New Zealand trio of McCullum, Southee and Anderson resuming fitness

New Zealand hope their captain Brendon McCullum will be back from the third ODI against Pakistan on January 31 and their fast bowler Tim Southee will join the Tests against Australia at home in February. McCullum was not playing since he aggravated his back injury during the second ODI against Sri Lanka on December 28 while Southee’s foot was injured during the third ODI against Sri Lanka.

New Zealand coach Mike Hesson made it clear Southee would not play the remaining home series against Pakistan and the limited-overs games against Australia. Hesson said that Tim is improving and he will be in Wellington this week to work with his rehab, so he is unlikely to appear in the Australia ODIs because we are focusing on the Test series and ensuring that he is firing.

 

Hesson added we would not compell him to play any game before this unless we need him but he could play a Plunket Shield game to prepare himself for the Tests. McCullum will play Pakistan tour’s of New Zealand final game before he starts his last duty in international cricket.

 

First Test of New Zealand against Australia will be 100 th of Mccullum and he will take retirement after the second Test in Christchurch. New Zealand had another fitness worry of Corey Anderson who has just restarted bowling where he delivered one over in the first T20I against Pakistan and four in the second. Anderson had picked a back injury during the Lord’s Test in May 2015.

New Zealand levels the series against Pakistan with record partnership

Two in-form batsmen of New Zealand Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill established a skillful show of composure and timing to overcome Pakistan’s 168 for 7 within eighteen overs in Hamilton. They made a record highest ever opening stand of 171 for T20Is. The 10 wicket victory leveled the series in a resounding way. Guptill was not out with 87 and Williamson left the field with a personal best of 72. Williamson started the aggression, darting about his crease to exploit the wayward bowling from Pakistan. He cracked Mohammad Amir for four through the leg side in the second over then slapped three fours off Imad Wasim through point soon after.

Williamson maintained New Zealand’s run rate at 10 an over within the power play and it did not fall far below that after that. Guptill was silent at the pitch, smashing a six off Umar Gul in the first over, before taking charge down the middle overs. He cracked successive fours off Amir in the 13 th over and consecutive sixes off Shahid Afridi in the 15 th. His 58-ball innings comprised four sixes and nine fours. Williamson hit 11 fours.Pakistan had shaky start losing early wickets but Shoaib Malik’s calculated 39 and Umar Akmal’s forceful 56 not out from 27 balls brought Pakistan back in the match.

 

Pakistan bowling had been below par. Amir proved to be more costly giving 34 from his three overs but no one in Pakistan attack was economical where Wahab Riaz gave 10 an over and Imad Wasim 8. Mitchell McClenaghan bowled at tight lines, mixing up his pace and lengths largely on off stump. His first three overs conceded only eight runs but Akmal’s late charge lightened somewhat those figures during which he hit two fours and a six in three balls. Earlier Pakistan was 34 for 2 after 6.1 overs before Malik joined to boost the innings, scoring singles to third man, then a number of fours to that short boundary. His 63-run partnership for fourth wicket with Umar Akmal was the most significant of the innings.

Pakistan hopes Amir to shine in New Zealand

Mohammad Amir will be under eyes of the cricket world when he makes his international comeback in New Zealand on Friday after serving a five-year ban for spot-fixing. It is expected he will be included in the opening T20 when Pakistan will launch their aggressive bowling attack against a New Zealand side having in-form batsmen. Pakistan coach Waqar Younis said he hopes the young fast bowler to cooperate with intense inspection put on him when he starts to bowl.

Waqar said it is difficult to tell how the whole matter will come out but my experience says that he is an intelligent boy and even at the age of 18 he was smart then because he knows what he is doing. A five year ban was put on Amir when he was found guilty of spot fixing after he deliberately bowled no-balls in a Test against England at Lords.

 

Pakistan’s pace armory which includes Anwar Ali, Aamer Yamin, Umar Gul and Wahab Riaz will be boosted with his return to the world stage. Riaz said they have increased range of hostile options with Amir’s in-swing ability. Riaz added that he is getting an opportunity because he is a great fast bowler that he has showed in the past and it is time for him to prove here as well and he will show it.

WICB denied Jason Holder NOC for playing Pakistan Super League

West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has not issued no-objection certificate (NOC) that Jason Holder required to take part in the first edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) on the basis that he is a contracted player and his basic responsibility is to serve West Indies Cricket. Quetta Gladiators selected Holder who is Test and ODI captain of West Indies in the player draft held on December 21.

According to WICB chief executive Michael Muirhead, a fresh retainer contract was signed by Holder, which permitted the board to allow or deny for playing in foreign domestic leagues. Muirhead said he is a retained player and if you apply for a NOC in a time that development of West Indies cricket is in progress then we have a right to refuse him.

Muirhead also hinted out that Holder was the captain of Barbados team which is presently playing in the West Indies’ List A competition Nagico Super-50. He added that our 50-over tournament is being played and it is going to be played at the same time as the league and he is captain of the Barbados team which needs him to play, so region needs him that sends a sense of unity with the right message.