Pakistan would have loved to see a four-day finish in the first Test, having outplayed the Kiwis in every respect but victory remained so near and yet so far as the tail wagged delaying what would have been another feather in Misbah-ul-Haq’s cap.

Faced with an indomitable 480 to win after Pakistan had shut the shop after lunch yesterday adding 160 more runs to their overnight score, the Kiwis batting disintegrated as was the case in their first innings.

The state of play and the nature of the pitch, the way it had started to behave, was all but in favour of the Pakistan bowlers who had bowled effectively earlier in the first innings bowling out Brendon McCullum’s men. When the New Zealand batsmen went in for the second time their plight was not any different.

Surviving for over four sessions and a half for any team trailing behind on the first innings is indeed a tough ask. But funny things do however happen in this glorious game of charming unpredictability. But in New Zealand’s case in this match the situation is already very predictable, the curtain has already dropped and the outcome well written on the wall.

McCullum, the only triple century-maker in Test cricket for New Zealand, has always been so unpredictable because of the way he goes after bowling. Couple of his drives and cuts were dazzling but not for long. His dismissal and that of Latham earlier was encouraging enough for Pakistan to smell what they had been aiming for.

But when you think that all is over then it is the unthinkable that comes in between and that was the ninth wicket’s determined defence between Mark Craig and Ish Sodhi which delayed Pakistan’s victory celebrations which looked so imminent.

Pakistan, however, did celebrate earlier on the day a century, his sixth in Tests by Mohammad Hafeez who in the first innings was so unlucky to miss by only four runs.

The sign at the moment is no less motivating for Misbah and his men; nearly all of his batsmen look in fine fettle and so are the bowlers who have not let them down. This no doubt is a kind of performance which every captain would dream of. No wonder then that Misbah now appears so calm and relaxed.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2014