Pakistan rally after McCullum, Guptill show

Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill dealt with a defensive mindset from Pakistan in contrasting styles, to propel New Zealand's quest to set a challenging target in Wellington. Pakistan's outlook - epitomised by spread out fields and abysmal over-rates - reflected their desire to sit back on their 1-0 series lead, and wait for the poor weather expected later in the day. Abdur Rehman was their most enterprising bowler on a day when their seamers, and fielders, struggled for discipline. Rehman found a way past both openers as Pakistan lifted their game in the second session, but New Zealand remained in a position to dominate.

With Pakistan's seamers rarely hitting the right lengths in the first couple of hours, McCullum decided to stay back in the crease and use the horizontal bat against the short stuff. After surviving a swerving inducker off Tanvir Ahmed, he checked in with a pull off Umar Gul through square leg and an uppish cut that flew past Rehman, reacting slowly at point. Guptill, on the other hand, was more eager to move into his drives, and set the template for his session with a flowing cover-drive off Tanvir. The early exchanges telegraphed New Zealand's positive intent, and Pakistan's seamers were too inconsistent to trouble them.

Rehman came on soon, and his tussle with the openers became the most interesting sub-plot of the day. New Zealand were intent to dominate him, wary of the choke-hold he exercised in Hamilton. Rehman initially attacked the rough with a slip, silly point and short leg, with Adnan Akmal imploring him to bowl the 'magic ball'. When he dropped short, Guptill cracked him through the covers emphatically enough for Rehman to instantly get rid of silly point. An over later, Rehman produced the magic ball, getting one to stop and turn sharply from leg stump and take Guptill's edge before landing in the now vacant silly point region. The fielder was duly reinstated after that, but the turn of events underlined Pakistan's complete lack of proactivity.

McCullum's eagerness to attack Rehman was counterbalanced by the state of the match and New Zealand's recent batting woes. Rehman tossed them up, inviting the drive over mid-off, with men close in to take the edge. McCullum resisted the temptation, lunging forward to a slew of classically looped deliveries and working the odd arm-ball off the backfoot to the leg side.

In the 20th over of the innings, Rehman almost broke through, getting McCullum to prod hard at a ball straightening on middle and off, but Asad Shafiq dropped the chance at silly point. McCullum ran down the track to the next ball and clattered Rehman inside-out over long off for a flat six. Rehman continued to flight, but when he dropped short, McCullum was ready in a flash for the pull shot. Pakistan's best bowler had been negated, albeit with some luck.

Wahab Riaz, still struggling from the flu that has curtailed his participation in the match, struggled to find his range at both ends of the pitch. He over-stepped on several occasions, and sprayed the ball short, wide and full, conceding easy boundaries on each occasion as New Zealand went to lunch on top,

Pakistan continued to bowl short after the break, but they now bowled short enough to trouble Guptill. Gul harried him with bounce and movement, clattering him on the helmet with a bouncer in the first over after the break, and getting him to edge a legcutter in his second, though Adnan spilled the opportunity. Guptill tightened his approach, happy to camp on the back foot, but conscious not to go for the pull shot.

Rehman eventually won the battle against McCullum, luring him to miscue a loose loft towards long-off after beating him in the flight. McCullum's fall signaled a drop in the scoring rate as Kane Williamson began slowly. For the first time in the day, Pakistan found their voice as Guptill repeatedly got into a tangle against some well-directed bouncers from Riaz, who, however,over-stepped frequently. Guptill barely survived the spell, venting his impatience against Rehman, slicing an off-drive just past Tanvir at mid-off and teeing off down the ground for a clean six. Rehman responded by turning a ripper past the outside edge and rapping his pads with an arm-ball. He eventually got his man with a skidder that pinned Guptill in front of the stumps, an over after Williamson's scratchy innings ended with an ungainly drive against Tanvir.

Jesse Ryder barely avoided a third successive first-ball duck, before swinging Rehman through the leg side for a six and a four. Daniel Vettori's declaration decision will depend on Ryder's approach after tea.