By Shiamak Unwalla
Nov 8, 2014
New Zealand are set to take on Pakistan in the first Test at Abu Dhabi on Sunday. The Kiwis will be wary of the fact that their hosts are coming off a tremendous 2-0 series whitewash over Australia. New Zealand last played a Test series only in June 2014, when they won a hard-fought contest against West Indies 2-1.
For their part, Pakistan will be riding high on a wave of confidence at having thrashed the last team from Down Under that toured UAE. The emergence of Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar as a more-than-handy spin pair is great news in the wake of Saeed Ajmal’s suspension. Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, and Sarfraz Ahmed all scored heavily, which will again pose a few problems for New Zealand.
Since scoring his stupendous triple-century against India in Wellington, Brendon McCullum has not scored a Test fifty in six innings, a stat that would be worrying for the Black Caps. Kane Williamson’s form in the West Indies — he scored two tons, a fifty, and a couple of forties in six innings — was a major reason the visitors triumphed in that series. He is perhaps the best player of spin in the Kiwi squad, and will be key to their fortunes against Pakistan.
New Zealand will also be hoping their all-rounders Corey Anderson, James Neesham, and Doug Bracewell can come good. Neesham has had a good start to his Test career — albeit with the bat — and will be looking to add to his impressive record. The Kiwi pace attack is far more lethal than that of their Pakistani counterparts, with Tim Southee, Trent Boult, and Neil Wagner forming a potent trio. However, their lack of a top class spinner — Ish Sodhi and Mark Craig are far from that — will doubtless hurt their chances.
Pakistan certainly hold the upper hand given present form, familiarity with conditions, and overall team confidence. The way Younis is batting, he could well add to his 27 Test hundreds. But New Zealand have shown that this team is not one to be trifled with. It ought to be a riveting contest at Abu Dhabi.
Squads:
New Zealand: Brendon McCullum (c), BJ Watling (wk), Kane Williamson, Luke Ronchi (wk), Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, James Neesham, Hamish Rutherford, Ish Sodhi, Neil Wagner, Doug Bracewell, Mark Craig, Tom Latham.
Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (c), Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Ahmed Shehzad, Younis Khan, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Ehsan Adil, Haris Sohail, Taufeeq Umar, Imran Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Talha, Rahat Ali, Shan Masood.
Time: 11:30 IST | 6:00 GMT
Complete coverage of Pakistan vs New Zealand 2014
(Shiamak Unwalla, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek and Cricket fanatic. You can follow him on Twitter @ShiamakUnwalla)
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