The fourth ODI between New Zealand and Pakistan takes place on Tuesday with Hamilton being the centre of attention for the first match under lights in the series. New Zealand secured the series with two matches to spare when they won in Dunedin and they will be looking to continue their unbeaten run.
There is a T20 series to follow these last two ODIs so Pakistan have something to play for even if it is only to build confidence for those matches. Just being competitive will be a start however.
New Zealand
Given the more high profile series going on around the world the form of New Zealand has almost flown under the radar but they have now won their last 10 matches in all formats which is something they should be proud of. One reason for that is the quality of their team but also the depth that is in their squad.
The other reason why they have been so successful is because everyone in their team knows their role. They have a settled side now and when someone fails another will step up for them and it is quite impressive to watch. Throw in the three world class players they have for whom conditions really suit and you have a tough side to beat.
Pakistan
It is fair to say things have not gone to plan for Pakistan in this series. They will have arrived in New Zealand with their confidence high after a decent winning run of their own in ODIs stretching back to their Champions Trophy success but if we are telling it how it is they have simply been blown away and beaten quite meekly.
Pakistan have had many problems in the first three matches. Their success is largely down to their bowling attack but even when they have been on top with the ball someone has come out and taken the game away from them. The biggest problem is their top six look like fish out of water and you can’t win matches with key players batting like they are.
Team News
New Zealand might decide to give some players the day off now that they have the series wrapped up. Colin de Grandhomme is back with the squad after a family bereavement and it would make sense for him to return.
Pakistan have to change something with their batting. Whether that involves Haris Sohail coming in or just a change in the order remains to be seen but they can’t possibly go on as they have been doing.
Seddon Park
There have been 31 previous ODIs on this ground with New Zealand featuring in 26 of those and you would have to say their record here is good. They have 17 wins and just seven defeats with a couple of no results. Pakistan have a win and a couple of losses on this ground.
Surprisingly you have to go back to the World Cup for the last time 300 was scored in an innings here. This is a small ground so the boundaries are accessible but the extra pace and bounce seem to trouble the batsmen more than usual.
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Betting
If this was not a dead rubber then based on what we’ve seen I would be happy to be on New Zealand to win this and cover a handicap given how dominant they have been in the series but it is a dead rubber so their intensity might ease up a little and they might make some changes which puts me off a bit.
There is one bet that I like though and it is exactly the same bet that I took successfully in the previous match. That was the performance of Hasan Ali. He took three wickets in Dunedin which was more than enough to cover his line and surprisingly despite covering it so easily his line has dropped to 36.5pts here. He can cover that with the ball but he showed in the second game that he can cover it with the bat too. A combination of the two should see him over the line as well so I’ll play the over once again.
Tips
Back H.Ali’s Performance – Over 36.5pts for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
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