With the benefit of Twenty20 hindsight . . .
Despite the result it was a pass mark for the Black Caps in their first match in seven months to open coach Gary Stead’s tenure.
We look at what went right, and what went wrong in their two-run Twenty20 loss to Pakistan to start the six-week tour of the United Arab Emirates.
Cloudy twenty20 vision
In January New Zealand smashed Pakistan in game one on a sub-standard pitch in Wellington. Since then the former world No 1 side somehow lost its way with seven defeats from their last eight T20 internationals, five of those when chasing a target.
In most conditions teams back themselves to chase 149 which looked about par on a sluggish pitch that was always going to challenge New Zealand’s batsmen first up from a long break.
Colin Munro summed up what was good and bad from the Black Caps chase. One of T20 cricket’s in-form batsmen played to his strengths and targeted the leftarm spin of Imad Wasim in the power play. He switch-hit effectively to Mohammad Hafeez and Shadab Khan who applied the brakes, then he holed out in the 12th over.
It’s unfair to blame the topscorer but just 20 more runs from Munro, and 3-4 more overs at the crease and New Zealand get home. Ross Taylor’s ill-judged call to Colin de Grandhomme for a single was the other vital moment.
Order right, execution awry
Having said that, New Zealand have their batting order correct. Kane Williamson, de Grandhomme, Taylor and Corey Anderson, with the lively Tim Seifert to follow, is a well balanced topseven and allows de Grandhomme time to unleash his power.
If one of the openers comes off it just needs one of the power men, de Grandhomme, Taylor or Anderson to get going and they’ll be hard to beat. The problem for Taylor and Anderson was that the momentum stalled after losing 3-10, Pakistan had their tails up and it was too hard to claw back as the required rate soared past double figures.
Sadly it’s been a familiar story chasing for New Zealand, and after a sighter in Abu Dhabi they’ll need to get it right smartly.
Positive spin
It’s been a long wait for Ajaz Patel who celebrated his 30th birthday before he was part of any New Zealand squad.
The left-armer is a regular atop the Plunket Shield wicket charts but plays all three formats well and after his first ball went for four he showed composure and control, and variations in flight and length which were effective on that pitch. He ended with 1-27 off four overs.
Two spinners now looks mandatory for New Zealand for the rest of the tour, with Ish Sodhi his usual reliable self in T20.
Catches (often) win matches
Fielding is a good gauge of a team’s spirit and application, so on that score coach Stead’s reign has started very well.
New Zealand were brilliant in the field with Tim Southee, Glenn Phillips and Anderson snaring world-class catches. Phillips hurled himself about like a football goalkeeper in the outfield while Seifert was solid behind the stumps.
Still, it’s a tough school when you set the bar high. Sodhi’s miss of Imad Wasim in the final over gave the dangerous allrounder a reprieve and he blasted Southee’s final two balls for 4 and 6. In a match of small margins they were telling blows.
All-round option
Mohammad Hafeez is 38 but again showed T20 cricket isn’t necessarily a young man’s game with a man-of-the-match performance. He topscored for the hosts with 45 off 36 and his off-spin helped strangle the Black Caps’ innings at a crucial time with 0-13 off three.
Of the New Zealand allrounders, Anderson didn’t bowl while de Grandhomme and Munro went for a combined 37 off four overs as the fifth bowler.
Stead needs his allrounders to be legitimate bowling options which makes Anderson’s status a bit of a mystery more than a year after his major back surgery.