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The Pakistan cricket team huddle on the field - Source: Photosport -
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Misbah-ul-Haq has been designated Pakistan cricket's Mr Fixit in the aftermath of New Zealand's victory in the first Test in Dunedin on Saturday.
The 35-year-old will join the tourists ahead of the second Test starting at the Basin Reserve in Wellington next Thursday where he will be entrusted with shoring up an inexperienced batting line-up and providing a safe pair of hands in the slips cordon.
He has been in standby to join the 17-man squad as a replacement for absentee skipper Younis Khan, but team management were holding off flying him over until they gauged their performance in the series opener.
The right-hander averages 37.86 during a sporadic 15-Test career and is considered "a tremendous slip fielder".
Runmaking and catching were highlighted as two areas requiring improvement as Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam mulled over his side's dismissal for 218 when chasing a victory target of 251 on the final day at University Oval.
Intikhab lamented five dropped catches in the slips over the course of a closely-fought Test.
Opener Imran Farhat was responsible for four dropped catches, with the first innings miss on Daniel Vettori arguably the most costly.
The New Zealand skipper was dropped at first slip to the first ball he faced and made the most of his life by making 99 in the home side's 429 all out.
Martin Guptill was also a beneficiary of Farhat's butter fingers in the the first innings when 26 runs into his eventual 60.
"We dropped vital catches otherwise we wouldn't have been chasing 250," Intikhab said.
"We have to improve our fielding, especially the slip catching."
Farhat also failed as an opener, making scores of 22 and one.
Intikhab said teenage debutant Umar Akmal was downcast with his performance today despite adding 75 to his 129 in the first innings.
His demise when Pakistan were 56 shy of victory was a turning point but Intikhab said the 19-year-old should still feel proud of his contributions.
"He's extremely disappointed getting out at that stage. It would have been wonderful really to get a hundred in each innings and win the game for Pakistan.
"But I think the senior members have to get runs on the board. We have a bowling side to get New Zealand out."
