Death bowling concern for Williamson ahead of third ODI against Pakistan
New Zealand is already 2-0 up in the five-match ODI series but skipper Kane Williamson is not completely happy with the bowling in death overs.
Published : Jan 12, 2018 13:51 IST
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 on Saturday.
New Zealand is 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 for seven in the 37th over to make 246 for nine in game two, repeating a pattern that has been all too common in recent seasons where New Zealand has let the score get away on it after a solid start.
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“We learnt a few lessons from the last game,” Williamson said Friday.
“They bat very deep, the Pakistani side, and that is a sign of a good team,” he added.
“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, particularly by Hasan Ali and Shadab Khan who both made half-centuries, New Zealand won the match in Nelson by eight wickets after the rain swept in. The host was set a revised target of 151 in 25 overs.
The first match in Wellington, which New Zealand won by 61 runs, was also affected by the weather and further rain is forecast for game three in Dunedin on Saturday. If a result is achieved, a win would not only give them New Zealand the series but it would also equal its longest streak across all formats of 10 wins.
New Zealand has Colin de Grandhomme back in its squad after the allrounder returned from bereavement leave, but Williamson said it would wait to view the pitch Saturday morning before settling on its playing XI.
Fakhar Zaman, who scored an unbeaten 82 in the opening game, is expected to return to the Pakistan side after missing game two because of a thigh injury.