Day well and truly belongs to Black Caps
CRICKET
NEW Zealand had scored more than 650 runs, three batsmen had scored centuries — one a double and one a first at test level. It had been a nearperfect day.
Kyle Jamieson made sure it was.
The onfire paceman struck late yesterday, consigning the hapless Shan Masood to a pair and ensuring his side will enter day four needing nine wickets to secure a summer sweep of all four tests.
Jamieson’s unerring control over length drew Masood, who has endured a miserable tour, scoring three ducks on the trot and shelling several chances, half forward and he edged a catch to the buckethanded Tim Southee at third slip.
Pakistan ended the day eight for one off eight menacing overs.
Abid Ali was on seven and night watchman Mohammad Abbas on one.
That noholds barred spell was made possible by the batsmen, who combined to compile New Zealand’s fifthhighest total in tests.
Skipper Kane Williamson smashed his fourth test doublecentury while Henry Nicholls and Daryl Mitchell notched up tons to fuel New Zealand’s bid for a 20 series sweep.
Williamson scored 238 and collaborated in a marathon 369run partnership, a New Zealand record for the fourth wicket, with Nicholls, who made 157.
Williamson became the third New Zealand batsman, after Stephen Fleming and Ross Taylor, to score 7000 test runs and also equalled Brendon McCullum’s record of four test doublecenturies by a New Zealander.
Nicholls started the day on 89 and added another 68 runs.
It might not equate to bowling 50 overs on two broken toes, but scoring a century on one leg should not be overlooked.
Mitchell, on his adopted home ground, again looked to the manner born at the crease in scoring 102 from 112 balls.
‘‘It hasn’t sunk in yet,’’ a beaming Mitchell said.
‘‘It’s pretty surreal at the moment. Obviously I’m pretty grateful that Kane gave me a couple of extra overs to slog a few there at the end . . . I was swinging pretty hard there at points to try to make that happen.’’
Questions remain about whether he has the requisite penetration with the ball to be considered a genuine testclass allrounder but he is making a case that he should be considered an option on his batting alone.
His innings was punctuated by several highquality shots, particularly the pull.
More importantly for the team, it was the right innings for the right time, coming after the cheap dismissal of BJ Watling for seven threatened to stall the home side’s progress.
He did not think for a minute there was an opportunity to score a ton.
‘‘Me and BJ had been sitting in that changing room down underneath for what felt like two days,’’ he said.
‘‘I was just happy to get out there and try to be busy to contribute to putting a total on for us to try to take 10 wickets.’’
For a long time he was the ‘‘dominant’’ figure in his century partnership with Williamson, although that might be a slightly gratuitous use of the word.
‘‘Kane’s knock today, that’s pretty amazing and he’s set us up for a chance to win this test match. My role was just to see us through to a total.
‘‘He’s a freak, he’s amazing. He makes the game look so easy at the moment. For me, I played against Kane when we were 14 years old, so to be playing test cricket with him is pretty cool.
‘‘He’s a very special player and will easily go down as New Zealand’s greatest, I think.’’
Adding to the sense of occasion was the setting, with Mitchell having made the switch from Northern Districts to Canterbury this season.
He did so in large part because his Cantabrian wife, Amy, was due with the couple’s second daughter and has family here to lean on while he is away playing.
They were there for the morning, but he suspects they might have returned home for a nap well before he achieved a life goal.
There is more work to be done on day four, and possibly tomorrow as well.
Mitchell believes there is still enough in the wicket to ‘‘put pressure on Pakistan’’.
Jamieson has already demonstrated that.
Mitchell has had a great test; if he sees nine more Pakistan wickets fall, it will be perfect. — The New Zealand Herald