The Blackcaps have been left wondering what if after a costly dropped catch saw Pakistan surge ahead on day one of the first test at Karachi.
With Pakistan 43/2, Daryl Mitchell shelled a simple chance in the slips that would've meant the wicket of captain Babar Azam.
Off-spinner Michael Bracewell found the edge of Azam's bat but was given a lifeline on just eight runs, as a rushed Mitchell couldn't hold on.
The Pakistan skipper made the Blackcaps pay for the missed chance, finishing unbeaten on day one with 161 runs off 277 balls.
Wicket-keeper Sarfaraz Ahmed also got into the action, hitting a well-made 86 runs, before Ajaz Patel grabbed his second wicket.
Patel struck first for the Blackcaps, removing opener Abdullah Shafique in just the third over after a brilliant delivery saw him stumped.
He played down Mitchell's dropped catch but commended Azam for making the most of the lifeline in tricky conditions.
"It's hard to say," he said. "You don't know if Babar gets dropped, and Sarfaraz goes on to get 160 or someone comes in and bats really well.
"It's very difficult to say as a player. In saying that, Babar made the most of his chances and batted really well.
"He continued to put pressure on us when we were starting to build momentum and also at the same time, we also put him under pressure and he soaked it up. He played a brilliant innings and that partnership was really crucial, between him and Sarfaraz.
"It's difficult to say, obviously dropped catches, no one wants to drop catches and it happens sometimes and that's just the nature of the game."
While Bracewell was denied Azam's wicket, he only need another three balls to strike again, with Pakistani opener Imam-ul-Haq departing for 24 runs.
Tim Southee removed Saud Shakeel for 22 to have Pakistan 110/4 before Azam and Ahmed's 196-run partnership.
Patel was pleased with the bowlers' return after the opening day and believes the contest is fairly balanced.
"I think in the morning there was a little more turn, as the day went on, there was less turn from the surface, and Babar and Sarfaraz batted really well," he said.
"They really applied themselves and looked to put us under pressure for long periods of time. If you look at the end of the day, it's a very balanced first day.
"That's the nature of cricket sometimes. Sometimes you're doing well, the other team comes back and you're fighting again.
"Overall, it was a good, tough day of cricket, and it's just looking forward to tomorrow and see what tomorrow we can do.
"The pitch - interesting. At the start of the day, I thought it was really good, later on in the day it got a lot tougher.
"For us, it's really making sure that when the surface is providing something, we make use of it and make the most out of it and when it does flatten out, we really apply ourselves, bowling in good areas for long periods of time.
"We've seen the Pakistani players are very good players of spin, they really applied themselves and played some very good shots and kept putting us under pressure.
"We just have to make sure we are on top of our game, making sure we understand what the pitch is doing and how the surface is playing and we adapt to that."
