NEW ZEALAND v PAKISTAN 1984-85

New Zealand won by an innings and 99 runs, with 130 minutes and a full day to spare. Sent in on a pitch which was not nearly as lively as its green tinge suggested it might be, Pakistan reached 58 for two at lunch and proceeded quite cheerfully to 93 before Omar was caught at slip off the persistent Chatfield. Zaheer, seldom successful against New Zealand bowling, was well caught, also at slip, and Miandad was the victim of a ball from Chatfield which got up very quickly. Pakistan finished a day shortened by rain and bad light by 135 minutes in desperate trouble at 147 for eight.

On the second day New Zealand, after winding up the Pakistan innings in 23 minutes, scored 248 for three wickets, and on the third they reached 451 for nine. Wright, full of aggression, shared an opening stand of 60 with Howarth and one of 48 with Reid, but it was the partnership between Reid and Martin Crowe - 137 in 143 minutes - which put New Zealand on the road to victory. Reid blended his commendable powers of concentration with forcing strokes in an innings lasting just over eight hours. Crowe reached a fine 84 before he was out in unusual circumstances. Because of the slow over-rate play went on, in order to fulfil the requirement of fourteen overs an hour, after six o'clock and in the last over he was superbly caught at short leg by a substitute fieldsman, Shoaib Mohammad, when the ball ran up his pad and took the edge of his bat.

Reid reached his fifth Test century early on a rain-affected third day. At 123 he had to retire after being hit in the mouth, but later returned. New Zealand's lead of 282, only 16 short of its record margin, set at Lord's in 1973, was more than enough to account for Pakistan, whose batsmen, Mudassar excepted, seemed to decide their chances of long batting life were slim on a pitch of variable bounce. They chased runs with a vigour undiminished by their rapid comings and goings, and the match was over before tea on the fourth day. Having gone in first, Mudassar was last out after 231 minutes of good, watchful batting.