Lynn McConnell at Uni Oval
New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori missed the chance for a fifth Test century when dismissed on 99 in the first Test with Pakistan at Dunedin's University Oval on Wednesday.
New Zealand was 404-8 at stumps with Shane Bond eight not out, having survived a referral for an lbw decision earlier in the same over as Vettori was dismissed, and Iain O'Brien two not out.
Vettori was the eighth New Zealand batsman to be dismissed for 99, and the ninth instance with John Wright falling twice at that mark.
It was a disappointing end to a fighting innings by the captain who became the highest scoring No.8 batsman in Test history during the innings and who had shared a face-saving stand of 164 runs for the seventh wicket with Brendon McCullum earlier in the day.
Vettori has scored 591 runs at 65.6 in the calendar year.
Play had been suspended after rain for three hours and 40 minutes and the light was not the brightest but in the interests of keeping the Test moving New Zealand didn't appeal until just after Vettori was dismissed.
Vettori's disappointment followed that associated with McCullum's dismissal for 78, four balls from lunch.
But just as they had one of the longer standing milestones of New Zealand cricket in their sights they faltered when McCullum had a ball cannon from the bottom of his bat onto his stumps off the second ball of the last over before lunch. He had reached 78, and the pair had the 186-run eighth-wicket record against Pakistan, held by Warren Lees and Richard Hadlee in their sights.
New Zealand has never had a 200-run partnership for any wicket against Pakistan, the best being 195 by John Wright and Geoff Howarth at Napier in 1979.
McCullum and Vettori prospered against a Pakistan attack which exhibited its fragility under the sort of pressure the contrasting pair demonstrated.
Vettori went to the break on 83 not out and had reached 87 soon after the break when rain forced an end to the day's play with New Zealand 381-7.
It was a morning for ticking off the milestones as McCullum and Vettori set about their work, McCullum after surviving a scare when edging his first boundary of the morning. Pakistan hadn't placed a third slip and the ball flew to the boundary unencumbered.
Vettori took time to find his range also, taking two blows to his shoulders as he turned on rising deliveries from Mohammad Asif. But again there was no effort by Mohammad Yousuf to adjust his field to increase the pressure on the pair.
That set the tone for the morning and McCullum and Vettori thrived.
Vettori, in his inimitable style, placed the ball with all the precision of a snooker master working his way around the table in pursuit of 147 points. Deft touches, around the wicket, were mixed with blazing flourishes through mid-wicket and through exta-cover.
McCullum was much more correct and once recovering from an early blow to his helmet delivered by Mohammad Asif, he set about his role in style.
After resuming at 276-6, they brought up the 300 and then soon after Vettori posted his 21st Test half-century, off 63 balls, with a typically light touch off Aamer's bowling.
McCullum followed the posting of the 100 partnership with his 14th Test half-century scored off 98 balls.
On 52 McCullum skied a ball from Umar Gul but it fell into free space and by the end of the first hour the pair had added 53 runs.
But the alarms were few for the New Zealanders on a morning which started in idyllic conditions but which saw dark clouds roll in towards lunch time.