‘Death bowling’ concerns for unbeaten NZ

WELLINGTON: New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has called on his bowlers to be more accurate in the final overs as they look to take an unbeatable lead over Pakistan in the third one-day international in Dunedin. New Zealand are already 2-0 in the five-match series but Williamson is not completely happy, especially with the bowling to lower-order batsmen.

Pakistan rocketed from 141/7 in the 37th over to make 246/9 in game two, repeating a pattern that has been all too common in recent seasons where New Zealand have let the score get away.

“We learnt a few lessons from the last game, they bat very deep, the Pakistani side, and that is a sign of a good team,” Williamson said.

“To see their lower order come out and put together a partnership that gave them a total which could have been a tough chase... it’s important that we learn from that.”

Despite the big hitting, New Zealand won the match in Nelson by eight wickets after the rain swept in. The first match in Wellington was also affected by the weather and further rain is forecast for game three in Dunedin.

With a win New Zealand will not only win the series but they would also equal their longest streak across all formats of 10 wins.

New Zealand have Colin de Grandhomme back, but Williamson said they would wait to view the pitch Saturday morning before settling on their XI.

Fakhar Zaman, who scored an unbeaten 82 in the opening game, is expected to return after missing game two with a thigh injury.