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Cricket: Black Caps eye Twenty20 challenge

Tim Southee wants his side to carry their winning momentum from the ODI series into the Twenty20s against Pakistan.

Thursday, 12 Nov 2009

			Pakistan Vs New Zealand
Venue :1st Twenty20 International, Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium Live action starts from: 16:00 GMT (21:30 IST) T20 Pakistan and New Zealand in UAE 2009-10 Twenty20 International Match

In-form bowler Tim Southee believes New Zealand can carry the momentum of a one-day international series win over Pakistan into the Twenty20 series starting in Dubai on Friday morning (NZT).

Captain Daniel Vettori's men came back from losing the first match of the one-day series in Abu Dhabi by 138 runs to record back-to-back successes - by 64 runs and seven runs.

And even though Pakistan have beaten New Zealand in successive World Twenty20 events in 2007 and 2009, Southee believed the one-day result will provide a confidence boost for the Black Caps.

"Pakistan have proved they're a great Twenty20 outfit - they're the world champions - and they've got the wood over us in the last few outings," he said.

"But hopefully we can carry some momentum from the ODIs into the Twenty20 series and continue the form we've shown in the last couple of matches."

That series win almost didn't happen, of course, thanks to the remarkable 10th-wicket stand of 103 between Mohammad Aamer (73 not out) and Saeed Ajmal (33) yesterday.

Southee admitted that while logic said Pakistan should never win the match, there were doubts creeping in before Ajmal was dismissed in the final over.

"With them being nine down it was a question of saying it would only take one ball so we were pretty confident it would happen at some stage," said the 20 year-old who impressed with two for 26 in his 10 over-spell.

"Then again, when it got to within 20 or 30 runs, everyone was a bit nervous and it gave us a bit of a scare.

"If they had been eight down then it might have been a different story but we were only ever one ball away from that last wicket."

Southee has spent the series occupying the same slot as Ajmal, propping up the bating line-up at number 11 despite scoring 77 not out from only 40 balls on test debut against England in Napier in March 2008.

And he is keen to move up the order and realise his potential with the bat as soon as he can.

"I'd love to get as far as I can with my batting," he said

"You look at someone like Daniel Vettori, his batting over the last few years has been outstanding and it just shows you it can be done as he started at 10 or 11 when he was a youngster.

"It's not going to happen overnight and hopefully slowly it progresses.

"It's something I'm willing to work on as I don't want to be batting at number 11 too much longer."

Watch Pakistan v New Zealand, 2nd ODI Live Streaming

Pakistan v New Zealand, 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi

Pakistan chase rare series win

November 5, 2009

Match facts

Friday, 06 Nov 2009

			Pakistan Vs New Zealand
Venue :2nd One Day International, Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi (D/N) Live action starts from: 11:00 GMT (16:30 IST) ODI Pakistan and New Zealand in UAE 2009-10 One Day International Match

Friday, November 6
Start time 15:00 (11:00 GMT)

Younis Khan's 0 was indicative of Pakistan's top order-blues

The ICC World Twenty20 apart, Pakistan have not been good at winning series or tournaments in recent years. They haven't won a Test series in three years and an ODI series for a year. Their win at the Sheikh Zayed stadium on Tuesday has, however, given them an ideal opportunity to change that statistic on Friday.

They are in good shape to do it as well; most of their bowlers looked sharp and took wickets, the fielding wasn't a mess either, the lower middle order was in the runs and Shahid Afridi is in irrepressible mood. The only real issue was Salman Butt's less than convincing return, though in fairness, Pakistan's lack of opening strength has been an issue for so long, it has become a non-issue. Younis Khan's duck will be a graver concern, as it represents a longer pattern of ODI indifference this year. If they win the series another low score might not hurt so much, but it will be gnawing away at him.

Though they were thumped, New Zealand have little reason to be disheartened. They know they were in the game for quite some time only really giving it away in the last 15 overs of their bowling. Kyle Mills and James Franklin are a handy pair to welcome back from injury; if Shane Bond's schizophrenic outing - his second spell was as poor as the first was magnificent - was just a one-off, then there exists a more than workable pace attack.

