

Parore goes into tomorrow's second Test at Christchurch's Jade Stadium five dismissals from equalling Ian Smith's record of 176 wicket-keeping dismissals, two from equalling the total number of dismissals, as he has three catches as a fieldsman, and one behind the most catches for New Zealand, including his three as a fieldsman.

Despite the misfortunes in Auckland, Parore was confident New Zealand could still recover from the 299-run loss which saw nine wickets fall for 26 runs.

Mainly because there were only two days to get over it and get back into action.

"It has also helped that our performance on that last day was so bad it was almost beyond comprehension.

"I wasn't particularly pleased when I walked off the field and I made my feelings reasonably felt in the dressing room, but I didn't appreciate the enormity of what had happened.

"I didn't realise we had lost nine for 26. I thought we got bowled out in the session for 80 runs or something, it wasn't until I watched the news that night that I realised we'd been bowled out for 26 which was disgraceful.

"I don't think it was a true reflection of the ability in the side," he said.

Parore said the record had been on his mind for about six months after he sat down at the start of the season and worked out some goals. He thought that because he was now averaging around five dismissals a Test match he could be close to having the record by this Test match.

"It's just a personal milestone, something I've been very conscious of since I was very young.

"And everyone aspires to be top of the heap. Bowlers love to be the guy with most wickets, batsmen want to be the guy with most runs and I want to be the guy with most catches and dismissals," he said.

Parore has a goal of 100 Tests and feels that if he can do that he may end up close to 300 dismissals. But the immediate goal is the record, then the 200 mark,, because there are not too many keepers who have achieved that and most of those were legends in the game.

His wicket-keeping in Auckland hadn't been the greatest and while he picked up five dismissals in the first innings that was the way it went.

What happened on the last day in Auckland wasn't the sort of thing anybody wanted to happen and the real test for New Zealand would be how they performed on the first two days in Christchurch.

"I've always felt that I can excuse making a mistake and can excuse myself playing below par but really the measure of the man is how you go the next day.

"It's easy to sulk about it, lose your confidence and turn up and not do your job.

"It's far harder to take responsibility, to front up and do the job regardless. That's what defines you as a sportsman," he said.

Cricket was such a transitory thing in terms of the mood of the side. Whether you were confident, whether you dominated or whether you were being dominated, all it took was one thing, a good shot, a good partnership or a great catch and all of a sudden everyone could think they were back in the game.

While he was going to move ahead of Ian Smith in the record books, he had been a great help to Parore, firstly in his youth and over the last 12 months.

Then between that, Steve Rixon had remodelled Parore's complete approach to wicket-keeping.

Rixon told Parore that the way in which he was 'keeping was practically useless and that he would have to start from scratch and rebuild his whole approach to the craft. Parore said he had reached the end of usefulness for his old style and there were no improvements that could be made.

Rixon's involvement had freshened his wicket-keeping and made him a different player. It had taken some hard work but had been behind what he felt were far more consistent wicket-keeping results than for some time.

This was most obvious in the control he now has to his right. Stephen Fleming at first slip is now much wider than before Rixon took over as coach. Rixon told Parore that he would now have to cover a much wider area and it took some getting used to, especially by Fleming who has seen the number of catches coming his way dwindling.

But it was the preferred Australian style and it is now working for New Zealand. It also gives them the luxury of covering the area where four slips may have been required previously with only three slips fieldsmen.

Just as Sir Richard Hadlee found wickets coming quicker later in his career, so has Parore and for a wicket-keeper who has never suffered a broken finger in his career, there is every chance that the record is going to be a mere stepping stone to greater statistical highlights.

© CricInfo