For Pakistan, this game cannot come - and go - soon enough. A home Test season of historically miserable proportions will finally draw to a close for the hosts next week, and regardless of the outcome of the second Test in Karachi, that is precisely how it will be viewed. You might imagine the end of this week will allow Pakistan to take stock, assess what went wrong, perhaps even commission one of those reports that never really end up seeing the light of day.
Most likely, though, with just two tests to play in the next 11 months, they will instead turn their attention to white-ball cricket. By the time the Test tour of Sri Lanka rolls around, they'll have found some new kid who smashed it around in the PSL or bowled really fast. Shahid Afraid will include him in that ever-expanding list of probables for the Test squad because six months is too long a time to remember what Pakistan's Test problems actually were.
For now, however, there is a series to be won, though New Zealand will wonder how they haven't put that possibility out of Pakistan's reach just yet. In a slow burner of a first Test, there was just enough time for the visitors to show their superior levels of patience with the bat, and greater potency with the ball. And yet, just a touch too much patience with the bat, and slightly too little potency with the ball as the clock ran out on the visitors as they stood about half an hour away from a well-deserved victory.
First Test
On flat surfaces like that one, a solitary poor batting session can determine the course of a game. The first Test was shaped by the very first session, where some horrific decision-making from Pakistan's batters gifted New Zealand four early wickets, ensuring Pakistan would never be able to put up the sort of total to intimidate New Zealand. But with Pakistan promising a spicier surface for the second Test, and plenty of grass left on the strip overnight, there are opportunities for fast bowlers to get into the game, posing selection dilemmas and strategic reconsideration.
While Pakistan sees out their season with this tour, for New Zealand, it is merely a hors d'oeuvre. A short white-ball series in India will be followed by a return home for a visit of England, and while conditions there will bear little resemblance to this, they will want to match England's away series win in Pakistan with one of their own.
For it, they have come reasonably well-equipped. They boast arguably the most reliable opening pair in Test cricket at the moment, with Tom Latham's exceptional record in Asia of considerable value on these strips. Kane Williamson has roared back into form with a solid middle order to follow. The spinners out-bowled their Pakistani counterparts this week, and while a green-top wicket might have them wishing Trent Bolt was available, in Tim Southey and Matt Henry they have significantly greater experience than Pakistan can boast in that department.
Both sides are out of form, and all but out of contention for the World Test Championship final. Pakistan are increasingly desperate to end a home Test drought, while New Zealand look to make it three unbeaten away series against Pakistan in a row. It feels like something of a free hit, with the series trophy the enticingly dangled carrot at the end of it.
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