Black Caps vs Pakistan burning questions: Can the hosts achieve four wins from four tests?

OPINION: The Black Caps will begin their fourth series in the space of four weeks on Saturday, when they host Pakistan in a Boxing Day event at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.

Two victories will give them a good chance of reaching the final of the World Trials Championship at Lord’s in England in June next year.

It would also give them a perfect test record for the summer, something they have never achieved before by playing more than two tests at home.

READ MORE:
* Black Caps vs Pakistan: Mitchells race for final test spot XI at Bay Oval
* Black Caps trainer suggests Kyle Jamieson is a Twenty20 force, but he’s not a # 7 test bat yet
* Black Caps vs West Indies Burning Questions: Which Kiwi hitters need to perform the most?
* New Zealand v India: Black Caps do not need to spin to win test matches at Hagley Oval

But can they do it? Three of Stuff the cricket scribes looked at that and some of the other burning questions.

1. Mitchell Santner got the nod on Ajaz Patel. Is there any chance that I will play in this series?

Mark Geenty: There’s a chance, and it’s most likely at Bay Oval, where he had his best test against England on terrain that can later be adapted for the purpose. The fact that Santner was picked before Patel marked him as a genuine choice in the eyes of the selectors at No. 7. But, with this pitch he is sure to be prepared to adapt to New Zealand’s pacing attack, and Daryl Mitchell a better batsman and capable of bowling in a waiting role (if a fifth bowler is required), there is no need to change the successful formula of Hamilton and Wellington. Especially not for a spinner to save races rather than to take wicket.

Andrew Voerman: there is a possibility – but only in the first test. Hagley Oval has been a happy hunting ground for Sailors in recent years and a spinner is unlikely to be needed there, but Santner proved useful in the first Bay Oval test, taking three wickets of the second inning in 40 overs in the victory over England last November. . The smart money is in them sticking with a winning lineup, as well as welcoming captain Kane Williamson, but it can’t be ruled out.

Aaron Goile: No. Unless outfielders Jared Carter and Rupert Bool, at Bay Oval and Hagley Oval, respectively, are having trouble with Gary Stead and getting cowards with their mower and steamroller, we should expect similar pitches to Hamilton and Wellington for the West Indies series. . That means Mt Maunganui won’t be the dry surface it was for England last November, where Santner spun it, and the Black Caps can run on the four-point attack (and Daryl Mitchell, who offers more hitting than Santner) once. plus.

2. Pakistani batsmen Babar Azam and Imam ul-Haq and off-roader Shadab Khan have been excluded from the first test. In your absence, who will be your most important player?

MG: Azhar ali. Approaching veteran status at 35 years old, with a test average of 43 including 17 centuries, Azhar remains a class act and will be regarded as the hitting anchor in tough foreign conditions. He scored 141 points without against England in Pakistan’s most recent event, but has not dominated in New Zealand, scoring a high of 67 in four events.

OF: Azhar Ali will have an important role to play as the player most likely to produce a grand total for tourists, but don’t fall asleep on his legs. Yasir Shah. The last time the Black Caps lost a test at home, in 2017, it was a visiting spinner, South African Keshav Maharaj, who went through them, and they looked vulnerable at times against the West Indies, ahead of Kane Williamson (in the first test). . and Henry Nicholls (in second) played the innings of their careers.

AG: Must be Azhar Ali, No. 3. They have some useful bowlers, Pakistan, but they are going to need someone who is capable of holding a bat and actually offering some kind of resistance against Black Caps’ lethal attack. Ali is the leading scorer of runs, by around 1,500, of all the members of the team, with an average of 42.86 and is the fifth all-time in Pakistan’s testing centuries (17). The right-hander did a lot in his last test, against England in August, and his team will need a lot more here.

3. The Black Caps have won 3 of their 4 home tests in each of the last 3 seasons. Can they win 4 of 4 this time? What is your series prediction?

MG: Unless there is prolonged rain in Christchurch, is 2-0 New Zealand. Pakistan will be tougher than the West Indies, but very little has gone well for them, and with their best player, Babar Azam, touch and play whatever role in the series will further push their odds. The Black Caps’ four-front attack will once again be too relentless and if India’s powerful hitting lineup struggled in February, it’s hard to see Pakistan do much better.

OF: With key players injured, it’s hard to see Pakistan stopping the Black Caps, especially with the four-point attack shooting, although it will be interesting to see how they manage if they can’t take 10 first-inning wickets in a hurry. like they did against the West Indies and they have to handle a heavier workload. A 2-0 win is the most likely scenario.

AG: Only adverse weather will stop them rolling Pakistan 2-0. Tourists haven’t shown great signs in the 1920s and losing patron Babar Azam is a heavy blow. The Black Caps seamers are too hot to handle at home and with a series sweep that puts New Zealand on the road to the World Test Championship final, they will be eager for more success.