Cricket Update: 2nd ODI, Pakistan vs. New Zealand, Queenstown (Match Preview)
The second match of the ODI series between Pakistan and New Zealand is scheduled to take place on the 26th of January at Queenstown.
New Zealand have a lead of 1-0 in the six match series.
The Kiwis were phenomenal in their pursuit in the opening game of the series and thrashed a -what looked like a- composed http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 side. For Pakistan, it was one of those days that they would like to remove from their history.
The visitors were humbled for an apologetic 124 in the first innings and their bowlers were mutilated by the Kiwi batsmen, showing no mercy to the likes of Shoaib Akhter. The visitors chased down the target in the eighteenth over for the loss of Jesse Ryder
who took the Pakistani bowlers to the cleaners in his fiery innings of 55 off 34 balls.
Pakistan cricket looks in shambles again over the captaincy issue as the noose gets tighter around http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-c89347 Afridi’s neck.
Vettori’s team on the other hand doesn’t look like the kind of team that lost 11 games in a row before outplaying Pakistan in the last match.
Pakistan has to leave the off-field issues behind them and focus on their cricket in the field if they are to pose a challenge for their opponents.
Afridi is in a do or die situation and he has no choice left but to get his act together and lead the team by inspiration if he is to retain captaincy for the world cup and for that matter his spot in the team for the world cup given his recent form with
the ball and bat.
The pitch at Queenstown is said to be one that’s not conducive to stroke-making, the ground has a history of bowler-friendly conditions, with assistance to swing and seam bowling batting is not going to be easy. Of all the matches played at this venue the
team that has won the toss has gone on to win the match. No team batting first here has ever won a match in the ground’s history.
Seeing off the swinging new ball is going to be the key for the batsman.
Things are looking in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754’s favour at the moment as the conditions described are ideal for bowlers like Tim Southee and James Franklin as both are natural swingers of the ball. Hamish Bennett’s unusual action, pace and the ability to extract bounce
from the pitch is going to come in handy as well.
Pakistan batsmen on the other hand have everything to worry about, the swing upfront and the bounce later. The inability of Pakistani players to negotiate with out-swing and bounce well is going to play a huge factor in the game.
Considering the fact that most of the Pakistani players are natural stroke makers, they will have to play according to the situation and will have to curtail their natural urge of playing shots.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Misbah-ul-Haq-c1972 and Younis Khan will be two players the coach and captain would be looking out for as both of them possess the ability to rotate the strike frequently which is going to be a key on a bowler friendly pitch but they need a good solid opening
stand if they are to reach a respectable total.
It’s high time for Muhammad Hafeez to lose his habit of giving a good performance once in the longest while to stay in the team when Pakistan has no other replacement for him given his all-round status, he is one of Pakistan’s key players and his consistency
as an opener could do wonders for the team’s morale.
New Zealand also has a fragile middle-order but they clearly have an in-form bowling line-up that could well be the deciding factor in the game.
The unpredictability element of the Men in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Green-c60723 can never be underestimated but it is going to take a huge effort on their part to come out 1-1 after the second match.
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