KARACHI: Pakistan will be desperately looking to keep intact their strong record against New Zealand at home when they will take on the visitors in the third and final ODI of the three-match series here at the National Stadium on Friday (today).
The series is levelled 1-1 and the team which will win the Friday’s game will clinch the series.
This would be the fourth straight series win if Pakistan are able to beat New Zealand in the decider. Last year Pakistan won home series against Australia 2-1 and West Indies 3-0 before beating the Netherlands 3-0 at the latter’s backyard.
Barring the 1976-1977 one-off match series loss at home the Green-shirts have never lost an ODI series on Pakistan’s soil against the Blackcaps.
New Zealand on Wednesday handed Pakistan a nasty blow when they demolished them by 79 runs to level the series. This was Pakistan’s first loss in their last ten matches.
Devon Conway (101) and skipper Kane Williamson (85) shared 181-run stand for the second wicket which helped the visitors reach 261 despite a huge collapse after half-way stage of their innings when they lost their final eight wickets inside 65 runs due to amazing bowling from Pakistani spinner Mohammad Nawaz (4-38).
Mitchell Santner (37) fought a lone battle in the end after making a useful contribution with the bat before being run out in the final over.
The target, although, seemed a bit accessible for Pakistan but they never looked in control right from the start and were folded well short of the target. Skipper Babar Azam (79) and Mohammad Rizwan (28) added 55 for the third wicket stand but after it was broken the things seemed to be eluded of Pakistan’s grip in the wake of the mounting asking run-rate on a pitch which offered huge assistance to the spinners especially under floodlights.
Pakistan will need to execute the plans and will also require to put in hundred percent in the field. In the second game Pakistan dropped a few chances which helped both centurion Conway and Kane Williamson to build that partnership.
New Zealand were seen a much better team, applied tactics well and are also expected to pose a major threat to the hosts again in the decider on Friday.
Toss may again play some part on Friday as well. In the previous two outings bounce and turn was seen especially under floodlights. There was a little bit of dew factor in the first game but in the second this factor was not seen because of the heavy wind and that benefited New Zealand’s bowlers well while bowling second.
Pakistan’s opening pair will need to give a solid start which is extremely necessary in these conditions.
New Zealand’s all-rounder Mitchell Santner has said that they are not sure how the surface for the third ODI will behave.
“It was nice to win this game but we know that there would be another wicket, which could be similar, could be different and we are not sure. Pakistan are quality side and its nice to go into the last game, a decider,” Santner said after the second ODI.
Pakistani all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz has said that they would try to ‘win the series’. Keeping in view the strength of both teams it is expected that it would be a tough game.
Both teams opted to rest on Thursday.
