I sure hope he plays. I don't want to see any of this BS about how they don't have their best team available.
IT will be very interesting to see how our young batting stars handle the NZ pitches.
Does'nt seem like ther eis alot of interest in this series considering the first test starts day after tomarrow and there are like 13 posts on this section.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by elahi: *
I sure hope he plays. I don't want to see any of this BS about how they don't have their best team available.
IT will be very interesting to see how our young batting stars handle the NZ pitches.
Does'nt seem like ther eis alot of interest in this series considering the first test starts day after tomarrow and there are like 13 posts on this section.
[/QUOTE]
Fri 19 - Tue 23 Dec 1st Test v New Zealand Westpac Park, Hamilton
Its starting next friday, the Three day match is starting tomorrow, which is offcourse not much of interest..
**Cricket: Quieter pitch for Pakistan pacemen **
There were two slices of luck for Auckland’s international players yesterday - the chance to play Pakistan’s full-strength side in the tour opener, and the transfer of the match to Eden Park’s outer oval.
Viewed as an opportunity for New Zealand test openers Mark Richardson and Lou Vincent to have a sneak preview of the Pakistan attack, the three-dayer was scheduled for Eden Park’s No 1 ground.
The official word is that rain had affected the pitch preparation at the main ground, forcing the transfer of the match to the outer oval.
**The unofficial word is that the Auckland players, when it was pointed out that they may be facing two of the world’s fastest bowlers on an under-prepared green-top, expressed a wish for browner pastures. **:rotfl:
Starting tomorrow, the tour match will now be played on the same strip used for the Auckland-Otago State Championship game, a surface that should not be overly taxed given the rain this week.
Adding interest is the likelihood Pakistan will field their strongest team as it is their only opportunity for match practice in New Zealand conditions before the test.
“We’ll definitely try to field a full-strength side,” coach Javed Miandad said yesterday.
“It’s our only three-dayer before the test and we have to try to expose the players we want to use.”
That should mean an early outing for express merchants Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami, who have enjoyed spectacular success against New Zealand sides.
Akhtar blasted out the Kiwis at Lahore last year, taking career-best figures of six for 11 and levelling the woodwork of Matt Horne, Mark Richardson, Chris Harris, Stephen Fleming and Chris Martin.
And Sami was just as devastating in the first test at Auckland three summers ago, when he ripped through New Zealand’s second innings, taking five for 34 and consigning the hosts to a 299-run defeat.
Both have been in compelling form lately and are sure to be a handful on the outer oval surface, even if the pitch has already seen three days of wear and tear.
Miandad said his squad had made progress since the disappointment of the World Cup and were encouraged by the performances at home against South Africa, let alone the 5-0 whitewash of New Zealand.
“I’m very happy with the way they’re playing,” he said.
“The young batsmen are learning day by day and are improving all the time. If they keep performing like they have been, our future is bright.”
He was not overly concerned about the prospect of another seam-friendly pitch for the test match at Hamilton, and said he would wait until Friday before drawing any conclusions.
Auckland’s side will include New Zealand one-day players Tama Canning, Paul Hitchcock and Kerry Walmsley, whose last experience at the hands of Pakistan was the 5-0 series loss.
The trio will come into the team for Aaron Barnes, Michael Bates and Craig Pryor, all of whom were in the 12 for the match against Otago.
Auckland: Brooke Walker (capt), Andre Adams, Tama Canning, Paul Hitchcock, Matt Horne, Tim McIntosh, Kyle Mills, Rob Nicol, Mark Richardson, Lou Vincent, Kerry Walmsley, Reece Young.
Pakistan (from): Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), Taufeeq Umar, Imran Farhat, Saleem Elahi, Yasir Hameed, Yousuf Youhana, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Asim Kamal, Younis Khan, Moin Khan, Shoaib Malik, Danish Kaneria, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Shabbir Ahmed, Umar Gul.
:rotfl: :rotfl: Kiwis are scared stiff :rotfl: :jhanda:
That is just too good to believe. 
** I’m in control, says Miandad **
Pakistan coach Javed Miandad isn’t anticipating any overseas interference when his team begin their test series in New Zealand.
The man who hurt New Zealand so often as a test batsman returned yesterday on his second tour as Pakistan coach, adamant that the internal wrangles of last month were a thing of the past.
Miandad has been involved in a long-running slanging match with chairman of selectors Aamir Sohail after objecting to the training squad for New Zealand being chosen without consultation.
