Pakistan are promising a fight during the rest of the series and the BLACKCAPS are certainly expecting one in the second one-day cricket match of The National Bank Series.
Ripped to shreds in a nine-wicket defeat in the opening match at Wellington last Saturday, the erratic Pakistanis insist they will bounce back today and captain Shahid Afridi has put the onus on their talented batsmen, such as Kamran and Umar Akmal, to step up at the Queenstown Events Centre.
The brothers were among a disappointing top-order effort -- Misbah-ul-Haq's half-century aside -- when Pakistan were rolled for 124 inside 38 overs at Wellington.
"The guys were struggling to play 50 overs but I think they realise how important our start is," Afridi said yesterday.
"We have some experienced players so we are expecting some good performances and we are very confident and positive that we will come back.
"We are all trying to win as much as we can before the World Cup and we have the players to do it."
Afridi said there would be changes although the team would not be selected until today.
Pacemen Umar Gul and Wahab Riaz are expected to return after being rested at Wellington following a heavy workload during the tourists' test series win, and New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori said the pair's presence would lift Pakistan.
"We can expect them at their best and the way that they lost in the last game, they'll come back at us," Vettori said.
"But we were really pleased with our performance more than anything and I think that's what we've been searching for. The result in terms of how comprehensive it was is not easy to maintain, but that performance that we put in is our standard for the rest of the summer.
"We need to make sure that we live up to it in this game."
Otago Volts allrounder Nathan McCullum is the first player to be affected by the rotational policy adopted by the selectors and he is being rested for today's match on his home patch with batsman Jamie How getting an opportunity to play.
It is a tough call on McCullum given his role last Saturday amounted to buzzing around the covers in his usual manner and nothing more because his offspin was not required as the pace bowlers did all the damage, and he would not even have contemplated padding up during New Zealand's brief runchase.
Vettori said McCullum, and all the players, had been made aware of the selection policy during the series, the last before New Zealand head to India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh for the World Cup starting in mid-February.
How, who made 58 on debut here against Sri Lanka in 2005, will bat at No 4.
James Franklin will again open the bowling with Tim Southee as New Zealand resist the urge to unleash rising quick Hamish Bennett, who took three for 26 and impressed with his pace and bounce in the first game, at the top of the innings.
NZPA
