Great result for New Zealand through applied pressure

Last Wednesday saw a great return for the CLEAR Black Caps.

Against a very good Pakistani side, the Black Caps silenced a few critics by chasing an imposing target and, along with a few twists and turns, came out victorious.

The Pakistanis rely heavily on Saeed Anwar and with him dismissed cheaply the pressure was on the rest of their batters who responded but faltered, I felt, at the end of their innings.

They should really have got 300 plus but Jacob Oram and Craig McMillan kept the scoring down and so the chase was on.

As Pakistan rely on Anwar, so too do the Black Caps rely on Nathan Astle.

By his own high standards his season has been quieter than he would have liked but like the world class player he is, he has delivered at the pressure time, and this is the measure of a great player.

He loves the ball coming on to the bat and the Pakistanis gifted him too much width and he made them pay.

I thought Steve Fleming played a great support role and together they deserved the highest partnership record and it was all the sweeter for being scored against a quality attack.

A few hiccups at the end saw Jacob Oram and Harry come together and work through the last few runs for the victory.

I like the way Jacob plays the game and he always seems very level-headed and has a good understanding of what is required, a real find for the Black Caps.

In this game Akhtar's action came under scrutiny. While he is good for the game, for all the excitement he creates, there are doubts about the legality of his delivery.

Presumably the ICC will be looking into it and it will be interesting to see what findings they come up with in the next few months.

This week also sees the beginning of the Test series. While the Pakistanis' bowling is very strong I think their batting is vulnerable. With Inzamam out, Anwar and Youhana are the only class acts in the side. The issue with the Black Caps will be runs on the board. If they can do this, and put Pakistan under pressure in their batting, it could be a very interesting series.

I wish Matt Bell all the best. He went back to first-class cricket after a disappointing run with the Black Caps and produced results. He is a good player but has always been a little tough on himself; hopefully he can make a breakthrough here.

And finally that Australian side. Remarkable weather is about the only thing that will stop their record run! A great win in India and Indians without Kumble are vulnerable. A 3-0 result? Could well be on the cards.