England battered Pakistan and New Zealand 3-0 in their last Test series, which starts on Monday in Karachi.
Under head coach Brendon McCullum and skipper Ben Stokes, New Zealand were scupper by England in May by the aggressive “Baseball” style of cricket, which has revolutionized the game.
A great example of this never-say-die attitude also reflect in England battered defeating Pakistan by 3-0 this month, a first in the history of the series.
It has two years since the Pakistan Cricket Board has undergone a major overhaul, with Ramiz Raja being remove as chairman and Mohammad Wasim being fire from the position of chief selector.
In addition, Babar Azam’s performance is also being question after he lost an unprecedent four home tests in a row.
It was Azam’s pledge that his team would make sure the turnaround time was as short as possible.
Azam acknowledges that his team’s recent struggles have caused him to experience difficulty.
He explain that new players have to cope with more pressure, since they are push harder by the opposition when they are attack. There is a learning curve to getting use to that, and it takes some time.”
The two spearheads, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf, will not play the two games against New Zealand due to injuries, but Naseem Shah is available after missing the previous two matches.
It is Kamran Ghulam who replaces Azhar Ali, who is retiring after scoring runs in domestic matches.
New Zealand has won just two of nine matches since winning the inaugural World Test Championship final against India last year, though fast bowler Tim Southee will captain the team.
A spin-off England battered in the first match
Despite this, Gary Stead, the head coach of the team, believes that the first Test will be a spinning contest.
“ Despite this, we noticed that there had some reverse swings that occurred in the last game, so we have become extremely keen on working on these skills, England battered” he said.
It mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed who took 17 wickets in his first two Tests again England battered that help Pakistan win only two of 19 tests on grounds where they have win at least once in the last 19 years.
For the New Zealand team, the left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel – one of only three bowlers to have taken 10 wickets in a Test inning – is very much in the picture. Also, the leg-spinner Ish Sodhi and the spin all-rounder Michael Bracewell are also important players.
Karachi to host second test in Pakistan
Meanwhile, both the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and New Zealand Cricket have announced their decision to move the second Test of the series, originally scheduled for Multan, to Karachi as a result of inclement weather in Multan.
As PCB stated in a press release on Saturday, the decision has made due to worsening weather conditions in Multan, which have disrupted flight operations and may also result in playing time losses.
“In addition, the two boards have decide to advance the second Test and the three ODIs by one day, thus the second Test will start on January 2 and the three ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League matches will be held on January 9, 11, and 13.
A review of the itinerary can be find here:
- A first test will be held in Karachi from 26-30 December
- The 2nd Test will take place in Karachi from 2-6 January
- The first ODI will be play in Karachi on 9 January
- On 11 January, there will be a second ODI in Karachi.
- The third ODI is scheduled for 13 January in Karachi
Members of the team
Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, Zahid Mehmood, and Babar Azam (captain) are Pakistan’s other players.
The New Zealand team included Tim Southee (captain), Michael Bracewell, Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner, Neil Wagner, Kane Williamson, and Will Young.
The umpires were Alex Wharf (ENG) and Aleem Dar (PAK).
In the TV umpire’s chair: Ahsan Raza (PAK)
MOHAMMED JAVED MALKIN (PAK) was the match referee
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