‘It was a nice toss to win. After a couple of really tough tours in South Africa and India, it was important we learned a lot but at the same time put some of that baggage away’

A Kane Williamson half-century saw New Zealand snap a four-Test losing streak when they beat Pakistan by eight wickets in the first Test at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, yesterday.
 A low-scoring match was wrapped up inside eight sessions after the first day’s washout, with Williamson’s second innings 61 – his 24th Test 50 – the top score of the match.
 Set 105 to win after Pakistan were all out for 171 in their second innings on the morning of the fourth day, Williamson lost his wicket with the scores level, leaving debutant Jeet Raval to seal victory with a boundary off Yasir Shah.
 It was a much-needed confidence boost for the home side, coming off a 3-0 series whitewash in India and a comprehensive 204-run loss to South Africa.
 “It was a nice toss to win,” said Williamson who put Pakistan into bat on a seaming wicket and had them all out for 133 in their first innings. “After a couple of really tough tours in South Africa and India, it was important we learned a lot but at the same time put some of that baggage away.”
 Opener Azhar Ali, who will take over the Pakistan captaincy with Misbah-ul-Haq having to dash home after the match because of a family illness, said the tourists had no excuses.
 Azhar said Pakistan should have been able to cope better with the short-pitched barrage from Neil Wagner that undid them in the second innings.
 “As a professional, as the number two Test team in the world, we should be better than that, we have to adapt to conditions wherever we go,” Azhar said. “If you come to this part of the world, you expect that.
 “We should have put in a better batting show, especially the first innings. It was quite helpful for the bowlers but I think we could have scored more runs which would have helped because on that kind of track you’re always in the game.”
 “You expect sub-continent teams will be tested with that short stuff and we all knew that. As time goes on, we’ll get better. We’re hopeful to turn things around quickly,” he added.
 New Zealand’s debutants shone. Opener Raval was unbeaten on 36 in the second innings after top-scoring in the first innings with 55 while Colin de Grandhomme gave a masterful display of medium-paced bowling, taking 6 for 41 in the first innings when Pakistan were skittled for 133.
 After New Zealand replied with 200, Pakistan resumed their second innings on Sunday at 129 for 7 and added a further 42 to be all out for 171. Sohail Khan posted a Test-best 40 as he and Asad Shafiq (17) showed gritty resistance at the start of the day.
 But their 53-run stand for the eighth wicket came to an end when Sohail half-heartedly pulled a short-pitched Southee delivery to de Grandhomme at backward square.
 Wagner, who returned figures of 3 for 34, claimed the wicket of Shafiq and Southee closed the innings when he had Rahat Ali caught for two.
 Southee finished with 3 for 53 and Trent Boult, who leaked 19 runs in two overs on Sunday, took 3 for 37.
 Pakistan removed opener Tom Latham early in New Zealand’s saunter to the finish when he fended at a sharply rising Mohamed Amir delivery and was caught by Shafiq in the gully for nine. It ended a disappointing Test for Latham who fell lbw to Amir in the first innings for one.
 Williamson and Raval were largely untroubled through to the end of the innings, until New Zealand reached 104 to level the scores and Williamson swept Azhar Ali straight to Sami Aslam at fine leg.
 The second and final Test in the series starts in Hamilton on Friday with New Zealand searching for their first series win over Pakistan in 31 years.
 Williamson said the patience of his bowlers was crucial in clinching the emphatic victory. After being dismissed for 133 in their first innings, courtesy of debutant de Grandhomme’s six for 41, Pakistan dug in on Saturday and seemed content to try to sap the hosts’ energy and slowly build their score.
 At one stage the visitors were 50 for one from 35 overs on a good batting wicket before Wagner made a double breakthrough and Trent Boult grabbed three late wickets to swing the game in New Zealand’s favour.
 “Our bowling effort in the second innings,” Williamson said when asked as to what he had been most impressed by in the match. “Pakistan showed a lot of resistance early and were very patient. But the way the four seamers got into spells and held their areas for a long period of time and it was passed over to the next guy to take up the baton was world class and why we... got the rewards later in the day.”
 Williamson also praised his two debutants, all-rounder de Grandhomme and opening batsman Jeet Raval, for the way they had slotted into Test cricket.
 The 30-year-old De Grandhomme was named man-of-the-match for his haul of 7-64 from 29.5 overs and a hard-hit 29, while Raval top-scored with 55 in the first innings then combined with Williamson in an 85-run partnership to guide them to victory.
 “They were outstanding,” Williamson said. “To see Colin on that surface, it moved around a bit, he was the perfect bowler for it. Jeet came into international cricket and looked like he had been there for years. He was very calm and stuck to the game plan and reaped the rewards.
 “To go out and open the batting against a very good bowling attack on a surface that was offering something to the seam bowlers and achieve what he did in the first innings, then in a chase for victory to see that composure again is certainly encouraging going forward.
 “Naturally it’s tough coming off a few losses but it’s good to be home and the boys stepped it up and put some of those feelings of defeat behind us to play a very good match. The first innings it did a bit for both teams and there were two low scores.
 “But we knew that second innings would be really important against a strong side like Pakistan who tour very well. It was a very good performance.”

Scoreboard
Pakistan (1st innings)    133
New Zealand (1st innings)    200
Pakistan (2nd innings, overnight 129-7)
Sami Aslam c Watling b de Grandhomme    7
Azhar Ali b Boult    31
Babar Azam c Watling b Wagner    29
Younis Khan c Watling b Wagner    1
Misban-ul-Haq c Boult b Southee    13
Asad Shafiq c Raval b Wagner    17
Sarfraz Ahmed b Boult    2
Mohamed Amir c Astle b Boult    6
S Khan c de Grandhomme b Southee    40
Yasir Shah (not out)    6
Rahat Ali c Latham b Southee    2
Extras (b5, lb7, w5)    17
Total (all out, 78.4 overs)    171
Fall of wickets: 1-21 (Aslam), 2-58 (Azam), 3-64 (Younis), 4-93 (Misbah), 5-93 (Azhar), 6-95 (Ahmed), 7-105 (Amir), 8-158 (Sohail), 9-166 (Shafiq), 10-171 (Rahat)
Bowling: Boult 17-5-37-3 (1w), Southee 23.4-10-53-3, de Grandhomme 14-4-23-1, Wagner 20-6-34-3, Astle 4-0-12-0
New Zealand (2nd innings)
T Latham c Shafiq b Amir    9
J Raval (not out)    36
K Williamson c Aslam b Azhar    61
H Nicholls (not out)    0
Extras (nb2)    2
Total (2 wickets, 31.3 overs)    108
Fall of wkts: 1-19 (Latham), 2-104 (Williamson)
Bowling: Amir 7-2-12-1 (2nb), Sohail 6-1-21-0, Rahat 6-0-24-0, Shah 9.3-1-45-0, Azhar 3-1-6-1