Re: Pak V NZ First test
Pakistan v New Zealand, 1st Test, Abu DhabiUndercooked New Zealand face UAE grillingThe Preview by Alagappan Muthu
November 8, 2014
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New Zealand have won their last three Test series, but they had played them all over three months ago © WICB Media Photo/Randy Brooks
Match facts
November 9-13, 2014, Abu Dhabi
Start time 10:00 local, 06:00 GMT
Big Picture
Series win over West Indies and India at home. Series win over West Indies away. New Zealand should be on a roll with that kind of momentum behind them. The only problem is all of that happened three months ago. So there really is no momentum to draw from, unlike Pakistan who are in red-hot form.
But the only way forward for New Zealand is also their best hope of posing a threat: staying patient, playing time and building an advantage that can be capitalised upon. It isn’t an easy mandate though with Ross Taylor’s injury leaving the middle-order under-stocked and New Zealand’s opening partnership having hit the rocks recently - it has provided only one century stand in the lasts two years. The return of Kane Williamson though will perk up the visitors and his proficiency against spin will come in handy, as will BJ Watling’s tenacity and Brendon McCullum’s aggression.
Pakistan haven’t had better luck with their own top-two either. But the rest of the line-up has proven to be incredibly resilient recently. Azhar Ali, Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq are as strong as backbone as any and Sarfraz Ahmed has developed a good habit of providing momentum down the order. And they have learned to click together.
The more telling battle will be between either side’s spinners. Zulfiqar Babar and Yasir Shah might not have much mystery about them, but their manipulation of flight and line has been impressive for a pair who were forced together. Mark Craig and Ish Sodhi have to find a way to match them in unfamiliar conditions.
Considering how packed the cricket calendar can be, there is reason for a double-take when you see that New Zealand and Pakistan have met each other only five times in Tests over the past decade. So both teams will want to gauge their opponents and hope they don’t blink first.
Form guide
(most recent matches first)Pakistan WWLLW
New Zealand WLWDW
In the spotlight
New Zealand might have the best new-ball pair in Test cricket at the moment, but Pakistan have an equally potent weapon to blunt them - the Abu Dhabi pitch. When last called into service, it bankrolled 863 runs for Misbah’s men at a highly nominal fee of nine wickets. Tim Southee and Trent Boult are not known to shy away from a challenge, but they wouldn’t mind being outshone by Ish Sodhi](http://www.espncricinfo.com/newzealand/content/player/559066.html)'s leg spin once in a while. Far from a finished product, the 22-year old’s potential has been highly advertised and he displayed some of it during a five-wicket haul against Pakistan A. Now if he can do the same against the senior side as well.
At the other end of the spectrum is Yasir Shah](http://www.espncricinfo.com/pakistan/content/player/43685.html). He prefers bowling a little quick which can be an asset on UAE’s slow pitches. Though the odd ball does end up short, he generates enough zip off the track to consume batsmen who underestimate him. Still, he is only one series old and can be susceptible to pressure if New Zealand’s batsmen give themselves the chance to dictate terms.
Team news
A flawless performance against Australia has allowed the Pakistan think tank to carry the same squad into this series and it is likely that they might not tinker with the XI either.
Pakistan (likely) 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Yasir Shah, 9 Zulfiqar Babar, 10 Rahat Ali, 11 Imran Khan
New Zealand have let Ross Taylor tag along even though his calf-strain has him at 80% capacity, but will not play any part in Abu Dhabi. So it might offer opportunity to play both Corey Anderson and Jimmy Neesham in the XI. Doug Bracewell finds a place in the New Zealand squad but might struggle to force himself into the XI if the visitors want to go in with both their spinners
New Zealand (likely) 1 Tom Latham, 2 Hamish Rutherford, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Brendon McCullum (capt), 5 Corey Anderson, 6 James Neesham, 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Ish Sodhi, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Mark Craig, 11 Trent Boult
Pitch and conditions
Abu Dhabi does not present a pretty picture for bowlers. Spinners would prefer the dryness on the pitch, but they would also want a big total backing them to induce the batsmen into making mistakes.Stats and trivia
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Younis Khan’s Test average over the last 12 months is 80.33 from 14 innings. Only Ross Taylor (80.66) and Angelo Mathews (92.28) have better figures
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Trent Boult’s 91 wickets since making his debut in 2011 makes him the sixth most successful bowler in that period
Quotes
“The temperature seems to be pretty nice today at Sharjah. To be fair, it wasn’t quite as bad as we were expecting in terms of the high heat”
*New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson will hope Abu Dhabi offers a similar reception
*Undercooked New Zealand face UAE grilling | Cricket News | Pakistan v New Zealand | ESPN Cricinfo
