New Zealand Test century maker Mark Richardson had more reason than most to be delighted that he was able to avoid sitting on 99 during his unbeaten innings against Pakistan in Hamilton today.

In only the second Test of his career, against Zimbabwe in Harare, earlier this summer, Richardson was given out leg before wicket on 99 from the last ball of the day in what was a controversial decision by home umpire Ian Robinson.

Having worked so hard to get into such a good position, the last thing he wanted was to have to go through the psychological turmoil associated with that score.

On 97 he got the ball he was looking for.

"I backed myself to get one through the covers if he put one up on off stump. I was nervous, I found it a real struggle.

"That Saqlain [Mushtaq] is something else," Richardson said.

But with the ball in the right spot from Waqar Younis he got a square drive through the cover point region to reach the magical mark after 408 minutes of graft and off 269 balls.

While he had a degree of freedom on the first evening, to the point of charging Saqlain and hitting for a four and a six, it was a much more controlled effort today.

"I guess I got the monkey off my back, it was more a relief than any thing else," he said.

Both he and Matthew Bell admitted to an extra night of sleeplessness after they were unable to get on the field at all yesterday.

Bell said: "I was pretty anxious after two nights waiting. My mind was going 100 miles per hour and I was thinking about how could I possibly sneak out 11 more runs. I thought it would probably be push and prod and that was pretty much how it turned out."

Their anxiety was not helped by the fact they put the pads on and off again several times as rain showers delayed the start.

Richardson said that affected his preparation.

"I like half an hour before I go out to sit down and get myself right. My nerves were a wreck after a while but once we were out there I settled down," he said.

With Bell having set the pace on Tuesday night, he was much closer to the mark and Richardson was a noticeable support as Bell worked his way to the century. Richardson went 50 minutes without adding to his overnight score.

For Bell there was special satisfaction in finally getting a century in his 11th Test, after having a best score of 83 previously, but his average of 15.78 when he was recalled for the first Test highlighted the problems he had endured in Test matches.

"I had self belief and knew what I was trying to achieve and have worked hard with Vaughn Johnson [Wellington coach] and my mentor Bruce Edgar.

"Bruce talked to me about goals and targets and he said to me, 'Don't be happy with just 100 or 50.' He also thinks outside the square and about how bowlers might possibly get me out which I hadn't really had time to think about.

"I've still got a lot to learn but Mark and I talk about those sorts of things.

"It was quite hard to back the tears once I got there. It was great having my parents here. They initially weren't going to come down [from Whangarei] today but they got here about half an hour before we went out," he said.

"But this is the reason you play the game, it outweighs all the bad times," he said.

Richardson said he still couldn't believe that he was opening the batting for New Zealand or that he now had a Test century.

"Fifteen months ago I was going to get on with the rest of my life but the Dunedin City Council gave me a job and gave me as much time as I liked to play cricket," he said.

Bell said that he never imagined that he would be back in the Test side so quickly. While he feels sorry for the ill Matt Horne whose place he took, he had also had to battle illness from a viral complaint while he was trying to establish himself in Test cricket.

© CricInfo