The short and sweet Test series between New Zealand and Pakistan draws to a conclusion on Thursday when the two sides meet up for the second and final match in Hamilton. New Zealand thoroughly dominated the opening match to ensure at least a share of the spoils in the series but Pakistan will be looking to square things up here.
New Zealand
The Kiwis largely rode the back of their bowling attack in the opening match. It was clear to see their bowlers enjoyed being back in home conditions which suited them and in truth it was made easier for them by Pakistan’s approach. They should expect things to be much tougher for them here but at the same time they probably have more in their locker themselves.
If there is a concern for the Kiwis heading into this match then it comes in the form of their batting which doesn’t look in the best of form as a collective unit but when you have the class of Kane Williamson in your ranks you can paper over those particular cracks.
Pakistan
It didn’t take long after the match for Pakistan to realise where they went wrong in the opening game. They were simply too tentative with the bat. I don’t necessarily blame them for that because the wicket looked very green and their warm up match was cancelled so it was their first hit out in these conditions. I would expect them to be much more positive here.
The positive for the tourists was their bowlers who showed that they can do some damage in these conditions and when you think they have Wahab Riaz in reserve that is an area of the game they can do lots of damage in so if their batsmen can adjust and play the way that is needed they can still come out of the series level.
Team News
New Zealand will be without Trent Boult for the first time in three years in this match as he has been ruled out by injury. Doug Bracewell has been called into the squad but it is Matt Henry who is likely to replace him in an otherwise unchanged side.
Pakistan are without a lynchpin too with Misbah ul Haq suspended for this match due to a poor over rate in Christchurch. Azhar Ali will skipper the side with either Sharjeel Khan or Mohammad Rizwan set to come in. The latter is favourite. Wahab Riaz is waiting on the sidelines but might have to stay there.
Seddon Park
There have been 21 previous Test matches held on this ground and both sides come here with winning records at the venue. New Zealand have nine wins to six defeats with six draws while Pakistan have won two and lost once with a draw mixed in. The last time Pakistan were here they won by 10 wickets.
If you’ve seen any of the pictures of the pitch that are flying around on twitter you will know it is green to the core. Some of the grass might go on the morning of the match but even so this is a track for the bowlers and recent low scoring matches here suggest that too. That said if you work hard to get in you can still score so this should be a good watch.
Betting
I’m already on Pakistan to win the match with my outright bet so I won’t back them again given that the toss will be massively important here – the last five captains have won the toss, bowled first and won the match – but there is no hiding away from the fact that the tourists are good value at 4/1.
I’m off to the performance markets for my only punt on the match though and the line for Mohammad Amir looks way too low for my money. 92.5 is well within his range I believe. He took four of the 12 New Zealand wickets to fall in the first Test and a similar result here would leave us needing 13pts through other methods.
I fancy he’ll go better with the ball in this match though and I would be surprised if he doesn’t cover this total purely with the ball alone. Five wickets for a new ball bowler on this track isn’t asking too much especially if Pakistan take 20 wickets. I like the overs there.
Tips
Back M.Amir’s Performance – Over 92.5pts for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
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