Fleming praises Sinclair after drawn second Test

New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming singled out front-line batsman Mathew Sinclair for praise after the second Test against Pakistan ended in stalemate on Monday.

Fleming conceded the match had been robbed of drama by a pitch which favoured the batsmen but was delighted his side re-discovered some confidence after their 299-run defeat in the first Test in Auckland.

Number three Sinclair led the way with 204 not out and 50 not out as New Zealand, 95 behind on the first innings, ended the final day on 196 for one.

"Mathew Sinclair was outstanding," Fleming said. "And the opening pair had a couple of good stands.

"Matthew Bell has grown in stature on and off the field and he oozes confidence. When he and Ritchie [Richardson] give us a good start, the confidence goes through the whole side."

Fleming said the Jade Stadium pitch was "too good" and made it difficult for the bowlers but added: "I'm not going to complain about that.

"You always want the ideal Test wicket every time you play and some aren't up to standard, so when you get one like this you should be grateful."

The New Zealand captain said his team had a chance of victory late on the third day when Pakistan were 260 for five, still 216 shy of the home side's 476.

"We thought we could win at that stage. We had a sniff but they got away from us," Fleming said.

But a dropped catch off Inzamam-ul-Haq when he was 10 with Pakistan struggling at 42 for two late on Friday was a crucial miss. Inzamam went on to make 130.

"The dropped catch was influential on the innings," he said. "But really, there was no penetration from either team's bowling and that was the bottom line."

Mail Cricket Editor