In the fallout that followed, Sohail publicly criticised Miandad’s training methods and the coach responded by ridiculing his former team-mate’s selection policies.
Skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq was also drawn into the row, saying that he supported Miandad on the issue of consultation, and wasn’t happy with the 22-strong squad selected.
However, Miandad said yesterday that Sohail would not have any involvement in the selections on tour, and assured assembled media that he and his captain had a harmonious working relationship.
Evidently unaware of Sir Richard Hadlee’s last act as New Zealand’s convener of selectors (when he assumed responsibilities at the World Cup), Miandad suggested there was no place for a chairman’s role on tour.
“There will be no problems,” he smiled. “Inzy and I are like one on selection, and Aamir Sohail won’t be involved because this is a touring situation, so everything should proceed smoothly.”
Miandad, who was sacked as Pakistan coach following the tour to New Zealand three years ago, took back the reins after this year’s World Cup tournament and has watched his side steadily improve.
There were losses in the NatWest Challenge series in England and the final of the Bank AlFalah Cup against New Zealand, and later in the one-day series against South Africa, when they saw a 2-0 lead turned into a 3-2 defeat.
But countering that was the demolition of Bangladesh at home and a morale-boosting 1-0 test series win over South Africa, leaving Miandad with a record of four wins from five tests since his return.
“It’s an important tour for us because there was a re-assessment in Pakistan cricket after the World Cup, and some changes have been made,” he said.
“Since then the team’s been doing pretty well. Even when we lost we played reasonably well, and our overall form has been excellent.”
Miandad said while the moist and humid conditions would play a part in the series, his chief concern was the ability of the New Zealand side, who had fashioned an impressive record over recent years.
“You go back five or 10 years and they weren’t always strong, but they now have quality players; they’ve been doing well all over the world and we have to believe that they’re a very good team.”
Inzamam agreed with his coach, saying it was pleasing to whitewash the New Zealanders 5-0 in this month’s one-day series, but that little could be read into the prospects for the first test, which starts on Friday at Hamilton.
“After the five one-dayers we’re feeling confident,” Inzamam said. “But over here everything changes. The conditions are different, the game’s different, and many of the players are different, so I just think it will be a good series.”
The Pakistan squad arrived without three touring members, Abdul Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood and assistant manager Muhammad Ahmad, who are expected to join the rest of the party in Auckland tomorrow.
Razzaq’s delay was caused by illness, and Mahmood and Ahmad by a holdup with the delivery of visas.
Pakistan will open their tour with a three-day match against Auckland starting tomorrow, before heading for Hamilton on Wednesday.
The second test starts in Wellington on Boxing Day.
Pakistan schedule
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Tomorrow-Tuesday: v Auckland, Eden Park.
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Friday-Dec 23: v New Zealand, first test, Westpac Park, Hamilton.
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Dec 26-Dec 30: v New Zealand, second test, Basin Reserve, Wellington.
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Jan 1: v Wellington, Basin Reserve.
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Jan 3: v New Zealand, first ODI, Eden Park.
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Jan 7: v New Zealand, second ODI, Queenstown.
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Jan 10: v New Zealand, third ODI, Jade Stadium, Christchurch.
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Jan 14: v New Zealand, fourth ODI, McLean Park, Napier.
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Jan 17: v New Zealand, fifth ODI, Cake Tin, Wellington.
**Of Imran, Hanif and Miandad **
Pakistan arrive in Auckland today, bringing with them a history dotted with spectacular cricket, the chaotic and the colourful as one of the most controversial test nations.
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Pakistan’s first test was at Delhi in October, 1952. They lost to India by an innings and 70 runs. The only player to make a half century was a dogged little opener, Hanif Mohammad who became …
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… the holder of the test and first-class records for the highest individual score. Hanif hit 337 against the West Indies in Barbados in 1957-58 to save the test. It remains the longest test innings played - 16 hours 10 minutes.
The following season, Hanif made 499 for Karachi against Bahwalpur. While his test mark lasted just three weeks before Gary Sobers hit 365 not out in the same series at Kingston, Jamaica.
Hanif’s first-class milestone stayed in the record books for more than 35 years until West Indian Brian Lara hit 501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham. And he took considerably less than 16 hours 10 minutes.
