New Zealand tour will help Pakistan build up a combination: Alam
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 tour will help put the struggling Pakistan squad in an ideal position to mount a serious challenge at next year's World Cup.
The Pakistan team left for the 40-day long New Zealand tour last night. The group that left for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Auckland-c766 on Friday night included 10 players and eight officials. Limited-overs captain Shahid Khan Afridi and four other senior players are
in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Hong-Kong-c2919 on its way to Auckland.
While talking to the reporters, the team manager agreed that the conditions in New Zealand are quite different as compared to those in the subcontinent, where the mega cricketing event would be staged. However he hoped that the one-day
leg of the series, at the end of the seven-week long tour would help the side to emerge as a well established unit and overcome its shortcomings.
"The six one-day internationals give us a chance to use a few combinations and get settled before the World Cup,” said Alam. "We have been playing well so I am sure that we will achieve better results on the New Zealand tour and then in
the World Cup," he added.
The World Cup event is being jointly hosted by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747, and will run from 19 February to 2 April next year. The tour of New Zealand will be the Pakistan cricket team’s last international outing ahead of the 2011 ICC
World Cup, and will see the Men in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Green-c60723 playing three Twenty20 Internationals, two Test matches and six ODIs against the Black Caps.
The Kiwis come fresh off a mauling at the hands of two subcontinent nations, India and Bangladesh, but Intikhab Alam who has also coached the Pakistan cricket team in the past, said that Vettori’s men might be low on morale due to current
spree of 11 loses but are tough to beat at home.
"It is true that New Zealand were blanked in Bangladesh and in India in the one-day series and would be low on confidence, but they will be playing on home ground and would be tough to beat," said Alam.
The first Twenty20 International between the two outfits will be played in Auckland on 26 December.
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