New Zealand set 303

New Zealand v Pakistan, Group A, World Cup 2011, Pallekele

Brutal Taylor makes Pakistan pay

Ross Taylor

The crowds that travelled through the hills to watch the first one-day international in Pallekele were first treated to cricket's adaptation of The Comedy of Errors, with Kamran Akmal playing the lead and Shoaib Akhtar in a strong supporting role, and then to a gory massacre. Pakistan were so comically incompetent that they allowed New Zealand, who had to endure the tragic struggle of Jamie How, to build a satisfactory platform from which Ross Taylor launched an assault so brutal that Pakistan were gutted and unable to defend themselves by the end of the innings.

A stronger opponent would have made Pakistan regret the glut of extras and dropped catches much earlier but New Zealand's batsmen did not dominate the bowling until the end. And then they did so in some style. Martin Guptill was their solitary performer in the first half, and Taylor used massive slices luck to get going. But in the last six overs, Taylor broke free in unprecedented manner, taking 28 off a Shoaib over - the tournament's most expensive - before plundering 30 off one from Razzaq. It began to rain sixes and fours in the outfield as New Zealand ransacked 114 off the last six overs to reach 302.

When Pakistan's spinners dismissed Guptill, shortly after he reached his fifty, and James Franklin to reduce the innings from 112 for 2 to 113 for 4, New Zealand seemed on their way to another slide. When Scott Styris, who was also dropped by Kamran Akmal, was trapped by an Umar Gul yorker in the first batting Powerplay over New Zealand were only 175 for 5, in sight of a middling total. That changed in a blink.

In the 47th over, Shoaib bowled a mix of wide deliveries, length deliveries and full tosses that Taylor savaged through cover point and over the deep midwicket boundary. That exhibition of how not to bowl at the death was outdone by Razzaq, whose medium-pace combined with poor length was meat and drink to a marauding Taylor. Fielders looked on helplessly, Shahid Afridi tore his hair out metaphorically and Taylor was now toying with a shell-shocked Pakistan. He had added 35 in 3.5 overs with Nathan McCullum, who initiated the acceleration, and then 85 in 3.4 overs with Jacon Oram, who muscled 25 off 9 balls.

The litany of mistakes had begun off the very first ball of the innings, when Shoaib overstepped and umpire Nigel Llong didn't spot it. Llong called Shoaib's next three foot-faults, though, and the New Zealand batsmen sent all those free-hits to the boundary. Brendon McCullum, however, missed an incutter soon after pulling the first free-hit for six and his dismissal brought in How, playing for the unwell Jesse Ryder.

How couldn't get the ball off the square. Pakistan gave the new ball to a spinner for the first time in 13 yearsand Abdur Rehman's left-arm darts were hard to score off. Shoaib, at the other end, was in a generous mood, throwing a ball he fielded on his follow through wide of Kamran Akmal to concede four overthrows. That Pakistan allowed 45 during the mandatory Powerplay was largely due to Shoaib's largesse. It was also due to Guptill's ability to focus despite the drama around him. He dragged New Zealand forward with no help from his partner.

How's misery mercifully ended in the 13th over, when Gul's incutter struck him so plumb that the ball would have hit the middle of middle stump. How had made 4 off 29 balls.

In walked Taylor, on his 27th birthday, and he received two enormous gifts. Before he had scored, Taylor edged the second ball of Shoaib's second spell. Akmal moved to towards his right to take a catch that was his for the taking, and then stopped and looked expectantly at first slip, where Younis Khan was in shock as the ball sped between them to the boundary. A ball later Taylor edged again, this time the simplest of chances straight to Akmal, and survived. In between those deliveries, Taylor had slashed to the point boundary.

Normalcy returned to the innings as Gul began to move the ball sharply into the batsmen at brisk pace, and Shoaib bowled with more control. Guptill carried on batting solidly, reaching his half-century off 71 balls, while Taylor, whose early struggle was substantial by normal standards but incomparable to How's, slowly grew in confidence. And then Pakistan went to pieces and, though he shoudn't have been, Taylor was there to hurt them. He finished unbeaten on 131 off 124 balls.