New Zealand and Pakistan lock horns in second ODI at Queenstown
Buoyed by a crushing 9-wicket win in the first of the six-match ODI series, the New Zealanders are hoping to keep the momentum going as they take on Pakistan in the second match of the series at the picturesque Queenstown ground.
The match will be played at the Queenstown Events Centre.
In the first match, the hosts (Black Caps) were on top from the word go as they bowled first on a wicket that seamed and swung in the first half of the match. The conditions eased out in the second half as the home batsmen cantered
to a 9-wicket win, chasing down the paltry 125-run target inside 18 overs.
The wicket for the second game is expected to support the batsmen much more than the first game. The conditions are a lot drier than usual at the venue and New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori for one has indicated that he would
be batting first if he wins the toss.
The hosts have gone off to a great start to the series, which was rather unexpected after their recent woeful run in the limited overs format. Before the win at the Westpac ground in Wellington, the Black Caps had lost 11 matches
on the trot including 4 against lowly Bangladesh.
On the eve of the match, Vettori spoke to the media and claimed that the overhead conditions would make life easy for the batsmen and he is looking forward to a good performance from them.
"I don't think it (the toss) is as important as normal because the overhead (conditions) have been so good and it's a lot drier. I wouldn't be surprised if a team batted first on it," said Vettori.
On the other hand, the Pakistani team has many points to prove as they bid to find the right combination before the World Cup tournament set to start next month. On top of their agenda for the second match is a better batting performance
after the woeful capitulation in the first match.
A bigger test awaits captain Shahid Afridi, who does not know yet if he would be captaining the team in the World Cup or playing the event as an ordinary player.
The Pakistan Cricket Board is yet to name a leader for the event and Afridi is contesting with Misbah-ul-Haq for the slot of national skipper.
In Queenstown, Afridi stated that he was expecting a lot from the Akmal brothers, who have not delivered much in recent matches. Kamran was only brought back in the team after a sequence of strong performances in the domestic tournaments
in Pakistan and, more importantly, after getting clearance from the match and spot-fixing allegations that have dogged Pakistan cricket since last August.
"We are expecting better performances from Kamran Akmal, he came back after a long time, and Umar Akmal as well," Afridi stated to the media.
The two teams are set to make at least one change each for the second match: Jamie How will be playing for the hosts while Umar Gul will be making an appearance in a bid to bolster the pace attack.
New Zealand (probable): 1 Jesse Ryder, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Ross Taylor, 4 Jamie How, 5 Scott Styris, 6 Brendon McCullum (wk), 7 James Franklin, 8 Jacob Oram, 9 Daniel Vettori (capt), 10 Tim Southee,
11 Hamish Bennett
Pakistan (probable): 1 Kamran Akmal (wk), 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Shahid Afridi (capt), 8 Abdul Razzaq, 9 Abdur Rehman, 10 Umar Gul, 11
Shoaib Akhtar
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