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Pakistani cricket has long been intertwined with politics. In its first 40 years, Pakistan had just 14 test captains. Since 1992, they have had 12. In total, 24 players have been in the middle for the tossing of the coin in a test for Pakistan.
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Boardroom politics have also been an integral part of the game. The newly elected chairman of the Pakistan board, Shaharyar Khan, replaced Lieutenant-General Tauqir Zia, whose reign included allegations of nepotism, selection irregularities and financial mismanagement.
The first order of business for Khan might be sorting out grumpiness between coach Javed Miandad and chairman of selectors - and former team-mate of Miandad’s - Aamir Sohail over team selection issues.
- Pakistan can boast a strong record against New Zealand in both tests and ODIs.
In 43 tests, they have won 20 and lost just six since the teams first met at Karachi in 1955-56.
In the shorter game, the teams have met 72 times, Pakistan winning 46 and losing 24, with one tie and one no result.
The tie was a thriller at Eden Park in 1994, Pakistan making 161 for nine, New Zealand being dismissed for 161 with two balls left as Waqar Younis roared through the tail finishing with six for 30. The last four wickets fell for nine runs.
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Since Pakistan began playing first-class cricket, 378 players named Mohammad have appeared in first-class and test cricket for the country.
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From the time new captain Inzamam-ul-Haq burst into international cricket, he has been a pain in New Zealand’s backside. His first mark was a crushing 62 in 36 balls to pull the world Cup semifinal win out of New Zealand’s grasp at Eden Park in 1992. In 10 tests against New Zealand, the big man has hit 902 runs at 64.42, including most recently 329 at Lahore in May last year.
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While India prides itself on its spin demons, Pakistan, especially in the last 20 years, have been dominant through the quality of their pace bowling.
It began with the fiery Sarfraz Nawaz - credited with being one of the early initiators of reverse swing - who was more fast-medium than rip-roaring fast, and Imran Khan and the torch has been carried on by Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and now Shoaib Akhtar.
Their statistics speak for themselves:
Sarfraz took 177 wickets in 55 tests at 32.75; Imran, who also rates among the alltime great allrounders, took 382 wickets in 88 tests at 22.81; Akram, who idolised Imran as a youngster before becoming his new ball partner, took 414 wickets at 23.62; Waqar’s 87 tests produced 373 wickets at 23.56 while Akhtar, from 28 tests, has 107 wickets at 25.09.
[thumb=E]akhtar_arrives11279_5371114.JPG[/thumb]
Pakistan confident of success
Pakistan arrived in New Zealand fresh off a 5-0 series victory over the Black Caps in the recent one-day series on the sub-continent and will be hoping to take that winning feeling into the test series when it begins Friday week.
They will play a vastly different Black Caps side in a two-test and five-match one-day series over the next month or so.
Even with a relatively inexperienced side as opposition in Pakistan, the visitors arrived in a confident mood on Friday morning, knowing they will take momentum into the series.
“The team has been playing well. Not just against New Zealand but if you look at five or six months they have been paying better cricket,” coach Javed Miandad told reporters on Friday at Auckland International Airport.
The Pakistanis completely out-played the Black Caps in both departments on the sub-continent and players like opening batsmen Imran Farhat and Yasir Hameed will be looking forward to this series.
The pair shared four consecutive century-open stands and both men racked up four consecutive half centuries against the under-strength Black Caps attack.
But things in New Zealand will be a great deal different to Pakistan.
Wickets in New Zealand are generally fairly foreign to teams from the sub continent with the amount of movement off the pitch and in the air we get in local conditions.
The added issue of wet weather that the North Island has had over the last week will not help the preparation of pitches and, once again, we might find the first test being played on a very green wicket.
That will encourage the two speedsters Pakistan possess in Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami and send shivers up the spines of New Zealand’s top order batsmen.
But whilst the Black Caps worry about the Pakistan bowling line-up, the visitors have nine days to get used to seaming, swinging conditions they will find in Hamilton next Friday.
“I think nine days is enough time for adjustment,” said captain Inzamam-ul-haq.
The 33-year-old has been to New Zealand plenty of times before and has had a great deal of success against the Black Caps.
“Here again we are not worried about what we have done in the past,” Miandad said though.
"We like to give good entertaining cricket to the people.
"New Zealand have a good team and the conditions are different.
“We have a very balanced team. A good bowling attack and especially our batsmen. Our batting has been doing very well in the last few months.”
