*Official* - Pakistan in New Zealand 2010/2011

[Blaze 18]

By the way, does anyone remember Imran Farhat's century the last time around ? There were articles/blogs on cricinfo calling it one of the luckiest centuries of all-time. He certainly had a lot of luck in that innings - a complete contrast to the magnificent century Umar Akmal scored on debut.

 

[Jarquis]

2 Tests and 7 ODIs? really?

 

[Blaze 18]

2 Tests and 7 ODIs? really?

Three tests and seven ODI's.

 

[Blaze 18]

No Bond this time.

Shane Bond did not play the whole series though, did he ? If I recall correctly, he only played the first test.

 

[Flem274*]

Let us hope that this series is as exciting as the last one these two sides played. That series was a cracker : Pakistan goofed up a not-too-difficult chase in the first test, Mohammad Asif owned New Zealand in the second, and rain denied New Zealand a series win in the third.

How different are the two teams ? Well, Pakistan have Younis Khan back; that is certainly a plus point. But on the flip side, they do not have Mohammad Yousuf, Mohammad Aamir and Mohammad Asif. I presume New Zealand have not announced their squad yet, but they will have Jesse Ryder back in the side. The rest of the side is unlikely to be too different from the one that played Pakistan last year.

Right, prediction time.

T20 : 2-0 Pakistan
ODI : 4-3 Pakistan
Test : 1-0 New Zealand

Not to be pedantic, but Pakistan didn't goof up that chase. Bond and O'Brien were simply too good that day. O'Brien was bowling almost as fast as Bond in his final series. Was crazy.

Anyway, the likely side for the first test is:

McCullum
McIntosh
Guptill
Taylor
Ryder
Williamson
Vettori
Hopkins/Young/van Wyk
Southee
McKay
Martin

Overall, much improved side over:

McIntosh
Guptill/Watling
Flynn/Gupitll/Fulton
Taylor
Flynn/Guptill/Fulton
Vettori
McCullum
Tuffey/Bond
Southee/Patel
O'Brien
Martin

 

[Blaze 18]

Not to be pedantic, but Pakistan didn't goof up that chase. Bond and O'Brien were simply too good that day. O'Brien was bowling almost as fast as Bond in his final series. Was crazy.

Shane Bond and O'Brien were absolutely brilliant - no question whatsover. But really, it was Pakistan who imploded in characteristic fashion to give the Kiwis an opening. They really should not have lost the game from 200/5 chasing 250 odd, especially with Umar Akmal well set.

Anyway, the likely side for the first test is:

McCullum
McIntosh
Guptill
Taylor
Ryder
Williamson
Vettori
Hopkins/Young/van Wyk
Southee
McKay
Martin

Overall, much improved side over:

McIntosh
Guptill/Watling
Flynn/Gupitll/Fulton
Taylor
Flynn/Guptill/Fulton
Vettori
McCullum
Tuffey/Bond
Southee/Patel
O'Brien
Martin

Agreed.

 

[NZTailender]

Much improved? The bowling was better on the previous side though the batting has improved somewhat. Overall I'd say they're going to return the same results.

Edit: Tipping Ryder for a double...
quarter-pounder + extra fries for breakfast

 

[Prince EWS]

Yeah, it's probably a little bit better, but "much improved" definitelty stretches it. Teams always look better at the time than they do when you look back on them, too - when Fulton was picked for that series he was expected to be much more than a walking wicket, for example. There are probably players in the current team who you'll look back on and shake your head at as well, who don't seem that bad now.

 

[NZTailender]

Am still a supporter of Two-metre-Peter. Would like to see him at 3 instead of Guptill.

 

[Faisal1985]

He averages 42 in Tests (better than every batsman they picked who has played more than one innings, barring Younis) despite playing two thirds of his career out of position, and 57 in First Class cricket (better than every batsman picked by a massive margin, and quite possibly better than every batsman available). Despite that, he gets left out of the Test team. And despite the fact that he is a fairly limited strokemaker whose strengths lie in his defensive technique, concentration and determination, he gets selected for T20s and ODIs.

It's the fact that he's actually part of the national setup that makes it so confusing for me. With Pakistan, you know there's a lot of politics behind the scenes and that players are inexplicably blacklisted based on non-cricketing factors quite regularly, but if that was the case he wouldn't be playing T20 cricket and ODIs - comfortably his worst two forms of the game.

