Pakistan remain on course for a big victory over New Zealand in Abu Dhabi after ending day three with a lead of 319.
The hosts, having made a brilliant 566 for three declared in the first innings, dismissed New Zealand for 262 but chose not to enforce the follow-on, instead seeing out the final six overs of the day to add a further 15 without loss.
New Zealand had little to celebrate but the opener Tom Latham’s 103 was his first Test century. The son of Rod Latham, who played four Tests and made 119 against Zimbabwe at Bulwayo in 1992, adds the family name to a shortlist of father-son pairings to have scored Test centuries for New Zealand alongside Walter and Richard Hadlee, and Ken and Hamish Rutherford.
The tourists began the day on 15 without loss but lost three wickets in quick succession early on. Brendon McCullum was the first to go, edging into the slips off Zulfiqar Babar. Younis Khan took the catch low and McCullum initially stood his ground before departing for 18, with New Zealand 33 for one.
They had added only five before Kane Williamson suffered a somewhat unfortunate dismissal. He got a strong bat to Rahat Ali’s yorker but could not adjust in time to prevent the ball bouncing back on to the stumps, and went for just three.
After Ross Taylor was out for a duck, edging behind off Babar, New Zealand were 47 for three. But Corey Anderson helped Latham stop the rot, making 48 off 70 before misjudging an Ali delivery and cutting it on to his own stumps.
Latham was next to go, lbw to Hafeez after a review, and New Zealand had to rely on BJ Watling’s 42 and 25 from Ish Sodhi to frustrate Pakistan.
Babar finished New Zealand off when he got Watling lbw but Rahat Ali was the pick of the bowlers with figures of four for 22.
Pakistan chose not to enforce the follow-on with a handful of overs left in the day and they tacked on another 15 runs.
With the opener Ahmed Shehzad absent after suffering a minor fracture of the skull in the first innings, Azhar Ali opened alongside Hafeez, and they made nine and five respectively before the close. Pakistan’s last four innings have ended in declarations. A fifth is surely a matter of time on day four.
