New Zealand coach Mike Hesson wary of series against Pakistan

The New Zealand team looks to be in sublime form ahead of their first ODI against subcontinent rivals Pakistan. Having walloped the West Indies without breaking a sweat, New Zealand can expect a tougher challenge when they take on the Men in Green in Wellington on Saturday. New Zealand dominated the West Indies in every game of its tour, but coach Mike Hesson is wary of the Pakistan threat.

Pakistan is currently on a nine-match winning streak, which includes the ICC Champions Trophy. Pakistan also scored an impressive 341 for 9 against a New Zealand XI in their warm-up fixture and will aim to extend their unbeaten run. However, they will face an uphill task to adjust to the Kiwi conditions with overnight rain forecast and strong southerly winds during the day, which could pose problems for Pakistan’s top-order batsmen.

Pakistan’s recent record against New Zealand is not impressive

Speaking about the upcoming challenge, Black Caps coach Mike Hesson was quoted saying by Sportstar Live, “They’re as good a bowling attack as there is going around in world cricket at the moment. Certainly very varied. They’ve got wrist spinners, finger spinners, and left and right arm quicks.” He further said, “They’ve got some very good performers and from a batting point of view they’re experienced.”

New Zealand will be expected to unleash the short ball that proved a valuable tool against the West Indies. Pakistan’s bowling ranks, on the other hand, are limited with the loss of speedster Junaid Khan and spinner Imad Wasim. These absences can be expected to take a huge toll on Pakistan’s imperial bowling attack. But the squad boasts of having world’s top-ranked ODI bowler, Hasan Ali which will come as a confidence booster.

Pakistan captain, Sarfraz Ahmed said morale was high after beating India by 180 runs in the Champions Trophy final. Pakistan has since swept a five-match series against Sri Lanka which is proof of their undying hunger for victory. As a downside, Pakistan’s recent record against New Zealand is not that impressive. Over the past three years, they’ve been beaten 2-0 in two separate series and lost a home series to New Zealand in the United Arab Emirates 3-2.

Catch up on all news about the New Zealand vs Pakistan series on CrickTracker.