Agree with your concerns about not picking up Fawad. But do you think they should give up Azhar Ali or Asad Shafiq for Fawad? I mean Misbah is a captain so can't be sacked. The only guy who may make the way would be Umar Akmal for Alam. Or they can have the wide teeth freak do the keeping and sack Adnan the little wide teeth freak for Alam...

Again all this accommodation for a 50 pounds kid from Karachi....hmmm...PCB is too cruel for that.

But yeah Yousuf's injury is now becoming more of an issue if he wants to play with Younis in the side or perhaps someone else...

 

[Faisal1985]

Series will be a cracker.

Oh yea...since the teams would be more or less on the same level it will be good competition. Didn't follow through much on the NZ quicks who is in demand now a days...?

Is Southee still around and playing?

The best part is...thank God we started playing some cricket recently...like the year before last was absolute drought for test cricket....

 

[Prince EWS]

Agree with your concerns about not picking up Fawad. But do you think they should give up Azhar Ali or Asad Shafiq for Fawad? I mean Misbah is a captain so can't be sacked. The only guy who may make the way would be Umar Akmal for Alam. Or they can have the wide teeth freak do the keeping and sack Adnan the little wide teeth freak for Alam...

Again all this accommodation for a 50 pounds kid from Karachi....hmmm...PCB is too cruel for that.

But yeah Yousuf's injury is now becoming more of an issue if he wants to play with Younis in the side or perhaps someone else...

Fawad's the third batsman I'd pick after Younis and Yousuf. I'd open with Azhar Ali - he's opened heaps domestically - and run with a middle order of Younis, Yousuf, Misbah and Fawad. Shafiq is first reserve or, alternatively, Fawad opens with Azhar.

Neither Yousuf or Fawad are in the squad though.

 

[Flem274*]

Oh yea...since the teams would be more or less on the same level it will be good competition. Didn't follow through much on the NZ quicks who is in demand now a days...?

Is Southee still around and playing?

The best part is...thank God we started playing some cricket recently...like the year before last was absolute drought for test cricket....

It's a roundabout atm. Martin and Vettori are the only lock ins. McKay is a late bloomer on the FC scene and has some great assets, but hasn't applied them consistently yet. Southee is still inconsistent, Tuffeh is possibly in terminal decline, Bennett is injured. Arnel seems to be the bridesmaid of the current crop.

There is a faint possibility of a bolter from the young guns having good seasons in domestic cricket, but it's probably too early to throw them in.

 

[Faisal1985]

It's a roundabout atm. Martin and Vettori are the only lock ins. McKay is a late bloomer on the FC scene and has some great assets, but hasn't applied them consistently yet. Southee is still inconsistent, Tuffeh is possibly in terminal decline, Bennett is injured. Arnel seems to be the bridesmaid of the current crop.

There is a faint possibility of a bolter from the young guns having good seasons in domestic cricket, but it's probably too early to throw them in.

Yeah i remember McKay a bit...the lad has a big built...I think Southee would be quite threatening in bowling conditions. To me he seemed like a future attack leader for NZ.

 

[Faisal1985]

Fawad's the third batsman I'd pick after Younis and Yousuf. I'd open with Azhar Ali - he's opened heaps domestically - and run with a middle order of Younis, Yousuf, Misbah and Fawad. Shafiq is first reserve or, alternatively, Fawad opens with Azhar.

Neither Yousuf or Fawad are in the squad though.

Yea...but Pak opening seemed decent after a long time tbh....don't think they will touch it....

 

[Athlai]

Finally a home series against Pakistan! It's about time!

 

[NZTailender]

Finally a home series against Pakistan! It's about time!

 

[Faisal1985]

Finally a home series against Pakistan! It's about time!

Which brings me to a technical point. Apparently we haven't lost a series in NZ for 25 years. I wonder if we would have lost the test series in 2009 (which we almost did)..would that have been counted as a series lost in NZ or in Pak? Would the 25 year streak be considered broken?

 

[Blaze 18]

It would because the series was played in New Zealand, no ?

 

[Prince EWS]

Which brings me to a technical point. Apparently we haven't lost a series in NZ for 25 years. I wonder if we would have lost the test series in 2009 (which we almost did)..would that have been counted as a series lost in NZ or in Pak? Would the 25 year streak be considered broken?

It'd depend how you phrased it.

"We haven't lost a series in NZ for 25 years" would be false.
However, "We haven't lost an away series to NZ in 25 years" would true.