Live Cricket Score of New Zealand vs Pakistan, 2nd Test, Day 5 at Hamilton

The Hamilton Test has certainly turned into a game comprising, resolute batting, incisive seam bowling, dropped catches (Sami Aslam) and also a century compiled under immense pressure. Yes, we are referring to Ross Taylor who erased the fine lines of pain and distress to compose a splendid hundred on Day 4 of the second and final Test.

It was a rather sketchy start, but once Taylor got himself attuned into the rhythm of Test match batting, he played with more assueredness. More importantly, he would be relieved that he was able to break his barren stretch of poor form that extended to 12 innings and it came in the backdrop of him having to play with vision problems.

Taylor also was backed up by Latham and Williamson as the hosts declared at 313 for 5 to set Pakistan an imposing target of 369. For the visitors, Imran Khan bowled zestful spells to snare three wickets. Pakistan's openers also waded through the last three overs of the day without any damage.

To overhaul the target, it is going to be an uphill task. Pakistan (perhaps) have no other choice but to go for it as they are 1-0 down in the series. Hopefully, we will have a cracker of a final day.

The pair of Aslam and Azhar Ali started cautiously. The duo perhaps is looking to set a platform before they up the ante. Neil Wagner and Tim Southee began proceedings and bowled with good disciplines.

With hardly any movement on offer, the trio of Wagner, Southee and Henry struggled to make the breakthrough. Curiously, barring the occasional boundary, Pakistan's openers seemed to have opted for defence over taking risks. Maybe the visitors would be happy with a draw?

In search for that elusive wicket, New Zealand also wasted a review. In the 22nd over of the second essay bowled by Matt Henry, Azhar appeared to have swayed out of the way. New Zealand, surprisingly, went for the review. On replays, it clearly confirmed that it hit the chest of Azhar on its way to the wicketkeeper. In short, it was a shocker of a review!

It is turning into a bad morning for the hosts. Now, Williamson takes too much time to ask for the review for an LBW against Sami Aslam off Colin de Grandhomme's bowling and his request was timed out. Guess what? The impact was in line and the ball would have crashed into the stumps. Oh! This hasn't been a good session for the hosts in terms of reviews.

New Zealand took 18 second to place their belief in the review, three more than the stipulated time allowed to ask for it.

It turned out to be quite an attiritional session. New Zealand bowled with purpose, but on a wicket that has flattened out, struggled to make the incision. To make matters worse, the hosts messed up with their reviews. For Pakistan to have any chance of chasing down the substantial target, they need the pair of Azhar and Aslam to up the tempo in the second session.

After the Lunch break, Azhar Ali slowly but steadily notched his 23rd Test fifty. It has been a fine hand by Pakistan's stand-in skipper. Aslam then amassed a gritty fifty in 188 balls. He reached his fifty in some style with a pull stroke.

The second hour of the second session turned out to be more of an absorbing battle. Aslam, who took 188 balls to complete his fifty, played with a touch of fearlessness after reaching the landmark. Azhar too tried to played an aggressive brand of cricket but was eventually castled by Santner. Babar Azam then joined forces with Aslam to stitch a useful unbeaten stand of 27 for the second wicket.

Pakistan require a further 211 runs in 34 overs. It is an uphill task, but not an impossible one on a wicket that has flattened out.

Well, well! Pakistan are going for the target. The visitors' batsmen are just throwing caution to the winds now. However, in an attempt to push the scoring rate along, Babar Azam perished by dragging one off Santner onto the stumps.

Aslam kept the runs coming with a top-edged slog off Southee that raced away to the boundary boards. Pakistan also have sent Sarfraz Ahmed up the order. This could still turn into a humdinger!

Aslam has thrown his wicket away in an attempt to help Pakistan pull off a heist. He was just nine runs short of reaching his maiden Test hundred. He goes for a flat-batted swipe and finds Williamson at midwicket with perfection. Sarfraz Ahmed, though, continued to collect boundaries. He pulverised Southee's short ball with a pull that rocketed to the boundary. He surely believes the tourists can still chase this down.

Only seven overs to go for the new ball. Interesting to see whether New Zealand will take it.

Younis Khan stalled Pakistan's progress by eating up dot balls and that perhaps got to Sarfraz as he looked to steal the second run off Henry's bowling. However, Colin de Grandhomme from long-leg, fired in a bullet throw and Watling whipped the bails off in a flash as the 'keeper-batsman found himself short of the crease at the striker's end. Now, Pakistan's window of opportunity to pull off a heist seems to have been shut.

Are Pakistan losing this?? You always expect the unexpected from Pakistan! Shafiq eked out a leading edge and was removed by Henry. Younis Khan, the veteran batsman, battled hard for his 11 before he was prised by Southee. Younis offered no shot to an inswinger and was rapped on the pads.The initial appeal for LBW was turned down.

Williamson, who has had a bad day in the field, then reviewed. And guess what? The HawkEye showed it would knock over the off-stump and New Zealand's cricketers were elated to get the prized scalp. After Younis was dismissed, Rizwan and Sohail Khan collected a few runs, albeit in an unconvincing manner. New Zealand can scent a victory here! The new ball is also swinging for them.

Holy moly! This feels like a cycle-stand collapse. After battling for a while, Sohail Khan fell to Colin de Grandhomme. Wagner, who is known for his ability to snare crucial scalps, bent his back to send back Amir and and Riaz in a single over. This is fast turning into a soap opera. The hosts need one more to clinch their first Test series win against Pakistan since 1985...

Wagner you beast! The experienced fast bowler snared the scalps of Amir, Riaz and Imran Khan in a mere seven balls to chart a stunning win for New Zealand and help them seal the Test series 2-0, their first against Pakistan since 1985. At 159 for 1, the visitors were well placed, but lost nine wickets for 71 runs to hurtle to a dramatic collapse.

New Zealand deserve all the credit for believing in themselves, but it has to be said that was a shocker of a collapse from Pakistan. Only Aslam and Azhar showed resistance by notching fifties.

Morale-boosting series win for the home side after their 3-0 series loss in India.