Pakistan Cricket Board announces cricket squad for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 ODI series - Part 2
To read part 1 of this article, please click
http://www.senore.com/Pakistan-Cricket-Board-announces-cricket-squad-for-New-Zealand-ODI-series-Part-1-a52505.
The 16-man squad looks good on paper and should be able to beat New Zealand at home, who have not won their last 7 ODI games. The Kiwis lost 4 nil against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 late last year, but that should not be much of an indicator as
the Black Caps are a whole different outfit when playing at home. Therefore, even though on paper Pakistan should be able to win the series, the unpredictability of the men in green remains their weakest and strongest point at the same time.
Looking at the names, Mohammad Hafeez remains one man who has maintained his place in the national team in all formats of the game. And considering how much the batting line-up shuffles for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755, it is a testimony to his ability
that he has always been played at the top since his return to the team. The right-hander certainly has all the shots in the book, and compared to a number of other openers in world cricket he does have proper technique and good footwork. His temperament, however,
gets the better of him at times. He normally starts off with showing middle of the bat but often skies one high when runs start to dry up. His orthodox off-spin is also useful in the middle of the innings.
The experiment of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 opening the batting in Twenty20s did not go too well in the 3 games at the start of the tour. However, Afridi may be tempted to try that in probably the first 2 games of the 6-match series. If not
him then Kamran Akmal would have to be the man to partner Hafeez up front. The wicketkeeper-batsman certainly possesses the power to hit big shots at top of the order, but like any other subcontinent-based batsman is not very effective when the ball is bouncing
around; his typical punches down the covers become difficult to execute. At the same time, though, he does hook and pull well. So if he can get going he can be useful at the top or even at the death if used down the order. Kamran Akmal as a wicketkeeper...
well, the jury is still out on that one and he remains to be not the safest man behind the stumps but combined with his batting exploits he just makes the cut as a utility player or an all-rounder.
Younis Khan is also in the team and is likely to be the man batting at number 3. The right-hander is one of the most experienced players in the 16-man squad. He is also a former captain and led the team to the 2009 World Cup T20
win in England. Younis can have a calming effect in the middle innings, given that he has his head in the right place. He is not one of the most gifted players but is always prepared to work hard and is the ideal man to come in at number 3 and build the innings
in the middle overs.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Misbah-ul-Haq-c1972, the Test captain for Pakistan, has also made his way back, and given his form in the longer format, Pakistan will be expecting some runs from the right-hander. However, his ODI prowess remains to be an enigma for
many. Misbah has shown that he is a proper orthodox batsman and can also use the long handle when he needs to with good effect. But there seem to be just two extremes to his game; he really needs to find middle ground if he is to establish himself in the ODI
team.
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