NELSON: Australia has crushed England 4-0 in the Ashes – and their Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand are enjoying a successful winter, too.
Having trounced Windies in Tests, ODIs and T20s, the Black Caps kicked off their five-match ODI series against Pakistan with a rain-affected victory in Wellington over the weekend.
How will they fare in the second game, at Saxton Oval in Nelson?
Skipper Kane Williamson scored a century and seamer Tim Southee bagged three wickets at Basin Reserve as New Zealand ended Pakistan’s nine-match winning run in the 50-over format.
Fakhar Zaman lost for the first time in ODIs, having made his debut at the start of Pakistan’s stretch of victories, but did impress with an unbeaten 82 at the top of the order in Wellington.
Pakistan’s spinners could come into the game more in Nelson, too, with the pitch likely to play slower than the one at Basin Reserve.
New Zealand (probable): Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson (captain), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wicket-keeper), Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Todd Astle, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson and Trent Boult.
Pakistan (probable): Azhar Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (captain and wicket keeper), Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali and Rumman Raees.