News Sports Cricket Pak vs NZ: New Zealand races to 488-3 at tea in 3rd test

Pak vs NZ: New Zealand races to 488-3 at tea in 3rd test

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates: New Zealand advanced to 488-3 at tea after captain Brendon McCullum hit a double century and shared a record-breaking 297-run stand with Kane Williamson on the third day of the third

pak vs nz new zealand races to 488 3 at tea in 3rd test pak vs nz new zealand races to 488 3 at tea in 3rd test

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates: New Zealand advanced to 488-3 at tea after captain Brendon McCullum hit a double century and shared a record-breaking 297-run stand with Kane Williamson on the third day of the third test against Pakistan on Saturday.

New Zealand, seeking to level the series, stretched its lead to 137 at tea with Williamson unbeaten on a career-best 192.

McCullum smashed 202 off 188 balls, with 21 fours and 11 sixes, before he was bowled around his legs by Yasir Shah (2-129) to the relief of Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq.

Ross Taylor (50) also hit a half century before falling to Shah but not before he added 116 runs with Williamson.

Pacer Mohammad Talha, making his test comeback, was smashed for 117 in his 17 overs with erratic bowling.

Taylor was caught behind on 49 off Talha but was recalled by the umpires as the fast bowler had overstepped and bowled a no-ball.

Williamson continued to prosper despite McCullum departing in the first session. He drove and pulled fast bowlers with power while using his feet well against the spinners to hit 23 fours and a six.

Earlier, resuming on 249-1, McCullum and Williamson continued to smash Pakistan's bowlers in raising New Zealand's highest-ever second-wicket stand against all test-playing nations off 317 balls.

Former New Zealand captain John Wright and Andrew Jones held the previous record of 241 against England at Wellington in 1992.

Williamson, 76 overnight, completed his eighth test hundred when he clipped Talha to the midwicket boundary as New Zealand added 138 runs in the first session and progressed to a solid 388-2.

Both Talha and Rahat Ali were guilty of bowling too short on a slow wicket and were punished by well-timed pull shots by the New Zealand pair.

Even the two spinners couldn't stop the flow of runs with McCullum racing to 196 by hitting two fours and a six in left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar's solitary over.

McCullum, who notched New Zealand's first test triple century earlier this year against India, raced to his double century when he lofted Shah for a six, but two balls later he couldn't connect a sweep and was bowled around his legs.

McCullum's swashbuckling knock gave him a chance to become New Zealand's first player to score 1000 test runs in a calendar year with 969 runs so far in 2014.