PAKISTAN TAKES SERIES Last test drawn, chances missed

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33155, 20 February 1973, Page 24

PAKISTAN TAKES SERIES Last test drawn, chances missed

(From R. T. BRITTENDEN) AUCKLAND. fhe prudent policy which Pakistan applied to the third test duly took it through to a draw against New ] Zealand yesterday — and victory in the series by one • match to nil.

It was perhaps out of character with Pakistan cricket on this successful tour, but it was justified and it was implemented determinedly.

On this final day of the series New Zealand did well to dismiss Pakistan for 271, but there was never any prospect of a fine match taking one last dramatic turn, because New Zealand, in its taking of wickets, was always behind the schedule demanded of it. New Zealand was left 110 minutes batting and scored 92 for three, after R. E. Redmond and G. M. Turner had made 80 for the first wicket. It was rather dull fare most of the day. but New Zealand might have been in a position to make a charge for victory had it held its catches. The most telling lapse was by H. J. Howarth, who normally accepts caught-and-bowleds with the greatest of alacrity. Just before lunch Asif Iqbal drove one back to him at comfortable pace and 1 height, but Howarth let it go. Asif batted another 70 minutes for 31 more runs, and it was the last fatal blow to New Zealand's slender chances. There were other misses in the field, and had they been held it might have been a highly interesting finish. Placid pitch Pakistan plodded away throughout the morning on a placid pitch. The only excitement came from the occasional ball Howarth pitched into bowlers’ rough. 1 from which it sometimes ; lumped, and from his quite

unprecedented use of back-] rof-the-hand spin—an exer- ] cise he seemed to enjoy 1 immensely. Mushtaq, very subdued but occasionally displaying his jflair with a flow or a flourish, scored a halfcentury and then died laughing as he played all over and • around a long-hop from Howarth. Saleem treated everything with the gravest suspicion while lingering 107 minutest for 11, but it was all part of the programme, and he did his side good service. During the morning 6(i . runs were scored from 321 overs; Pakistan reached 50 in ; the ninth over. 100 in the ’ thirty-fifth. Mushtaq gave a very ] sharp chance to B. Cong- ' don off Howarth when he 1 was 20. but Asif’s escape was the biggest disappoint- ' ment. Onslaught After lunch, the left- , hander, Raja, woke everyone, [ up with a vigorous onslaught. on the bowlers. He made his] i 49 with 11 fours in a shade’ over an hour, and would: ' have won $25 for the fastest ■ 50 of the match had R. O. i ■ Collinge not bowled him first I ball with the new ball. Congdon was at fault in j ; allowing Raja to get so fan without facing a pace attack, a task at which he had shown little aptitude previously. Raja had been missed by Redmond when 24 —a high i catch to deep fine leg—but ■ Congdon, having performed ■ a very useful task by dis-1 i missing Asif, kept himself on . rather too long. He bowled very accurately • when everything depended

|on quick penetration. Taylor was very good in his brief :bowling spell in the morning! but was very erratic with the | second new ball. Collinge lively j The honest Howarth got' through a hard day’s work ; well, and Collinge, who had l only four overs before lunch.! looked lively with the new ball, taking two for 17 in* three overs. There was much sympathy for Hadlee, who had a terrible match. He was again kept out of the attack for too; long — not being used until! 13.15 p.m. — and then he had ■ ■ the mortification of seeing Congdon drop Pervez from him at slip. i Sounder display But in the same over he] had the compensation of the! more valuable wicket of Bari | The New Zealand second innings gave Redmond an-; other chance to use his fluent, \ strokes, and he had 56 to add I to that spectacular first-inn-ings century. i i It was a sounder display than the first one. He reached 50 in the same swift time — 79 minutes — and he hit nine ' fours. He was taken at slip ’ ■ trying to drive a googlie from ■ Raja, and within minutes .1 Turner played on in attempti ing to force away a short ball. M. G. Burgess, driving, was beautifully held by Mushtaq in the covers. These losses in i | the last half-hour were of ’ I little consequence, but there ' : was genuine merit in Raja’s l ' leg-spin bowling. New Zea-! land could do with him.