Of greater concern looked the batting; at times some of their batsmen looked genuinely out of their depth against Mohammad Aamer and Saeed Ajmal. In fairness that may also have been exacerbated by playing in unfamiliar conditions - Australia earlier this year also took time to adjust, but they eventually did so in the end. At least they have got the one obligatory Pakistan-induced collapse - the last six wickets fell for 30 - out of the way.

Form guide (most recent first)

New Zealand LLWWW
Pakistan WWLLW

Watch put for

The likely return of the world's top-ranked ODI bowler. If the surface is similar to the one on which the first game was played, Kyle Mills will enjoy it a fair bit. He is at his best when there is a little spice in the conditions, with the new ball, as he showed in his last ODI outing during the Champions Trophy final. Against a nervy top-order, it could be fun viewing.

If you can take your eyes off Afridi, there are a host of men: Kamran Akmal, his younger brother, Aamer, Ajmal, Gul. But the more discerning Pakistani will keep an eye on Khalid Latif. His maiden ODI fifty on Tuesday was slow, mostly unremarkable, but vital and it presented an interesting change of type: he is not, by nature, a sluggish player at all as one glance at his domestic feats will reveal. But he has long been talked about as a potential opener for Pakistan and so his progress, more than the others, will be keenly followed.

Teams

Mills and James Franklin are both in with a chance of playing and the former, if fit, is likely to walk straight back in. Jacob Oram didn't look too flash in the first ODI, with bat or ball, so Franklin's left-handed all-roundedness is a real option.

New Zealand (probable): Aaron Redmond, Brendon McCullum (wk), Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Daniel Vettori (capt), Jacob Oram/James Franklin, Neil McCullum, Shane Bond, Kyle Mills, Tim Southee

Why change an XI that can do what it did in the first ODI? People will crib about Butt, but now that he is back, persisting with him for one more game makes sense.

Pakistan (probable): Salman Butt, Khalid Latif, Younis Khan (capt), Mohammad Yousuf, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal (wk), Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamer, Saeed Ajmal

Pitch and conditions

The pitch for the first ODI was actually an ideal surface for the format. There was plenty of help for bowlers early on, movement for the faster ones and turn for spinners, but if they didn't get it right - as New Zealand's bowlers found in the second half of their innings - there were plenty of runs on offer. If the second match is played on a similar surface, there will be some more cracking cricket.

Stats and trivia

• In 11 ODIs in the UAE against Pakistan, New Zealand have yet to register a single win
• Afridi's Man-of-the-Match award in the first ODI was his third in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, in only 13 games Pakistan have played at the venues
• In his last 31 ODIs Daniel Vettori has conceded over six runs an over only twice and five runs just seven times

Quotes

"It is important that we keep the winning momentum, win the second after which we have a chance of a clean sweep."
Younis Khan is targetting an unassailable lead over New Zealand.

"Afridi has got to another level as a bowler and the partnership he is forming with Ajmal is real key to Pakistan's success. We played Ajmal in the Champions Trophy and know we can handle him."
Daniel Vettori is all praise for Pakistan's spin duo.

Watch New Zealand v Pakistan, Champions Trophy Semi-Final Live Streaming

New Zealand v Pakistan, Champions Trophy, semi-final, Jo'burg

Injury-hit NZ face volatile opponents

October 2, 2009

Younis Khan: "We need two more good days"

Match facts

Saturday, 03 Oct 2009

			New Zealand Vs Pakistan
Venue :2nd Semi Final Match, New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg (D/N) Live action starts from: 12:30 GMT (18:00 IST) ODI ICC Champions Trophy 2009 One Day International Match

Saturday, October 3, 2009
Start time 1430 (1230 GMT)

Sri Lanka will now be a distant memory for these two teams. Leading into this tournament, both Pakistan and New Zealand took turns in getting battered and bruised in the heat and humidity of Sri Lanka. They came to South Africa with doubts looming over their ability to stick it out with other teams in formats longer than Twenty20. Both duly won their Twenty20s in Sri Lanka, and lost both Tests and ODIs comprehensively.

The weather in South Africa has been different, and so have been the results. New Zealand extracted swift revenge, knocking Sri Lanka out. But with every passing match they seem to be losing one player to injury. During their must-win game against England, Grant Elliot joined Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder and Daryl Tuffey on the injured list, and Scott Styris has been flown in as a stand-by. Their travel agent won't mind flying another man in, if that means making it to the next stage.

