McCullum ton levels series

In the typically cool, clinical manner that has seen them achieve the status of world’s top underdogs, New Zealand countered the odds with a comprehensive 64-run against Pakistan to level the series and set up an intriguing final. At the heart of their victory was wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum, who shrugged off increasing criticism to hammer what is only his second century and set up his side’s first win against Pakistan in the UAE.

It was characteristic, too, of New Zealand that they learned quickly from their mistakes in the first match; on winning the toss, they opted to bat without a second thought, and with a hefty 304 to defend, they adjusted superbly to the conditions. Where earlier they had overpitched, the bowlers--particularly Scott Styris, who emerged with a matchwinning three wickets in four overs, and skipper Daniel Vettori, whose armball was particularly lethal--used the shorter ball cleverly, and were shrewd enough not to overdo it. As a result, Pakistan--despite an unusually solid start--failed to bat out their full quota, ending on 239 in the forty-eighth over.

304 was always a difficult target, and though Salman Butt and Khalid Latif set about their task with efficient fluency to post 77 in 92 balls, New Zealand were never under any serious pressure. Latif, following on from a debut fifty, looked set for another one, particularly as his 45 off 52 contained genuinely classy strokes, including firm drives on the up through the cover region. But he was trapped in front by Vettori's arm ball, and Younus Khan struggled for fluency in a 37-ball 19 that saw the required rate rocket.

With quick runs needed, the collapse was always likely; Younus flicked Styris to midwicket where Ross Taylor held a stunner, and Afridi's impulsive first-ball pull was safely pouched. The fielders kept up the pressure--Butt, having made his first fifty since January, was run out shortly afterward after a mixup with Mohammad Yousuf, who then succumbed to Vettori's arm ball to cap off a disastrous middle-order collapse of 34 for 5. The match was all but sealed; somke hard-hitting from Shoaib Malik and Abdul Razzaq only narrowed the margin of defeat.

It was, of course, McCullum's brilliant 131 earlier in the day that had set up the win. With his place as opener under fire from various quarters, the wicketkeeper-batsman made an emphatic statement; losing Aaron Redmond early on, he added 126 in just twenty overs with Martin Guptill. It was a typically aggressive knock--the brutal pull was out, as was the savage cut, pulverizing 28 runs in the first three overs of the bowling powerplay--but there was some quick running and good calling as well to put pressure on Pakistan's infield. Guptill kept up the pace, with lashing square drives and two huge sixes off the spinners in a 70-ball 62.

It was, as ever, Guptill's aggression that proved his downfall, holing out off Abdul Razzaq, and when the wily Afridi removed Taylor for the second duck in two matches, another collapse seemed imminent. It was the levelheaded Vettori who helped avert one, with a replay of his innings in the first match; working the ball carefully into gaps, and running hard with just one swept four in his 30 off 33 balls. He was an adept foil for the big-hitting McCullum, who carved some fierce drives to keep the runs aflow.

Pakistan pulled back briefly--Abdul Razzaq removed Vettori, while Afridi, the best bowler with 2 for 49, trapped Broom for a duck--but the floodgates were heaving, and McCullum's post-century biffing, along with a run-per-ball 33 (one six) from Jacob Oram, saw 71 runs crashed off the last eight overs. In the end, it proved more than enough to give New Zealand their first UAE win over Pakistan at the twelfth try, and set up an exciting final.Ibrahim Moiz is a university freshman and freelance writer based in Toronto.