Pakistan have never lost a Test match at Basin Reserve, Wellington, where the second and final Test match of the series will be played from Saturday. The visitors have won three and draw four in seven Test matches they played at this ground. They won the last three convincingly – by an innings and 12 runs, by seven wickets and by 141 runs, in matches that were also the second Tests of the series.
New Zealand’s results have been more mixed – 14 wins and 18 losses in all – but it’s still one of their preferred home venues. Among grounds where they have played at least five Tests, only in Hamilton do they have a better win-loss ratio. In this decade, they’ve won exactly as many matches as they’ve lost, though two of those five victories came against Bangladesh.
Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan Test captain, has said the team’s 10-wicket win over New Zealand in the first Test at Hamilton has given his side a lot of confidence and they will be looking for another win in the second Test, rather than seeking to protect their 1-0 lead in the two-Test series.
The first Test match at this venue was played between England and New Zealand in 1930. But local enthusiasts had to wait until 1968-69 for New Zealand’s first Test victory on the ground, against West Indies. It was also the scene of a world record when, in 1990-91, Martin Crowe (299) and Andrew Jones (186) posted 467 runs in their third-wicket stand against Sri Lanka.
Sir Richard Hadlee took his 300th Test wicket here, when he removed the Australian captain Allan Border. This was one of 53 wickets Hadlee picked up at the Basin Reserve, at an average of 20.3.
The record of fast bowlers at this ground suggests New Zealand will sorely miss Shane Bond, who was outstanding in Dunedin. Pakistan, on the other hand, can take inspiration from the past record of their fast bowlers at this ground, which is better than any other team. In their last two Tests here, at least one bowler has delivered a match-winning performance. In 1994, Wasim Akram took 11 for 179 to lead Pakistan to an innings win; and almost a decade later, Shoaib Akhtar turned the game around in an astonishing fashion. New Zealand had taken a first-innings lead of 170, and were comfortably placed at 73 for 2, when Shoaib put in a devastating spell, finishing with 6 for 30 to bundle the hosts out for 103. Mohammad Yousuf, who scored 60 in the first innings, then finished off the game with an unbeaten 88.
Pakistan (264 & 239) defeated New Zealand (99 and 263) by 141 runs when the two teams met
last time at this ground in December 2009.
SUMMARY OF RESULTS:
Team P W D L Success%
New Zealand 51 14 19 18 46.07
Pakistan 7 3 4 – 71.42
HIGHEST INNINGS TOTALS:
Pakistan: 548-5 dec v New Zealand 1993-94
New Zealand: 671-4 v Sri Lanka 1990-91
LOWEST INNINGS TOTALS:
Pakistan: 187 v New Zealand 1964-65
New Zealand: 42 v Australia 1945-46
HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL SCORES:
Pakistan: 169 Saeed Anwar v New Zealand 1993-94
New Zealand: 299 Martin Crowe v Sri Lanka 1990-91
BEST BOWLING IN AN INNINGS:
Pakistan: 7-119 Wasim Akram v New Zealand 1993-94
New Zealand: 7-23 Richard Hadlee v India 1975-76
BEST BOWLING IN A MATCH:
Pakistan: 11-78 Shoaib Akhtar v New Zealand 2003-04
New Zealand: 11-58 Richard Hadlee v India 1975-76
