Younis leads Pakistan to first day honours
Pakistan took the honours on the first day of the opening test against New Zealand in Auckland on Thursday when they finished at 270 for four after being put in to bat by home skipper Stephen Fleming when he won the toss.
At stumps Younis Khan was unbeaten on 91 and Faisal Iqbal was 42, their partnership worth 132 runs so far.
Younis' innings has been a sparkling, belligerent knock and he rode his luck with dropped catches by Adam Parore on five and Mathew Sinclair at 64 - both off the bowling of Craig McMillan.
His 91 runs have come off 137 balls and include 14 fours and two sixes.
Faisal was Younis' perfect foil. He was often becalmed, particularly when he twice did not score for half an hour, as he waited for any loose balls and then punished them accordingly.
His 42 has taken 139 balls, with five fours and one six.
Their hundred partnership came in 128 minutes off 217 balls.
The portable wicket, used because Super 12 rugby union games are also being played at Eden Park, had some green in it and Fleming was hoping to get some early help from it when he sent Pakistan in.
But the Kiwi skipper would have had second thoughts almost straight away, as the wicket immediately played very slowly and there was little lateral movement for his seam bowlers.
Pakistan openers Saleem Elahi (24) and Imran Farhat (23) put on 46 for the first wicket, but both went within six runs of each other in the morning session.
The same happened when Yousuf Youhana (51) and Misbah-ul-Haq (28) went within eight runs of each other after lunch, but that was the extent of New Zealand's success as the exciting Younis and obdurate Faisal took Pakistan to stumps without further loss.
Injuries to Saeed Anwar, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar saw Pakistan start the test with four debutants in their line-up. The three in action today, Farhat (23), Misbah (28) and Faisal did their jobs well.
New Zealand's debutant, left-arm seamer James Franklin, will have to wait at least until Friday for his first test scalp. He bowled well enough, but lacked the penetration he enjoyed in the one-day series.
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