New Zealand started off with a strong reply to Pakistan's first innings score on Day 2 of the ongoing first Test at the National Stadium in Karachi on Tuesday.
The Blackcaps reached 165 for no loss with openers Devon Conway and Tom Latham batting on 82 and 78, respectively, at the end of the day's play.
Conway meanwhile, became the fastest New Zealand batter to complete 1,000 runs in his 11th during the knock.
But the visitors still face an uphill task and are 273 runs behind the hosts after Pakistan posted 438 on the board, thanks to a brilliant maiden Test hundred by all-rounder Agha Salman.
Salman's 155-ball 103 after Pakistan skipper Babar Azam smashed 161 off 280 balls to roar back to form in red-ball cricket after a string of poor scores.
Babar Azam leads from the front
Babar couldn't add to his overnight score and was dismissed by his Kiwi counterpart Tim Southee to kickstart the day for New Zealand.
Pakistan also lost Nauman (seven) and Mohammad Wasim (two) in the first session, which produced just 60 runs. Salman added 54 runs for the seventh wicket before New Zealand took two wickets in the space of three runs.
Pacer Neil Wagner had Nauman caught off a short-pitched delivery before Wasim was caught behind off spinner Ish Sodhi. Salman then cut loose, hitting two successive boundaries off Sodhi to complete three figures. His previous best of 62 was against Sri Lanka at Galle in July.
Southee, who finished with 3-69, finally ended the innings by trapping Salman leg before, completing 350 wickets in his 89th Test.
He is the third New Zealand bowler behind Richard Hadlee (431 in 86 Tests) and Daniel Vettori (362 in 113) to take 350 or more wickets in Tests. Salman hit 17 boundaries during his 155-ball knock.
Ajaz Patel, Michael Bracewell and Sodhi took two wickets apiece. The two-match Test series is New Zealand's first in Pakistan since 2002.
