Asif swings momentum Pakistan's way

Mohammad Asif is all smiles after taking one of his four wickets on the penultimate day in Dunedin as Pakistan set up a push for victory over New Zealand in the first Test

Buy this photo

Four wickets for Mohammad Asif left the first Test between Pakistan and New Zealand finely poised heading into the final day in Dunedin.

Asif took 4-41 as the Black Caps collapsed to 147 for eight on day four at the University Oval - a lead of 244 runs - after earlier bowling out Pakistan for 332.

But while Pakistan pacemen Mohammad Aamer and Asif did the damage with the ball, the New Zealanders did not help their cause much with Ross Taylor getting needlessly run out after scoring his second half-century of the match.

Peter Fulton was also at fault as he inexplicably failed to call for a review of his leg before wicket dismissal despite knowing he had got an inside edge which replays backed up.

Having dismissed Pakistan at the start of the day to give themselves a 97-run cushion, New Zealand’s second innings got off to the worst possible start as Aamer accounted for Guptill and Flynn in his first two overs.

Guptill was cleaned up by a wicked Aamer delivery that swung back past his defences, while Flynn missed a straight ball that umpire Simon Taufel adjudged would have hit middle and leg stump.

Taylor and Tim McIntosh dug in to steady things but it was hard going as McIntosh, who was dismissed with the first ball of the match on day one, took 26 deliveries to get off the mark.

Taylor was not comfortable initially either but after cracking a big six of Umar Gul he picked up where he had left off in his first innings of 94 to be unbeaten on 48 at lunch.

He brought up his half-century off 69 balls with his sixth boundary shortly after the interval but added just six more runs before running himself out trying for a quick single to square leg. Khurram Manzoor seized on his hesitation to throw down the stumps.

It marked the start of New Zealand’s slide as Gul then had Fulton given lbw to a ball that kept low, which was not challenged

Promising youngster Mohammad Aamer sends down a delivery during his stellar second innings spell of 16-7-29-2

Buy this photo

Asif got through McIntosh’s defences to trap the opener leg before then claimed the vital scalp of McCullum, squared up by a vicious ball that took the edge and was pouched by Kamran Akmal.

McIntosh had laboured for 136 balls for his 31, while a scoreless McCullum trudged off after facing 13 balls.

Another aggressive spell from Asif after the rain delay accounted for Vettori, who had already been dropped by debutant century-maker Umar Akmal.

The New Zealand skipper failed to make the most of his second chance holing out to Fawad Alam at midwicket the very next ball.

Bond then had a lucky escape on four as Imran Farhat’s hands let him down yet again and the New Zealand quick survived a big lbw shout just prior to being offered the light.

However, his luck did not hold once play resumed and, having added just three more runs to his total, he shouldered arms to Asif and edged onto his stumps.

At the start of the day, Bond completed his fifth five-wicket haul as New Zealand mopped up Pakistan's tail inside the first half-hour.

Resuming on 307 for eight, Asif added 10 runs to the total before Chris Martin provided a delivery which was edged to McIntosh at second slip.

Aamer, returning to the crease on 12, then became Bond's fifth victim of the innings with Vettori taking the catch at mid on.

Bond finished with figures of 5-107 with Martin 3-63.