NZ look to unsettle Pakistan with pace

WELLINGTON: A pace injection, some World Cup selection desperation and a rating of “poor” from the New Zealand coach should ensure a spicy welcome for Pakistan’s batsmen in the first One-day International here on Saturday (today).
Normal transmission should resume for the Black Caps at Westpac Stadium, scene of their dead rubber doldrums against Sri Lanka, in the first of two ODIs against Pakistan.
A loss is a loss but it was hard to read too much into Thursday’s flat showing against a fired-up Sri Lanka who desperately needed a victory to right a teetering cup buildup.
New Zealand, meanwhile, rested their skipper, were without two of their best bowlers and had won three on the bounce.
Pakistan are familiar foes too, as Kane Williamson dryly noted “we’re looking forward to seeing them again”, after a marathon pre-Christmas series.
But a change will be sufficient to spark New Zealand, who almost know the Sri Lankans better than their own mothers by now.
Brendon McCullum will be back at the helm and will likely throw the ball to Adam Milne, and probably Trent Boult, two of their in-form pacemen.
Milne will be fizzing after three games off when a muscle in his side tightened in Nelson and alarm bells went off.
Caution was the buzzword and it was said the Black Caps’ fastest gun could have easily played on Thursday if required.
“He’s going well. He’s bowled three times the last five days, so we’re pretty pleased with where he’s at,” coach Mike Hesson said.
Whoever is thrown the new ball at each end will need to be better, against a very good Pakistan top order who historically take time to adjust to New Zealand conditions.
“At the top we bowled too many poor deliveries. We have higher standards than that with the ball and that’s something we’ve got to be better at,” Hesson said.
Pakistan’s pace attack will be familiar and relies heavily on left-armers, notably the seven-foot tall Mohammad Irfan who captain Misbah-ul-Haq expects to play a pivotal role in the cup.
Another big score from key men McCullum and Ross Taylor would not go astray either, just to ease any worries over the top order who had to be bailed out on Thursday by the efforts of Luke Ronchi and Daniel Vettori who looked in as good a touch as ever.
New Zealand’s top of the batting order carries more significance and concern. Opener Martin Guptill received a lengthy and spirited defence from Hesson as his lack of confidence and form continues to show.
A searching examination from a quality attack of fast bowlers is the main thing missing for New Zealand in the buildup.