Their opponents have no such problems. Unlike their famous triumphs, the 1992 World Cup and the World Twenty20 earlier this year, Pakistan have looked solid from the off in South Africa. They have looked more like the Pakistan of the 1999 World Cup. Their bowling attack has appeared the most settled, the most varied, and the most skilful of the lot in this tournament. Their batting is the weak link - it has fluctuated from very good, against India, to circumspect, against Australia and West Indies. If Pakistan lose the toss and are put in at the Wanderers, that passage of play will be New Zealand's best chance of making this a close contest.

On paper Pakistan are favourites, and over the years they have used New Zealand as a stepping-stone in big tournaments. In 1992, New Zealand's first defeat in the World Cup opened doors for Pakistan's progress to the semi-final, where they were beaten by the same opposition. The semi-finals of the 1999 World Cup and 2007 World Twenty20 were a repeat. In the World Twenty20 in 2009, it was against New Zealand that Pakistan discovered momentum, and never lost it. New Zealand supporters, though, would want to look back at the semi-final of the Champions Trophy in 2000, when they beat Pakistan, and went on to win the final too.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)

Pakistan - LWWWW
New Zealand - WWLLL

Team news

Imran Nazir is fit and should take Misbah-ul-Haq's place. The difficult problem is one that other teams would kill for: does Mohammad Asif go out for Mohammad Aamer? Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Umar Gul will be difficult to keep out too. If the Wanderers pitch looks especially green, they could go in with four fast bowlers too. What a throwback it would be but that's unlikely to happen if the pitch is dry.

Pakistan: (probable): 1 Imran Nazir, 2 Kamran Akmal, 3 Younis Khan (capt), 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Mohammad Yousuf, 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, 9 Mohammad Aamer, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Umar Gul.

New Zealand don't have such problems of plenty. The batting looks amazingly thin in Ryder's absence. Aaron Redmond, who was too jetlagged to play the previous game, should come in. "Grant took part in training this morning and the injection to see how it's going - the injection works when he bats but not when he bowls," Daniel Vettori said. "We'll leave it till the last possible minute before making a decision."

New Zealand (probable): 1 Brendon McCullum (wk), 2 Aaron Redmond, 3 Martin Guptill, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Neil Broom, 6 Grant Elliot/Scott Styris, 7 James Franklin, 8 Daniel Vettori (capt), 9 Kyle Mills, 10 Shane Bond, 11 Ian Butler.

Watch out for...

Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor are two of the most experienced batsmen in the New Zealand line-up. How well they strike a balance between attacking and anchoring will be key to their team's chances.

Younis Khan has stalled his team's momentum twice in the two matches he has batted. He is the kind of captain who wants to earn respect as a player first, and will be under pressure to set that record straight on a pitch that is likely to test the techniques of Pakistan's batsmen.

Pitch and conditions

Vettori expects a pitch similar to the one New Zealand scored 300-plus on against Sri Lanka. "Looks like the Sri Lanka wicket, lots of runs in it. If so we're going to have to step up with the bat." There's only a 40% chance of rain but if the match is washed out, New Zealand will go through by the virtue of having topped Group B.

Stats and trivia

• Both teams have made it to at least the semi-finals of three of the last four world events. New Zealand lost in the semi-finals of the 2007 World Cup and the World Twenty20 in the same year. Pakistan lost the final of the 2007 World Twenty20, and won the next edition of the same tournament.

• Pakistan have met New Zealand nine times in ODIs in world events, and have won six.

• All four day-night matches at the Wanderers in this tournament have been won by the chasing team.

• Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi have bowled 51.2 overs between them in this tournament, for 203 runs and 10 wickets.

Quotes

"In the semi-final, it doesn't matter who you play against, or where you play, because it is a big game. Pressure is not only on us, but also on New Zealand. If we get through two more games we are the champions."
Younis Khan knows the importance of the occasion.

"Momentum is with us I think. It's a much preferable way to go into the semi-final, knowing we've won two big games, qualified top - where in the past we have scraped through - and go into the Pakistan game with confidence."
Daniel Vettori draws confidence from the same ground and conditions where his team has won two in a row.