Pakistan lost 3-2 at home to New Zealand in their last series and will now be hoping to afflict the same on their hosts in the two-match series. Photo: AFP
Pakistan will be looking to avenge the 3-2 series loss suffered against New Zealand two months back in the UAE when the two sides clash again today in the opener of their two-match ODI series at Wellington.
The Kiwis gave Pakistan a tough time on the batting-friendly strips of the UAE, despite resting main strike bowlers Tim Southee and Trent Boult, with the likes of Adam Milne and Matt Henry proving good enough to see them home.
Skipper Brendon McCullum was also not part of the series but stand-in captain Kane Williamson marshalled his troops well to show that the Kiwis are genuine contenders for the World Cup.
The only positive out of that series were the performances of Haris Sohail and Shahid Afridi, while Pakistan also welcomed back injured pacer Muhammad Irfan.
Pakistan’s track record in the 50-over format has been pretty good up till now against New Zealand as they have won 53 matches out of the total of 94 that the two sides have played, with a win percentage of 56.38%.
On the other hand, New Zealand have won 38, with a win percentage of 40.43%, while one match has ended up as a tie and two yielded no results.
However, at home, the Kiwis have had the upper hand with a win percentage of 55%, having registered 22 wins out of 40 ODIs played, while Pakistan have won just 15 with a win percentage of 37.5%.
Shoaib Muhammad wants attacking mentality up front
Former Test cricketer Shoaib Muhammad believes that Pakistan will need to get out of ‘survival mode’ with the new ball if they are to trouble New Zealand and should instead look to score quick runs.
“The top three need to take the attack to the opposition in order to catch New Zealand off guard,” Shoaib told The Express Tribune. “Our batsman shouldn’t just survive against the new ball, otherwise we would end up losing wickets. One of the top three needs to score big in order to provide a launch pad for our middle-order or late-order to score quick runs.”
Having lost both of the tour matches, Shoaib feels that Pakistan need to give their batsmen increased exposure to the conditions.
“It’s important that our batsmen get time out in the middle before the start of the World Cup so Pakistan should go in with a strong batting line-up.
“So far, the middle order has scored runs because they bat against a softer and less shiny ball,” added Shoaib. “I would again stress that a lot would depend on how we play against the new ball. We’ve got a good bowling attack, which can do well in those conditions.”
Published in The Express Tribune, January 31st, 2015.
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the headline itself a joke one... Pakistan look to avenge home series loss: can Pakistan predictably do that? the answer is loudest no!