The National staff
Mohammad Asif marked his return to Test cricket with three wickets as Pakistan restricted New Zealand to 276 for six on day one of the first Test in Dunedin yesterday.
The controversial fast bowler, back after a two-year absence after being found carrying opium while passing through Dubai International Airport, struck early to dismiss Daniel Flynn then removed Peter Fulton and Grant Elliott in quick succession in the final session to finish with figures of three for 76 off 24 overs.
However, striking even earlier was Mohammed Aamer, the 17-year-old paceman who impressed during these teams' limited overs series in the UAE. He removed Tim McIntosh with a yorker - the first ball in Test cricket the opener had faced.
Aamer also got the wicket of Martin Guptill, who scored 60, while Ross Taylor added 94 to steady the home team's innings.
Their third-wicket stand of 117 dug New Zealand out of trouble after a start which saw them reeling at 27 for two inside the opening six overs.
A maiden Test 50 for Guptill, who was eventually dismissed in the second session and a determined knock by Taylor, appeared to give the Black Caps some hope of setting a reasonable total but that was dashed when Asif removed Fulton and Elliott in successive overs to leave them on 211 for six.
"I would have liked to get more but I'm happy to get past 50 for the first time," Guptill said after his highest Test innings.
"I thought he batted very well," added his teammate Taylor. "He's had a few starts over his career and it was good for him to go on and get past 50.
"I'm sure that he will be disappointed also with getting to 60, doing all the hard work and then getting out.
"Hopefully we can both kick on a bit more in the second innings."
Meanwhile, Taylor said the game was evenly poised going into day two with an unbeaten 65-run partnership for the seventh wicket between Daniel Vettori and Brendon McCullum. "The partnership of Daniel and Brendon has probably put us back in the match a bit," Taylor said.
In the last session of the day, Taylor was undone by spinner Saeed Ajmal, who enticed him to edge to Imran Farhat at first slip when he was six runs short of his fifth Test century.
"Obviously the goal as a batsman is to try and get to three figures and to be very close in the end but not close enough is disappointing," the right-hander said.
"But I can't really complain too much because the shot I played was a poor shot in the end really."
Taylor was involved in the first use of the new Umpire Decision Review System when Asif thought he had him trapped lbw, but Billy Doctrove's original decision was upheld. "I've seen it since and it was a little bit closer than I thought," Taylor said.
"But when I first got hit I thought it was quite high and I might even have got hit outside the line.
"As it worked out the umpire made the right decision and I'm happy for that."
On the penultimate ball of the day, McCullum, who was given out lbw by Simon Taufel off the bowling of Asif, called for a review and had that decision reversed.
"That last decision going our way helped us immensely," Taylor said.
* With agencies
New Zealand:
Tim McIntosh b Aamer 0
Martin Guptill c Alam b Aamer 60
Daniel Flynn c Akmal b Asif 8
Ross Taylor c Farhat b Ajmal 94
Peter Fulton b Asif 29
Grant Elliott c Akmal b Asif 8
Brendon McCullum batting 25
Daniel Vettori batting 40
Extras: (lb11, nb1) 12
Total: (for six wickets, 90 overs) 276
Fall of wickets: 1-0 (McIntosh), 2-27 (Flynn), 3-144 (Guptill), 4-192 (Taylor), 5-210 (Fulton), 6-211 (Elliott).
Bowling: Mohammad Aamer 19-3-62-2, Mohammad Asif 24-4-76-3, Umar Gul 21-7-78-0 (1nb), Saeed Ajmal 26-9-49-1.
If you go
Flying
Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
Touring
Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
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Company Profile
Company name: Big Farm Brothers
Started: September 2020
Founders: Vishal Mahajan and Navneet Kaur
Based: Dubai Investment Park 1
Industry: food and agriculture
Initial investment: $205,000
Current staff: eight to 10
Future plan: to expand to other GCC markets
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AT4 Ultimate, as tested
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Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
'The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey'
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Directors: Ramin Bahrani, Debbie Allen, Hanelle Culpepper, Guillermo Navarro
Writers: Walter Mosley
Stars: Samuel L Jackson, Dominique Fishback, Walton Goggins
Stage results
1. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Deceuninck-QuickStep 4:39:05
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
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Abaya trends
The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5