Pakistan Now Poised To Beat Wellington

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30641, 6 January 1965, Page 11

Pakistan Now Poised To Beat Wellington

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, January 5.

The touring Pakistani cricket team, in spite of a valiant second innings fight-back by Wellington, looked poised to force a victory after the second day’s play at the Basin Reserve today.

At stumps Wellington, in its second innings, was 179 for four wickets, but was still 134 short of Pakistan’s first innings total of 366.

Pakistan proceeded leisurely from its overnight score of 214 for four to 366. There was some good batting from Hanif Mohammad and Asif Iqbal, but the high spot was the performance of the Wellington fast-medium bowler, N. A. Huxford. In his first-class debut he took seven for 95, including all six Pakistani wickets that fell today.

Hanif quickly moved into the nineties from 60 not out overnight. At 98, however, his flow halted, and he spent 20 minutes two short of the tantalising century. Lost His Patience Finally, his patience spent, he swung Huxford high to backward short leg where G. P. Bilby held the catch. Hanif batted 216 minutes and hit nine fours. But the most enthralling batting came from Asif. In 112 minutes he flowed with a mixture of sweet drives and lusty hooks and pulls to 81.

Bilby and B. A. G. Murray made sure Wellington’s second innings would not be a repetition of the first with a confident opening stand of 61. Relishing the short-pitched, inaccurate deliveries of the Pakistani opening bowlers, Farooq Hamid and Mufasirul Haq, they scored the first 50 in 56 minutes.

When Murray was out for a polished 37, B. W. Sinclair, badly in need of a big score, took control of the attack. Two handsome hooks early in his innings bolstered his confidence and from then on he played ebulliently, though discreetly. Hit 10 Boundaries He hit 56 in only 90 minutes and sprayed the fences with boundaries on 10 occasions. It was a refreshing return to form by the New Zealand representative. Bilby, early In his innings, showed signs of flicking outside the off stump, but he survived these blemishes to play an invaluable sheet-anchor role. After 157 minutes he, too, was rewarded with a 50, but was caught in the deep immediately after.

The gangly Pakistani destroyer of the first innings, Farooq, was hardly recognisable as the same bowler. He wasted the new ball with too many short-pitched deliveries and his opening spell of six overs cost 25 runs.

The best of the attack was left-arm spinner, Pervez Sajjad. who bowled with controlled

flight and extracted surprising bite from the placid pitch. He dismissed Sinclair, aided by a lovely stumping from the wicket-keeper, Naushad AH, and later had P. T. Barton caught. Scoreboard:— WELLINGTON First Innings 53 Second Innings B. A. G. Murray, c Nashad, b Asif . 37 G. P. Bilby, c Asif, b Saeed SI B. W. Sinclair, st Naushad, b Pervez St P. T. Barton, c Shafqat, b Pervez 6 P. B. Truscott, not out .. 3 D. O. Neely, not out .. 9 Extras (byes 2, leg-byes 10, wides 1, no balls 4) 17

Total (for 4 wickets) 179 Fall of wickets: One for 61, two for 142, three for 154, four for 162.

BOWLING

PAKISTAN First Inning* Ilyas, run out ..28 Naushad, b Huxford ..23 Saeed, c Blair, b Morrison 51 Burkl, c Sinclair, b Blair 11 Hanif, c Bilby, b Huxford .. 98 Shafqat, b Huxford .. 34 Masood, c and b Huxford 8 Asif, c McMahon, b Huxford 81 Farooq, c Sinclair, b Huxford 9 Pervez, c Sinclair, b Huxford 6 Mufasirul, not out .. 1 Extras, byes 1, leg-byes 7, wides 1, no balls 1) .. 16 Total . 366

Fall of wickets: One for 47, two for 74, three for 108, four for 131, five for 225, six for 247, seven for 290, eight for 329, nine for 365. BOWLING

o. M. R. W Farooq 1.. 9 3 33 0 Mufasirul ... 7 1 19 0 Asif ... 10 3 32 1 Masood ... 7 1 27 0 Pervez . . 15 3 35 2 Ilyas ... 5 0 14 0 Saeed 3 2 2 1

0. M. R. W. Blair ,..27 7 70 1 Morrison 25 3 97 1 Huxford .. 35.5. 8 95 7 Butler . 37 8 73 0 Murray 4 1 15 0