KARACHI: A dress rehearsal for next week’s ICC Champions Trophy opener, the tri-nation series final between Pakistan and New Zealand is finely poised.
The fixture, set to be played here at the National Bank Stadium on Friday, will feature two high-flying sides; the BlackCaps — who have been near-perfect with both bat and ball in their two league matches — and the hosts who have received a massive boost of confidence with their highest-ever run chase on Wednesday night.
But New Zealand will have a certain edge. They have beaten both Pakistan and South Africa to seal a spot in the finale, thanks to their well-balanced spin battery and a batting line-up full of quality.
Pakistan, meanwhile, showed their weaknesses against spin against New Zealand before seeing their batters return to form against South Africa, chasing down 353 to win by six wickets.
In Karachi, much like Lahore, the flat pitches will ensure runs are scored in abundance. Who makes the difference, and how, amid the fireworks, will decide the results.
New Zealand captain watched Pakistan make history against South Africa and found the track “pretty flat”, but did identify what could potentially help the teams towards a point of advantage.
“If the new surface plays the same, it’s likely to be another high-scoring game in the final,” Santner said in a press conference here on Thursday. “The key is to take wickets through the middle overs, as that’s the hardest part in one-day cricket.
“If bowlers can take wickets, they can slow the batsmen down, but otherwise, it’s hard to stop the run flow. If you don’t get wickets, partnerships can take the game away from you.”
And that’s exactly what happened to South Africa, with Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan and his deputy combined for 260 runs for the fourth wicket after a flying start by openers Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman to take the game well away from the Proteas.
“How Babar and Fakhar played at the start gave us the time to plan the chase,” Rizwan had said after the match, adding that him and Salman didn’t have to worry about the scores well until the halfway stage before they broke the target in chunks. Babar, also talking after the match, believed the chase “took Pakistan’s confidence to another level”.
This confidence, however, has to seep into Pakistan’s bowling attack if they are to set the tone for their Champions Trophy title defence with a win over New Zealand on Friday.
They gave away 330 against New Zealand and 353 against South Africa over the two tri-nation series matches. The hosts’ pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi said such scores can be expected on these surfaces, but admitted Pakistan needed to do better with the ball, especially during the death overs.
“It’s true that we need to have more control during the death overs,” Shaheen said in a post-match media talk. “Not being able to stop the flow of runs towards the end of the innings is not a good sign for us.
“But we are taking this series as preparation for the Champions Trophy and even the final would hold the same value for us.”
‘NOT A KING YET’
While Rizwan and Salman were the stars of the South Africa match, Babar couldn’t elude the spotlight on his own performances. While his 23 off 19 did give Pakistan a great start, more is expected from the former skipper.
For the number of runs he has scored across all three formats in the last decade to be labelled as “King”, the burden of expectations is too heavy on the right-hander that he wants to get rid of that tag.
“I am not a king yet,” he told reporters after the match. “We will see when I leave.”
Rizwan also called for the player to be treated like other “normal” members of the team.
“Babar has scored so many runs that its natural to expect from him to show up in each and every match,” said the skipper. “If you look at him as a normal player, he contributes to the team in many ways.”
PAKISTAN: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Salman Agha, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Tayyab Tahir, Usman Khan
NEW ZEALAND: Mitchell Santner (captain), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young, Jacob Duffy
Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2025
