Second ODI Preview: Pakistan vs. New Zealand

Second ODI Preview: Pakistan vs. New Zealand

Pakistan and New Zealand are ready to battle it out in the second ODI of the three-match series in Abu Dhabi on Friday. The home side will be desperate to turn things around after a disappointing outing in the first match where they suffered a 47-run defeat. It was the Men in Green's 12th consecutive defeat against the Black Caps in the 50-over format.

The management will be hoping the team will put up a much better show in the batting department and will be relying on the likes of Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik to do bulk of the scoring, whereas in the bowling department, the onus will be on Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim and Shaheen Shah Afridi to provide breakthroughs at important junctures.

On the other hand, the visitors will be eager to continue their good run after an impressive performance on Wednesday. In the batting department, the team will be relying on captain Kane Williamson and veteran middle-order batsman Ross Taylor to score bulk of the runs, whereas in the bowling department, pacers Trent Boult and Tim Southee will be responsible to provide early breakthroughs.

Dubai is a venue where scoring big is generally a difficult thing as the pitch is two-pace and the boundaries are big. So far, there've been 29 matches played in the 50-over format at the venue, with only two scores of 300 or more were posted. The team's highest score of 355-5 was registered by England in the match against

Pakistan and New Zealand are ready to battle it out in the second ODI of the three-match series in Abu Dhabi on Friday. The home side will be desperate to turn things around after a disappointing outing in the first match where they suffered a 47-run defeat. It was the Men in Green's 12th consecutive defeat against the Black Caps in the 50-over format.

The management will be hoping the team will put up a much better show in the batting department and will be relying on the likes of Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik to do bulk of the scoring, whereas in the bowling department, the onus will be on Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim and Shaheen Shah Afridi to provide breakthroughs at important junctures.

On the other hand, the visitors will be eager to continue their good run after an impressive performance on Wednesday. In the batting department, the team will be relying on captain Kane Williamson and veteran middle-order batsman Ross Taylor to score bulk of the runs, whereas in the bowling department, pacers Trent Boult and Tim Southee will be responsible to provide early breakthroughs.

Dubai is a venue where scoring big is generally a difficult thing as the pitch is two-pace and the boundaries are big. So far, there've been 29 matches played in the 50-over format at the venue, with only two scores of 300 or more were posted. The team's highest score of 355-5 was registered by England in the match against Pakistan in November 2015. Highest individual score of 144 was registered by Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim, whereas best bowling figures of 6-38 was registered by Pakistan's Shahid Afridi.

Key Players:


Imam ul Haq – 8.5 Cr

First in the list of key players features Pakistan opening batsman Imam Ul Haq. The left-hander has shown great temperament ever since making his debut in the 50-over format. Valued at 8.5 Cr, Ul Haq might prove to be a good purchase considering his recent record in ODIs in the UAE, where he has two scores of 80 or more for the team in last four innings. The 22-year-old looked in decent form in the first ODI as well but gave his wicket away at the wrong time.

Imad Wasim – 8.5 Cr
Second in the list of key players features Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim. The 29-year-old has performed brilliantly ever since returning to the side in the limited-over formats. Valued at 8.5 Cr, Wasim can be an excellent acquisition as he in the kind of player who can give you wickets and can also score handy runs lower down the order. In the series opener, Wasim scored 50 runs with the bat and claimed figures of one for 38 with the ball.

Ross Taylor – 10 Cr

Last in the list features New Zealand veteran middle-order batsman Ross Taylor. The 34-year-old has played a match-turning innings in the first ODI where he finished the day with the top score of 80 off 112 balls which included five fours. Valued at 10 Cr, Taylor is the player to have in your team as he has outstanding record while playing against Pakistan, where he averages 61.37 in 24 match and accumulated 982 runs with the help of three centuries and six half-centuries.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Azeem Siddiqui
Passionate sports follower in the field of sports journalism for more than five years. Loves writing about cricket, football, and tennis.
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