One Day International Series – Kiwis confident for Pakistan tour after Champions Trophy

Cricket Odds

New Zealand vs. Pakistan

Tuesday, November 3, 5.30am

Pakistan –165

New Zealand +135

New Zealand’s cricketers are not fans of the United Arab Emirates and rightly so.

Not only have they been forced to leave the safety of their home country, they have travelled to a country where their win-loss ratio since 2001 is paltry at best.

I should explain that today, New Zealand was announced on top of the Global Peace Index making them the most peaceful country on the planet. That ranking is in stark contrast to Pakistan, which the Kiwis refused to travel to for personal safety fears, who are ranked 137 out of 144 countries. Pakistan was beaten by a select group of countries that the word safe and peaceful are not usually used in conjunction with (Iraq and Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo among them).

That is why this tour is being held in the UAE, which is ranked equal 40th alongside Butan.

Having lost six of the past eight matches they have played at UAE does not give a touring side confidence ahead of this three match series, which will culminate in back-to-back Twenty20 matches on November 12 and 13.

The only consolation for the Kiwis is they won’t have to play at Sharjah, instead their games will be at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, the $22 million megastructure.

That consolation prize is eradicated by the fact that they have never played at the game and their opponents in this series, Pakistan, have made the stadium their second home playing more internationals than any other team with a total of 11 games for seven wins.

Thankfully for the Kiwis, they can be safe in the knowledge that Pakistan lost the last ODI series there to Australia.

This tour could mark a resurgence for the Black Caps who seem to be on the right track although injuries have again slapped them hard like it did during the Champions Trophy where they lost key personnel including captain Dan Vettori in the final.

This time around big hitting opener Jesse Ryder is out as to is Daryl Tuffey and South African, born again Kiwi Grant Elliott. The good news is Scott Styris is back and Tim Southee also makes a return to the squad. The latter is extremely quick and dangerous although the low playing wickets at Abu Dhabi will probably negate the Kiwis pace attack.

That means Vettori, Nathan McCullum and Styris will need to be effective wicket taking machines this tour.

Pakistan are well placed to win this series with a strong spin attack on offer with the likes of Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik and Saeed Ajmal proving to be match winners.