Pakistan vs New Zealand: Toothless bowling on a barren wicket - Pakistan's Test Cricket in a nutshell

Batting first, Pakistan rode on an excellent century from Babar Azam and Agha Salman and a half-century from Sarfaraz Ahmed to post 438 all out in the first innings. 

But, come the end of Day 3, New Zealand had not only eclipsed that total but was also two runs ahead at 440-3. 

A century from Tom Latham, a near-century score from Devon Conway (92), and a ton from former skipper Kane Williamson – who is still batting – put the Kiwis ahead. 

There are two things worth noting here. One is that, in an era where Test matches see more definitive results than ever thanks to the World Test Championship's (WTC) win percentage points being played, it is almost unheard of for three days of a Test match to go by with the first innings still in progress. 

Secondly, it is the most Pakistan thing ever to have posted a total of over 400 in the first innings and still find yourself staring at the reality of trailing the opposition. 

Of course, this is down to two major factors – a bowling attack that lacks the experience to operate at this level and a pitch that aids no one except the batters. 

The first point is worth pointing out because Pakistan's bowlers have toiled for over a day and a half and still found themselves thwarted by the Kiwis. 

They play like a cobbled-together, incohesive unit because they are a cobbled-together and incohesive unit and are missing some of their key players – the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf spring to mind. 

It is telling that none of their bowlers have Test appearances in the double digits. They might all be talented players, but you need more to win a Test match. 

And it certainly doesn't help that they are served up a track that, at best, does nothing and, at worst, is conducive to good stroke play. 

This has been a problem with Pakistan pitches for a while now, with even former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja admitting they are 'years away' from producing a good Test match pitch. 

But if they are not going to get better at the job soon, the only losers will be the Pakistani fans, who would tune out in droves at the sight of uneventful Test games. 

This would also be a blow to the PCB, who fought for years to get teams to tour the nation – only to serve them up highway roads for Test pitches. 

This bowling line-up would struggle against a top-quality team, but they have yet to be helped by the pitch they are playing on. 

Both are issues that will need immediate redressal from the PCB before things take a turn for the worse.