***Official*** Pakistan in New Zealand 2017/18

[Starfighter]

How does Pakistan do it?

 

[Daemon]

Typical Pakistan. Number 1 in Tests, nek minnit 2-0 to Sri Lanka. Win CT and now this.

U19 team just lost to Afghanistan as well.

 

[Black_Warrior]

The **** ODI team of 2015-2016 is now back. This should be a pasting: 5-0.

 

[oblongballs]

This is the first time in the series Pakistan were completely outplayed. I didn't see the second half but even as Pak were bowling, NZ looked comfortable milking runs at times with some weird field placements. That had 2 on the leg side for the right handers...with the bowlers bowling down leg line...what was that all about? I knew if the pitch stuck and slowed down, even a score of 230 might be too much. I did not expect a route of 74 haha

Very good from NZ but poor captaincy and selection from Pakistan. Maybe Sarfraz shouldn't be captain, because he has made poor calls and field placements throughout his tenure now. Plus, they MUST include a second spinner.

NZ are on the right path and can go with a slightly different team in the dead rubber matches, bring back DGH for example.

 

[smash84]

This team is reminding me of the halcyon days of the early 2010s.

Mickey Arthur, you better find some good batting talent that can actually play on anything other than absolute roads otherwise the 2019 world cup is looking like a pipe dream

 

[oblongballs]

This team is reminding me of the halcyon days of the early 2010s.

Mickey Arthur, you better find some good batting talent that can actually play on anything other than absolute roads otherwise the 2019 world cup is looking like a pipe dream

Bit unfair. Babar has proven himself to be a very good batman. Zaman can score quicly and did so in tougher conditions a couple matches back. NZ is just a tough place to win an ODI series. However, they do need a better middle order. Cant keep relying on the bowling to clean up and for B to get a big score.

 

[SteveNZ]

Winning in NZ ODI wise is hard, when absolutely none of your batsmen show any inclination to want to build an innings it's harder. #1 side they might be, with some talent and a good bowling line up, they look like the sort of side that only performs in one set of conditions.

At least as NZ fans we can rely on our side going to the sub-continent and at least attempting to adapt, and getting in the contest with good sides over there.

 

[smash84]

winning in nz odi wise is hard, when absolutely none of your batsmen show any inclination to want to build an innings it's harder. #1 side they might be, with some talent and a good bowling line up, they look like the sort of side that only performs in one set of conditions.

At least as nz fans we can rely on our side going to the sub-continent and at least attempting to adapt, and getting in the contest with good sides over there.

lolwut?

They barely qualified for the champions trophy.

 

[SteveNZ]

Sorry, worded that wrong - for a team that won the Champions Trophy just over 6 months ago. Didn't know their ranking was so low.

 

[smash84]

Sorry, worded that wrong - for a team that won the Champions Trophy just over 6 months ago. Didn't know their ranking was so low.

Their ranking was an accurate reflection of their terrible state. Seems like the champions trophy and a few months after that was flash in the pan. They're back to their real self.

 

[Niall]

The Pakistani players and management can't keep living off the champions trophy, they have been very poor in NZ.

Ideally I'd like them to seriously consider binning the likes of Malik and Hafeez. but knowing Pak they will just recall Kamran Akmal instead.

 

[weldone]

The Pakistani players and management can't keep living off the champions trophy, they have been very poor in NZ.

Ideally I'd like them to seriously consider binning the likes of Malik and Hafeez. but knowing Pak they will just recall Kamran Akmal instead.

Nah, Azhar maybe dropped but not Hafeez and definitely not Malik. In fact, Shoaib Malik is probably their best ODI batsman at the moment, sadly. He has been really good since his return, except in this series.

 

[Starfighter]

I think it says a lot about how Pakistan's batting has progressed that arguably their best ODI batsman is a guy who made his debut in 1999.

 

[smash84]

I think it says a lot about how Pakistan's batting has progressed that arguably their best ODI batsman is a guy who made his debut in 1999.

Ummm, no it doesn't.

 

[Flem274*]

hafeez in the middle order just feels so strange.

is haris sohail still injured and out of nick? i don't really have the time to follow odi cricket outside of nz these days so i'm at a loss as to why such a promising batsman hasn't been mentioned all thread.

 

[NZTailender]

As previously mentioned Pakistan always was a huge bogey side for us, so surprising to learn we haven't lost a bilateral series to them since 2011.

 

[oblongballs]

I think it would be harsh to drop Hafeez after he is the second highest scorer for Pakistan. Malik however, who has been their best smasher for about 18 months to 2 years, might have to be dropped. He looks a bit confused and his bowling is not up to scratch. The key for Pakistan winning in ODIs has long been two spinners (one or both that can bat) complimenting 3 pace bowlers. Don't they have a chinaman in there somewhere?

As for NZ, I'd like to see them bring DGH in for the 4th match. It's a dead rubber and they can afford to use it as a way to bring the guy back into the fold.

