New Zealand and Pakistan will go head-to-head against each other in the first one-day international (ODI) of the six-match series on Saturday, 22 January.
The tour started with three Twenty20 matches and the result was positive for the home team. The Kiwis won the series 2-1 and ended 2010 with high hopes for the new year. However, things changed for the Kiwi team as Pakistan bounced back in the Test matches winning the two-match series 1-0. Both teams will now be looking forward to the ODI series, as it will be their final assignment ahead of the 2011 World Cup, which is scheduled to start from 19 February.
Shahid Afridi has returned to lead the team in the ODI series. Afridi returned to Pakistan after the disappointing Twenty20 series, and has been under a lot of pressure due to his performances as a player and the Pakistan captain.
The flamboyant Pakistani all-rounder was expected to lead his team in the World Cup, but Misbah-ul-Haq has impressed the selectors with his performances as the captain of the side, and the board hasn’t announced the captain for the mega event yet. However, Afridi was not worried about the captaincy, and has kept his focus on the ODI series against the Kiwis. Pakistan has a very well balanced ODI team and the players have the potential to upset any team in the world.
Apart from Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar, Abdul Razzaq and Kamran Akmal will be a part of the team in the first match. The visitors have a very strong bowling line-up with Shoaib, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal and Afridi. There are also plenty of options for the team in the batting department. Mohammad Hafeez has done well in limited-overs cricket and Kamran will also be a key player for the team. The middle-order is also looking solid with the experience of Younis Khan and Misbah.
On the other hand, the Kiwi captain Daniel Vettori will also be under a lot of pressure like Afridi. Vettori has already stepped-down as the Test captain, and intends to step-down in the limited-overs format after the World Cup. The Kiwi team will heavily rely on its all-rounders to perform against Pakistan. They have some quality all-round cricketers in their team like Jacob Oram, Scott Styris, James Franklin and Vettori.
The team will also be hoping that key batsmen like Ross Taylor, Jesse Ryder, Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill perform well against Pakistan. New Zealand is not as strong as Pakistan in the bowling department. They don’t have a very good attack, and that is why they suffered some humiliating defeats in the subcontinent last year, when they lost every single ODI they played against India and Bangladesh.
The black-caps are also fast approaching their worst ever losing streak in ODI cricket. The team has lost 11 matches on the trot and hasn’t won a single match since August last year. Pakistan has the winning momentum with them and the team will be looking forward to take advantage of the pressure on New Zealand.
