Daijiworld Media Network

Wellington, Jan 22 : After slumping to a surprise loss in Auckland, the hosts came all guns blazing in Hamilton with Guptill and Williamson involved in a record unbroken 171-run stand for the first wicket. Having been bouyed by their performance in Auckland, Afridi's men looked deflated at the sheer magnitude of the loss. There has been a four day gap between Hamilton and Wellington, Pakistan had time to reflect over as they seek to start the tour on a winning note.

Pakistan drew first blood in Auckland but New Zealand replied in emphatic fashion to square the series in Hamilton. That has set-up a mouthwatering decider at the WestPac Stadium in Wellington. Can Shahid Afridi and his men recover from the Hamilton humiliation or will it be one-way traffic once again? Hello, and a warm welcome to the third T20I between New Zealand and Pakistan.

Preview:

A convincing victory helped New Zealand square the Twenty20 International (T20I) series against Pakistan in Hamilton and the hosts will be eager to take the momentum into the series decider in at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington on Friday (January 22).

While Pakistan drew first blood with a 16-run victory in Auckland, the hosts roared back in majestic fashion, registering a 10-wicket win to stay alive in the series. New Zealand will enter the third and final T20I with odds in their favour, but they will be wary of the mercurial visitors, who will be keen prevent the Black Caps from registering a hat-trick of T20I series wins at home.

After falling short of the target by 17 runs in first T20I, New Zealand rode on a record partnership to overcome Pakistan with ease in the second game. An unbeaten 171-run opening stand between Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson not only helped the hosts win with more than two overs to spare, but also helped the pair enter record books for the best partnership in T20I history.

Williamson has been in superb form, having registered four fifties in five T20Is in 2016. With Guptill and Colin Munro also having half-centuries under their belt, it augurs well for the home team. However, they will be slightly concerned with the middle order, which failed in the first game, while its services weren't required in the second. In Corey Anderson, Grant Elliott and Luke Ronchi, New Zealand have a power-packed middle order, but their weakness against spin, which was evident in the first game, will keep the Pakistan team interested. Meanwhile, the return of Ross Taylor, who wasn't required to bat in the second match, will be a boost to the line-up as the 31-year-old, with tons of experience, gives the team a lot of balance.

In the bowling department, Mitchell McClenaghan impressed in the second game, while Anderson also did a tidy job. Mitchell Santner, who did well in the first game, went for a few at Seddon Park, while Adam Milne, despite picking up five wickets so far in the series, has been expensive. Todd Astle, the leg-spinner, has not made an impact yet in his maiden T20I series, adding more pressure on Santner in the spin department. New Zealand will be hoping for the bowlers to show better discipline and hit the right areas as often as possible. Playing their final T20 game before the 20-20 World event, New Zealand will look to iron out any flaws before heading to India.

For Pakistan, Mohammad Hafeez hit a well-compiled fifty in the first game while Umar Akmal's unbeaten half-century was the reason they were able to post a competitive total in the second match. However, the rest of the batsmen haven't quite delivered and that has meant that Pakistan haven't quite been able to push for totals in the vicinity of 200.

Shoaib Malik did show signs of improvement in the second game, but the same cannot be said of Ahmed Shehzad and Sohaib Maqsood, who have been struggling for runs. Sarfraz Ahmed, who can pack quite a punch with the bat, has been wasted down the order and Pakistan might look at promoting him. The visitors might also look at giving Aamer Yamin, a promising 25-year-old batsman, an opportunity.

Like New Zealand, Pakistan will also be hoping for an improved performance from the bowlers, although they couldn't do much when Guptill and Williamson going great guns in the second match. Wahab Riaz got amongst the wickets in the first game, but he has been expensive, while the zing has been missing in Mohammad Amir, who is playing his comeback series. Umar Gul's form is the biggest concern for Pakistan as the 31-year-old appears a pale shadow of the second highest wicket-taker in T20Is. With the pace department not quite firing, spinners Shahid Afridi and Imad Wasim will share the bulk of the work-load, along with Malik who can lend them support.
Teams:
Pakistan (From): Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Rizwan, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi(c), Imad Wasim, Sarfraz Ahmed(w), Wahab Riaz, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Amir, Iftikhar Ahmed, Sohaib Maqsood, Umar Gul, Aamer Yamin, Saad Nasim
New Zealand (From): Kane Williamson(c), Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Corey Anderson, Ross Taylor, Grant Elliott, Luke Ronchi(w), Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Mitchell McClenaghan, Trent Boult, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Todd Astle