Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor steady http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754
Martin Guptill and Ross http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Taylor-c92915 added 51 runs for the third-wicket in order to steady New Zealand’s innings against Pakistan in the fifth One-day International of the six-match series at the Seddon Park Ground in Hamilton.
In the process, the pair has anchored their team to a comfortable position from where they can chase down the target. Currently, the game hangs in a balance as the home side is coasting nicely at 104 for 2 after 23 overs.
Guptill, who came as an opener, looked in a positive frame of mind. He continued his good form and played a couple of drives off the front foot, while his back foot punches were an absolute treat to watch. He has kept up the scoring rate by playing aggressively,
and is unbeaten on 59 off just 66 deliveries. The right-handed batsman has set the tone for his team and is looking good for a massive contribution with the bat.
Ross Taylor has provided his partner with a timely support, adding 24 runs off 33 balls. His main focus is to rotate the strike and play a sheet-anchor role.
Earlier, the home side had a poor start to their innings as Jesse Ryder returned to the pavilion without facing a ball after he was run out in the first over.
Jamie How struggled to middle the ball and looked completely out of sorts. His struggling innings earned him only 12 runs off 39 deliveries.
For Pakistan, the bowlers have done a reasonable job as they have hardly missed their line and length with the new ball. They have not grabbed many wickets yet, but have made life difficult for the Kiwi batsmen to score their runs briskly.
Shoaib Akhtar has returned to the playing eleven and impressed with his pace and bounce on a slow track.
Wahab Riaz has been the pick of the bowlers for the tourists with his brilliant figures of 1 for 19 from 5 overs.
Pakistan amassed 268 runs in their allotted quota of 50 overs. Ahmed Shehzad’s maiden century guided http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 to a challenging total.
However, the ongoing partnership between Taylor and Guptill is crucial for the home side, as a defeat in this match will lead to yet another series loss for the Black Caps. On the other hand, Pakistan is chasing their first ODI series win in two years.
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