NZL v PAK, 5th ODI Preview: New Zealand aim a whitewash whilst the visitors seek a respectable finish

Despite all the success in the first four games, the Kiwis should be wary of a fact that they are up against the most unpredictable side cricket has ever seen.

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New Zealand | CricTracker.com
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Tim Southee of New Zealand celebrates with teammates. (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)

This performance from the hosts New Zealand has been nothing short of a hungry Lion attacking its prey in the most brutal ways possible. Pakistan has a decent side to be fair and for them to go down this cheaply makes no sense at all. Their batting department gave up on their skipper big time and the bowling department followed the suit.

The Kiwis are not willing to step down as far as their momentum is concerned. Skipper Kane Williamson finished 2017 on a somber note, but he is off to a flying start in the new year. It really is not hard to predict what might happen in the fifth ODI. But they should be wary of a fact that they are up against the most unpredictable side cricket has ever seen.

Playing Combinations

New Zealand

Martin Guptill and Colin Munro form a destructive opening combination. Following them in the middle would be Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, and Mitchell Santner. They’ll be going in with four frontline seamers in Lockie Ferguson, Tim Southee, Todd Astle, and of course, the main man Trent Boult. To compete against this lineup would be quite a tough task for any team, so Pakistan’s situation is completely understandable.

Probable XI: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wk), Henry Nicholls, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Trent  Boult, Matt Henry

Pakistan

Fakhar Zaman has been decent thus far in the tournament and accompanying him would be Azhar Ali. Their main man Babar Azam will come in at 3, with Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Amin, Sarfraz Ahmed will coming in the middle order. Their frontline fast bowlers for the game will be the experienced Hasan Ali and Mohammad Amir, to go with Aamer Yamin and Rumman Raees. Shadab Khan will be the lone spinner.

Probable XI: Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammed Hafeez, Haris Sohail, Umar Amin, Sarfraz Ahmed (c & wk), Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Aamer Yamin

Focus will be on

Colin de Grandhomme (New Zealand)

People kept wondering why Williamson trusts this man so much, but he is starting to prove his worth big time. Colin de Grandhomme struck a 70-ball century against West Indies in a Test match and in the previous game, just stole the game away from Pakistan. He clearly is one of the cleanest strikers of the ball right now and he will be keen to inflict more damage on the visitors.

Babar Azam (Pakistan)

Consistent performances eventually led to the comparisons with Virat Kohli, but Babar Azam is a long distance away from getting close to him. The youngster is a serious talent to reckon with, no debates on that. But he still has to maintain his composure when he travels to some tricky countries. This series has been a forgettable one for him, but he’d love to finish it on a high.

StatAttack

44 – Kane Williamson is 44 runs short of 5,000 ODI runs.

50 – Tom Latham needs 50 more runs to complete 2,000 runs in ODIs.

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