 

[smash84]

I think it might not be a true reflection of his abilities since this Pak side is piss weak and he did do very well against Pak even last time. But I do agree that for nz it's a good to try new players out, not necessarily CDG

 

[NZTailender]

Now would be perfect time to blood new players (Bruce, Chapman) and give fringe players a chance to perform (Henry, Bennett).

 

[Bahnz]

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/opini...zealand-side-is-good-enough-to-win-world-cups

Doesn't really bear commenting on, but I'm a little bored, so let's dive into this latest ****-fest Baz hack-job from Reason.

"I think the thing the team most likes about Kane is that he's so selfless - I understand you (the media) might not get quotes out of him talking about himself, but that's him. He doesn't do it for effect, he does it because that's what he cares about - he cares about the team, he cares about trying to win games for his country and that's his priority.

"If he's able to achieve milestones along the way, so be it - but it's certainly not something that drives him. What drives him is trying to win games for New Zealand. He reads the game particularly well, gets to know the players, what makes them tick, and certainly makes a real effort to try and get the best out of everybody."

Now, were there a couple of slight barbs in there aimed at Brendon McCullum's captaincy?I believe there were.

It really is astonishing that anyone could think this totally anodyne comment is anything other than typical 'yeah, nah' style professional sports word vomit.

McCullum was critical of Bailey, just as he had criticised Steve Smith in similar vein a couple of years ago. But as captain of the Brisbane Heat, McCullum should have said something like; "We don't believe AR deliberately obstructed the field, but we accept that it could look that way and support the umpire's decision."

I can't think of any captain who, when copping a rubbish call, would say "we support the umpire's decision". Typically they pointedly refuse to comment.

McCullum did some very good things for this New Zealand team, particularly in the cheerful energy he brought to the group and the entertaining of the fans, but under Williamson they have gone to another level. They are far more flexible in selection, far less of an old boys club.

I doubt if Tim Southee would ever have been dropped once McCullum had established himself as a captain. You wonder too if Jeet Raval would have come through as he has done and if some of the younger players like Lockie Ferguson would have felt so comfortable quite so soon.

This is just a staggering load of bollocks. Southee wasn't dropped during McCullum's tenure because during the majority of it he was one of the finest bowlers in the world. Jesse Ryder was jetissonned the second his lax attitude threatened the team's focus and preparation. Likewise, Neil Wagner was dropped from the test side (perhaps too hastily) as consequence for his poor form in domestic cricket in the second half of 2014. He had to fight his way back into the side with a mountain of domestic wickets over the next 12 months.

During McCullum's tenure a huge number of new and predominantly young cricketers were introduced to the international scene. Think Corey Anderson, James Neesham, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mitchell Santner, Tom Latham, the aforementioned Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Colin Munro, Adam Milne and Rob Nicholls. Most of them flourished (at least initially) under McCullum's leadership.

The other positive is that there is no longer division in this team. Under McCullum there can be no doubt that Ross Taylor felt that he had been done over. Rightly or wrongly it was a sore that festered and cannot have done the team much good.

It's hard to see much evidence of the captaincy swap debacle festering, at least publicly. Taylor's output was excellent (albeit a tad inconsistent) during McCullum's term and there were never any further public episodes after the conclusion of the 2012/13 season. Given how much the relationships between the players had deteriorated during the 2nd half of 2012, the relatively smooth sailing that followed should be seen - if anything - as a feather in McCullum's cap.

I also have one quibble about Williamson's captaincy. I have previously been very critical of McCullum for spouting on about the spirit of cricket and then endangering tail enders by encouraging Neil Wagner to bowl at their heads. Sadly the practice has continued under Williamson and it remains completely unacceptable.

So NZT was right, and Reason is at least being consistent in this regard. Doesn't stop his position from being totally wrong-headed though.

Once upon a time too many egos got in the way of development, solidarity and hard work. New Zealand was a team that almost had a class structure. Under Williamson everyone is treated more equally, a worker in a union that encourages success.

Assuming this is another crack at McCullum (and let's be honest all the evidence would suggest it is) again this is a staggering statement. McCullum's term resulted in dramatic development of New Zealand's cricketing sides. McCullum himself can't take too much credit for this - that mainly falls to a combination of good luck and the dedication of several unusual talents. But McCullum certainly did not "[get] in the way of development, solidarity and hard work." Reason compares Williamson to Richie McCaw, but it was McCullum who oversaw the institution of the Blackcaps' own version of the AB's "No dicks" policy with the axing of Ryder and the heavy punishment dished out to Doug Bracewell. And while the internal unity of the side was not helped by the dramatic circumstances that saw his elevation to the captaincy, it's been plain for some time now that the responsibility for that shambles lies primarily with Mike Hesson, David White and New Zealand Cricket more generally.

Really hope this is the last time that Mark Reason turns his poisonous shock-jock mind to McCullum, but given the later's continued presence on the T20 stage I doubt it. Still, I suppose it makes for fun hate-reading so long as it remains in small doses.