WELLINGTON // Pakistan need 274 runs on the final day to win the second Test and complete a 2-0 series sweep against New Zealand after bowling the hosts out for 293 late on the fourth day.
Umar Gul ripped through New Zealand’s tail, taking two wickets in two balls, as the hosts lost four wickets for seven runs late in the third session.
Last man Chris Martin faced Gul’s hat-trick seeking delivery and kept it out with a French cut behind square to the enormous cheers of the small crowd at the Basin Reserve.
Tim Southee then smashed two sixes as he tried to push the lead closer to 300, before Gul had Martin caught behind for one. Southee ended 22 not out, while Gul finished with four for 61.
Pakistan had threatened to smother New Zealand’s attempts to build a target that the home side’s bowlers could then defend on the final day.
The game was disrupted for 23 minutes in the final session when rain forced the players off the field. They returned after 16 minutes but in comical scenes were then forced to turn and run for cover as another downpour swept across the ground.
Just as the ground staff had laid the first covers over the pitch, the rain just as quickly stopped and the players returned seven minutes later.
New Zealand suffered a blow in their quest for quick runs when the aggressive Jesse Ryder was bowled for 17 on the first delivery after the rain delay when he did not play a shot at a straight ball from part-time off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez.
James Franklin (six) also fell to Hafeez when he edged a ball to Younus Khan before Ross Taylor (52) and Reece Young (20) combined for a 60-run partnership that helped extend the lead before they both fell with the score at 268.
Young was caught in close by Azhar Ali, off Rehman, while Taylor was trapped in front by Gul, who then bowled Vettori for one and trapped Brent Arnel for a duck to set up the hat-trick opportunity.
Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill had put on 120 for the first wicket — only the second century-opening stand by New Zealand since 2004 — to provide the perfect launch pad to attack Pakistan in the afternoon sessions.
McCullum was caught by Tanveer Ahmed off Rehman when his lofted shot came off the toe end of his bat for 64 shortly after lunch and their momentum stalled as Pakistan bowled short of a length and set defensive fields to halt the scoring rate.
The hosts lost two quick wickets just before tea when Kane Williamson nicked a Tanveer delivery to Akmal for 15 with the score on 166 and was immediately followed by Guptill for 73 when he was trapped in front by Rehman.
Pakistan had been bowled out for 376, a first-innings advantage of 20 runs, yesterday. They hold a 1-0 lead in the two-match series and are seeking their first Test series victory since 2006.
Griselda
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A0Andr%C3%A9s%20Baiz%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3ESof%C3%ADa%20Vergara%2C%20Alberto%20Guerra%2C%20Juliana%20Aiden%20Martinez%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Bombshell
Director: Jay Roach
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie
Four out of five stars
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
