*Official* - Pakistan in New Zealand 2010/2011

[_Ed_]

Won the toss.

Ross Taylor: "When I first turned up, the pitch was the same colour as the outfield...never seen a wicket that colour a couple of hours before the start."

 

[Athlai]

Afridi says it's a subcontinent pitch though but complains about the wind.

 

[Athlai]

Isn't that far from what our world cup team should be tbh.
Guptill, Taylor, Styris, McCullum, Oram, Mills and Southee are surely seen as being sure starters. Vettori and Ryder aside I think you could rotate any of the other players into the team and call it full strength.

Edit:

At the facial expressions of the players when they came out to see the pitch looking as long and green as the outfield. Looked like they had to mow it a fair few times too.

 

[Bahnz]

**** me, and I thought the caketin was empty last week! There's almost no one there!

We had a bigger crowd on day 4 of the test at the Basin FFS.

 

[_Ed_]

But still someone manages to get in the batsman's line of sight and hold up play.

 

[Athlai]

**** me dead my internet temporarily dropped out as I was trying to put $10 on a wicket in Southee's first over.

 

[BeeGee]

How good is Southee's form at the moment? So great to see. Hopefully he can carry this form through the WC.

 

[Zinzan]

Nice pull strokes from Hafeez, quite like the look of him. Was surprised to see he's 30

 

[Athlai]

Mills seems a bit more spritely than usual.

 

[Athlai]

An inch in that. Onya Baz.

 

[_Ed_]

Love your work McCullum. Everyone would have taken his word for it if he'd claimed it. Good on him.

 

[Zinzan]

Mills seems a bit more spritely than usual.

It'd be the "Donald" factor I'd suggest.

 

[_Ed_]

Bennett bowling into the wind is bizarre.

 

[Zinzan]

Agree with the commentators, it's ridiculous bowling your fastest & most inexperienced bowler into a strong wind. Poor captaincy that.

 

[Bringbackbondy]

Why's Southee been taken off so early?

 

[Athlai]

Bennett bowled slower than Southee into the wind, don't think he fancies it at all.

 

[BeeGee]

Bennett bowling into the wind is bizarre.

I assume Mills, as the senior bowler, gets first choice.

 

[Athlai]

Mills is bowling pretty well but without swing he just doesn't look like he is going to get a wicket. Good spell though.

 

[_Ed_]

I assume Mills, as the senior bowler, gets first choice.

So save Bennett for the end of Mills' spell. Bowl Oram into the wind.

 

[Athlai]

Ah bugger it, reckon a younger bloke would have caught that.