Pakistan and New Zealand are ready to face off in the first Test of the three-match series, which will begin from Friday in Abu Dhabi. Both teams have already clashed in T20 and 50-over formats. In the shortest format of the game, it was the Green Caps who whitewashed the visitors, whereas in the ODIs, the three-match series ended with 1-1 score line after the final game of series was called off due to rain.
In the first Test, the home side will enter with confidence after an impressive outing in their last five-day assignment, where they won the two-match series 1-0 against Tim Paine's Australia. In the batting department, the team will be relying on in-form Mohammad Hafeez, Haris Sohail and Babar Azam to score bulk of the runs, whereas in the bowling department, the team will be relying heavily on spin-duo of Bilal Asif and Yasir Shah to provide timely breakthroughs.
On the other hand, the visitors will go into the contest unsure of their best combination in the five-day format as they've not played a single Test in the last seven months. In the batting department, the Black Caps will be relying on captain Kane Williamson and veteran middle-order batsman Ross Taylor to score bulk of the runs, whereas in the bowling department, the team will be relying on pacers Tim Southee and Trent Boult to provide early breakthroughs.
Sheikh Zayed Stadium will be used as the venue for the contest. So far, nine matches have been
Pakistan and New Zealand are ready to face off in the first Test of the three-match series, which will begin from Friday in Abu Dhabi. Both teams have already clashed in T20 and 50-over formats. In the shortest format of the game, it was the Green Caps who whitewashed the visitors, whereas in the ODIs, the three-match series ended with 1-1 score line after the final game of series was called off due to rain.
In the first Test, the home side will enter with confidence after an impressive outing in their last five-day assignment, where they won the two-match series 1-0 against Tim Paine's Australia. In the batting department, the team will be relying on in-form Mohammad Hafeez, Haris Sohail and Babar Azam to score bulk of the runs, whereas in the bowling department, the team will be relying heavily on spin-duo of Bilal Asif and Yasir Shah to provide timely breakthroughs.
On the other hand, the visitors will go into the contest unsure of their best combination in the five-day format as they've not played a single Test in the last seven months. In the batting department, the Black Caps will be relying on captain Kane Williamson and veteran middle-order batsman Ross Taylor to score bulk of the runs, whereas in the bowling department, the team will be relying on pacers Tim Southee and Trent Boult to provide early breakthroughs.
Sheikh Zayed Stadium will be used as the venue for the contest. So far, nine matches have been played at the venue, with the highest team score of 598-9 was registered by England against Pakistan in October 2015. Highest individual score of 278 not out was registered by South Africa's AB de Villiers in 2010, whereas best bowling figures in an innings of 6-25 was registered by Pakistan's Abdur Rehman in their match against England in 2012.
Key Players:
Mohammad Hafeez – 9.5 Cr
First in the list of key players features Pakistan's Mohammad Hafeez. The veteran all-rounder made a grand comeback to the national side after a gap of 12 months and looked completely at ease. Valued at 9.5 Cr, Hafeez is the player to have in your team as he is more than just a capable all-rounder, especially in the UAE conditions. While playing at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, the 38-year-old averages 54 in 16 innings with the bat, whereas with the ball, he has 11 wickets in as many innings.
Mohammad Abbas – 9 Cr
Second in the list of key players features Pakistan pacer Mohammad Abbas. The 28-year-old is one of the leading fast-bowler in the five-day format currently. In the team's last assignment in Tests, Abbas claimed 17 wickets, for which he was named player of the series. Above stats suggest that Abbas, who is Valued at 9 Cr, is the player to have in your team. So far in his short career of 10 Tests, Abbas has 59 wickets to his name at an outstanding average of 15.64.
Ross Taylor – 10 Cr
Last in the list features New Zealand's Ross Taylor. The veteran middle-order batsman had a great time with the bat during the recently concluded ODI series where he scored three back-to-back half-centuries for the team. Valued at 10 Cr, Taylor is the kind of player you need to have in your team as he has shown time and again on the tour that he is in great touch and can score big runs.
