Overseas Tests

Ross Taylor 76 in each innings

Zimbabwe v New Zealand
With one day left to play at Bulawayo, New Zealand have played their way into the winning position with a solid batting performance, led by new skipper, Ross Taylor with a brace of seventies. In both innings, his batting was solid and led his team by example. In the second innings, in particular, when Kyle Jarvis removed night watchman Jeetan Patel and NZ were teetering at 3-36 on the fourth morning, Taylor stood tall and added 120 with the much improved Kane Williamson, before some late hitting from Dan Vettori and Reece Young set up the declaration. Jarvis was the pick of the bowlers.

Zimbabwe, chasing more than they could afford in the first innings, made a reasonable fist of it and they have enough overs left to chase down 366 but with the two gone being the first innings star Visu Sibanda and the very promising Hamilton Masakadza, the task looks beyond them. Doug Bracewell, nephew of the nagging off spinner of the 80's John, struck in his first and second spells, the second - Masakadza - to a stunning catch in the gully by the debutante Dean Brownlie.

New Zealand have batted well right through the order, with Taylor, Williamson and first innings century maker Martin Guptill only just shading the rest of the order but its their bowling which will come under the greatest scrutiny when they joust with Australia in a month at the Gabba. Bracewell seems a good addition but Chris Martin has never really worried good batsmen. In the end, too much sits on the shoulders of former captain Vettori and he is only, at best, a useful performer. He bowls a conservative line which restricts runs but he can be milked and his Test wickets take too many overs to accrue.

Pakistan v Sri Lanka

Kumar Sangakkara

On a deck which is taking increasing turn, Sr Lanka have reversed their recent form and fortunes after two days in Sharjah. Back to their big scoring best and with Tillakaratne Dilshan finding form back at the top of the order for a near century, it was again the silky smooth Kumar Sangakkara who was the corner stone of the innings. Adding 173 for the second wicket with Dilshan, he scored 144 of the 300 runs added whilst he was at the wicket and has four centuries (including his double in the first Test of this series) and three 50's in his last seven Tests. The Sri Lankan innings disintegrated from 3-300, Saeed Ajmal being the chief reason. Sangakkara was unlucky enough to see Younis Khan hold a catch at slip from his mistimed pull.

Paistan have started badly with their star openers both gone in the first twenty overs and runs coming at less than two a over. The always improving Welegedara got Mohammad Hafeez, playing with typical aggression, until snared by a blinder from Mahela Jaywardene diving at third slip. He may be slowing down but he remains one of the best slippers in world cricket. Taufeeq was done by Herath's flight and even a short excursion from the crease was punished in an instant by Kaushal Silva, who has been a stunningly good replacement for the injured Prasanna Jayawardene.

Azhar, Younis and Misbah will have to carry the load for Pakistan if they are be competitive on Day 3.