Sharjah left New Zealand like someone waking from unconsciousness. Bleary-eyed and shaking their head, hoping to get their bearings straight.
It was as if every potential weakness the visitors had conspired together to make an appearance on the same night. First through the gate was the inexperience in their bowling, which persisted with short-pitched deliveries that sat up on a slow pitch. Their limited spin resources also placed a higher burden on the seamers to strike a good balance between attack and defence. Their batting continued to be heavily reliant on Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor. With the series on the line on Wednesday, New Zealand will need to pick themselves up fast again – an ability that has defined them on this tour to the UAE.
Subcontinent pitches do not sympathise with the bowler and Sharjah was particularly placid on Sunday. Pakistan’s opening stand provided the springboard, Ahmed Shehzad converted his start and Shahid Afridi played the finisher. It was the kind of performance that would heave coaches and captains heady with delight and simultaneously drive them into keeping their players level-headed. Being beaten for 364 runs in 50 overs can take some time to get over. Or it can be turned into a positive. Everything that could go wrong went wrong in Sharjah for New Zealand, the only way forward might just be up.
Form guide
(most recent first, completed matches only)
Pakistan WLWLL
New Zealand LWLLL
In the spotlight
The support New Zealand’s strike bowlers have received from James Neesham and Corey Anderson has almost been detrimental. Both men have economy rates over 6.5 and bowling averages above 60. New Zealand prefer to utilise both allrounders in the XI, but they have struggled to repay that faith with bat and ball.
A career strike-rate of 75 and an average below 20 in the last two years does not make for flattering viewing for any cricketer, let alone one of the calibre of Younis Khan. Pakistan would benefit from his experience, if he can display the assurance that he had during the Tests. From the evidence of the last three matches though, that has not been the case.
Team news
Mohammad Hafeez has left for Chennai to remedy his bowling action so Pakistan might either push Sarfraz Ahmed to open and rope in Anwar Ali, or try out Nasir Jamshed at the top. There could also be the temptation to see how Yasir Shah performs, if dew and the Abu Dhabi pitch permit.
Pakistan 1 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Shahid Afridi (capt) 8 Anwar Ali, 9 Sohail Tanvir, 10 Wahab Riaz, 11 Mohammad Irfan
New Zealand’s think-tank has been noticeably careful with fast bowler Adam Milne and veteran spinner Daniel Vettori. Those two have been identified as key for their World Cup plans and not overloading them continues to be a priority. But with the series on the line one or both of them might return to the XI.
New Zealand 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Anton Devcich, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Tom Latham, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 James Neesham, 9 Nathan McCullum/ Daniel Vettori, 10 Matt Henry/ Adam Milne, 11 Mitchell McClenaghan
Pitch and conditions
Abu Dhabi is usually slow and dry and assists spin. But the teams might be wary of loading their sides with spin in light of the dew factor.
Stats & trivia
The average opening partnership for New Zealand over the last two years has been 20.59, the worst for a top-eight team
Ahmed Shehzad has 1384 runs in the last two years. The other two Pakistan batsmen with over 1000 runs in the same period – Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez – are not playing
Quotes
“We didn’t use the short ball as well as we did. The wicket changed a bit and we tried to bowl a similar length which was not as short as the other day. We needed to adjust earlier as a bowling unit.”
Kane Williamson, the New Zealand captain
“We are trying to develop players who can bowl as well as bat so we will also work on Shehzad and try to get the best out of him as a bowler, we are trying to get Hafeez cleared before the World Cup, so we have all our resources in the mega event”
Waqar Younis, the Pakistan coach
