Pakistan power to biggest Test victory

Furniture rattled: New Zealand batsman Chris Martin is bowled by Pakistan paceman Shoaib Akhtar

LAHORE, Pakistan -- Pakistan have recorded the biggest Test cricket victory in their 50 year history, thumping an undermanned New Zealand line-up by an innings and 324 runs.

Marked by a belligerent triple century from middle order batsman Inzamam-ul-haq and a fearsome onslaught by express pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar, the Test put the home side in a seemingly invincible position leading into the final two Tests.

Trailing by a massive first innings deficit of 570 runs after Pakistan enforced a follow-on early Friday, New Zealand was skittled for 246 in its second innings in the last over of the day.

The Kiwis were forced to follow-on after pace bowler Akhtar -- otherwise known as the Rawalpindi Express -- produced career-best bowling figures of 6 for 11 and routed the visitors for a paltry 73 in the first innings.

The winning margin improved Pakistan's previous best, an innings and 264-run win against Bangladesh at Multan in the Asian championship match.

Inzamam-ul-haq's 329 had helped Pakistan amass 643 after the hosts won the toss and elected to bat first.

Stephen Fleming (66 runs) and Lou Vincent (57) scored fighting half centuries in the lost cause when New Zealand batted for the second time.

Even the absence of Akhtar -- down with soar left ankle -- in the second innings could not delay the inevitable late Friday evening with spinner Danish Kaneria claiming five wickets for 110 and Saqlain Mushtaq snaring 2-38, which included last man Chris Martin's scalp.

Fleming, a 69-test veteran, had just one consolation in his team's poor performance. When he was on 24, he became only the third New Zealander after Martin Crowe (5444) and John Wright (5334) to complete 4000 test runs.

Kiwis avoid lowest total

Chris Harris (43) and Fleming shared the biggest partnership for New Zealand when they put on 85 runs for the fourth wicket before the slide began in the last session.

Harris, who was dropped on 30, finally departed after West Indian umpire Steve Bucknor was convinced that seamer Abdur Razzaq (2-47) had hit the left-hander's pads in line of stumps.

Who ate all the records? Inzamam-ul-haq went on a run spree in Lahore

From 186 for four, New Zealand slipped to 204 for seven when leg-spinner Kaneria removed Craig McMillan (2) and Robbie Hart off successive deliveries. Daniel Vettori survived the hat-trick ball before he too perished, giving a tame catch to substitute Shoaib Malik at square leg.

Fleming was the eighth man out as he mistimed a pull shot of Kaneria after spending 199 minutes at the crease.

New Zealand was reduced to 78 for two before lunch when it batted a second time.

Pakistan skipper Waqar Younis removed Matthew Horne with his sixth ball for nought. Mark Richardson (32) put on 66 runs with Vincent before he top edged off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq 10 minutes before lunch.

Pakistan claimed just one wicket in the second session. Vincent hammered eight boundaries in his fighting half century but -- as in the first innings -- he failed to read Danish Kaneria's leg spin which gave wicketkeeper Latif his third catch of the innings.

Earlier, Akhtar's fierce bowling allowed the New Zealand to last just 30.2 overs in its first innings.

Bowling off a shorter run up, he added two wickets Friday morning to the four he snared on Thursday afternoon when New Zealand struggled to stumps at 58 for six.

Daryl Tuffey took New Zealand past its lowest ever total against Pakistan -- 70 made at Dhaka in 1955-56 -- with a straight driven four and remained unbeaten on 6 when he ran out of partners.

Pakistan had a 3-0 sweep of the preceding limited-overs series and now has a stranglehold on the two-match test series.