But the former captain and Pakistan great believes that New Zealand will be tough to beat.
“I think New Zealand cricket has improved. If you go back five years they weren’t that great a team. Now they have a good team with quality players and they have been doing well all over the world.”
The sides will be separated by who adjusts to the seaming conditions the best and, as the Indians found out last year, New Zealand will take some beating at home.
http://onesport.nzoom.com/sport_detail/0,1278,242463-2-17,00.html
They are really scared.. :k:
But lets see how our Batsmen handle those pitches… 
What a delight to see yasser hameed, imran ferhat and asim kamal perform. Especially asim who played like a real test champ: 47 in 107. Simply brilliant.
Poor Kiwi’s
Good Day for Pakistan,…
Hameed and Farhat shine against Auckland
Auckland v Pakistanis, tour game, Auckland
Hameed and Farhat shine against Auckland
Lynn McConnell
December 14, 2003
Close Pakistan 318 (Farhat 73, Hameed 96, Kamal 43, Walker 5-55) v Auckland 35 for 1 (Richardson 13*, McIntosh 13*)
Scorecard
Pakistan provided another example of their great capacity for unearthing new batting talent on the opening day of their tour of New Zealand against Auckland. They won the toss, batted first and made 318, with fine half-centuries from Imran Farhat and Yasir Hameed.
Farhat continued from where he left off in the recent one-day series against New Zealand in Pakistan, scoring 73 off 70 balls. He added 74 for the second wicket with Hameed, before being dismissed by Brooke Walker, Auckland’s legspinning captain, who ended the day with 5 for 55.
Hameed went on to score 96, being caught on the backward-square-leg boundary by Kerry Walmsley, off Paul Hitchcock’s bowling, after the trap had been set for him. Auckland’s fielding helped to break down the strength in the Pakistan batting, with Inzamam-ul-Haq smartly run out by Matt Horne as he attempted to take a second run.
Walmsley’s catch was outstanding while Horne also took a fine catch later in the innings. After the lightning start by the Pakistan batsmen, it was Asim Kamal who held up the later stages of the innings, scoring 43 off 107 balls. Shoaib Akhtar made 32 off 50 balls.
Auckland suffered a blow when Kyle Mills damaged his shoulder in the field, forcing him out of the rest of the match. He had taken 1 for 20 off seven overs when that happened.
Auckland, when stumps was taken early due to bad light, had reached 35 for 1, with Mark Richardson and Tim McIntosh both on 13 - McIntosh having taken three boundaries from one over by Mohammad Sami.
© Wisden Cricinfo Ltd
i hope they carry on with this....
Hameed and Farhat once again proving they are excellent batsmen, no matter what kind of pitch. I hope they continue their good form into the test matches and odi's against NZ.
Rain truncates second day of tour game](http://uk.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2003/DEC/018660_NZ-WCI_15DEC2003.html)
Close Auckland 164 for 5 (Horne 16*, Young 3*) trail Pakistan 318 by 154 runs
Pakistan could not get in too many overs against Auckland on the second day of their match at Eden Park’s outer oval, which was truncated by rain. Morning rain prevented a start until 1.40pm, and the late start left Auckland in no man’s land when stumps were called.
They were still 154 runs short of Pakistan’s total, and it may be that for any real benefit to come from the match, a declaration may be required early in the third day, in the hope that Pakistan may then leave Auckland a target.
However, Rob Nicol, another of the rising batsmen on the New Zealand scene, did produce an innings of 60, which included three sixes and six fours, scored off 107 balls. Both overnight batsmen, Mark Richardson (23) and Tim McIntosh (32), were dismissed by Shabbir Ahmed, who ended the day with 2 for 24.
Matt Horne proved barnacle-like in a 102-minute innings to be unbeaten on 16 at stumps. He was accompanied by Reece Young, Auckland’s wicketkeeper, on three. Mohammad Sami had a horror day, bowling 11 no-balls and going wicketless from his 14 overs at a cost of 51 runs.
Consistence has been a long time issue with Mohammad Sami. 11 no balls in a warm-up match. SHEESH! Shoaib and Shabbir's figure has been good. Awesome stuff from Kaneria.
Looks like Stephen Fleming will be able to play in the first Test match. Good on him. Let the fun begin. :)
game on. nz at 221 for 9.
nz all out for 222.
^ Cricinfo didn't update it, i guess. Where did you get the score?
there you go buddy.