Pakistan simply awful in eerily empty stadium
STEVE KILGALLON AT WESTPAC STADIUM
In a crowd so tiny that some spectators almost had an entire bay to themselves, undercover tabloid hacks and unlicensed bookies would have been quickly exposed.
So we must discount the possibility Pakistan were paid to play so badly yesterday – they were awful without reason.
In tennis, they can fine players for not trying hard enough. Perhaps they could draft a rule about playing like a bunch of attention-challenged toddlers, and charge Pakistan with that.
Given the weight of evidence here, there would be a much swifter verdict than from the ICC's laborious match-fixing enquiries.
Still, New Zealand produced their first victory in 12 one-day matches and will be heartened by the efforts of 23-year-old Canterbury quick Hamish Bennett and the five-wicket haul of Tim Southee, who deeply troubled the Pakistan top order.
Pakistan's resistance was as truly dismal as their 124 all out from 37.3 overs suggests.
Misbah Ul-Haq was obdurate, and for two overs, exciting, in making an 88-ball half-century. His team-mates were rubbish, notably the captain, Shahid Afridi, who came to the wicket at 57-5, but appeared under the misconception he was playing a game of beach cricket with his mates.
While Westpac's drop-in wicket offered unpredictable bounce and some early movement, Brendon McCullum's five catches behind the stumps were more testament to juvenile shot selection and Statue of Liberty foot movement.
Pakistan's coach, Waqar Younis, didn't shift the blame.
"A very poor day," he concluded. "We played below par.
"We didn't play anywhere near our potential; New Zealand played outstanding cricket.
"Instead of giving any credit to the pitch, one should give the credit to the New Zealand bowlers: especially Tim Southee, he swung the ball and made sure it was in the right area. It is one thing swinging the ball, another when it's in the right area. It was very hard when he was bowling."
With this six-match series earmarked by New Zealand as a pre-world cup laboratory, the first results were good.
Jacob Oram appears fit, ran in hard, and deserved his two wickets. Bennett, despite a two-footed leap into the delivery stride, is nippy and can make it bounce – bad news, Kyle Mills. Southee shone.
And when New Zealand batted, the reshuffled opening pair of Jesse Ryder and Martin Guptill did as required. Captain Dan Vettori said they were expected to "rip the guts" out of their meagre target, and Ryder did. He stood stationary in his crease, but unlike Pakistan, had timing and power, smashing Shoaib Akhtar for 15 from one over that included a magnificent six that threatened the cranium of a cowering security guard.
He reached 50 in 30 balls, even ran a three, then holed out to deep square leg. He left a steady Guptill and a dashing Ross Taylor needing just 41 runs.
Pakistan had been troubled from the start, beaten outside off-stump over and over again, with the consistent Southee, who modestly said he'd been lucky on a bowler-friendly track, ripping out the first three. Bennett replaced him at the northern end and enticed Younis Khan to top-edge a bizarre backfoot drive to McCullum, then removed Umar Akmal next ball, foolishly chasing a ball outside off.
Strangely, Bennett chose a 140km/h bouncer for his potential hat-trick delivery.
"We were able to hold on to that pressure – no bowler who came into the attack ever let up," said Vettori, who had held Bennett back to second change to steady his nerves on his home debut.
Allan Donald, who has delivered just one coaching session in his new job as bowling coach, would be delighted.
Oram also took two in two balls, having both Afridi, who committed complete harakiri, and the bat-hanging Abdul Razzaq caught by McCullum. He then had to wait two overs for his unsuccessful chance at a hat-trick.
While Misbah thumped Southee a couple of times, Southee bowled him round his legs to complete his first ODI five-wicket bag and leave little to chase.
New Zealand Cricket have marketed this series as the only international cricket for a while. It didn't work.
There couldn't have been much more than 5000 here and the match would have been better off transferred to the Basin Reserve. That said, Pakistan would've looked more at home on a park pitch.
Pakistan simply awful in eerily empty stadium | Stuff.co.nz
Pakistan simply awful in eerily empty stadium
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