Blackcaps vs Pakistan Test Series Debrief
Prior to the festive Test tour of Pakistan, we released Blackcaps expectations and the preview to this series finished with 'curiosity may be the best viewing platform'. Aotearoa grabbed two draws against Pakistan and while these results do nothing to help the kiwis in their World Test Championship campaign, this quirky series offered plenty to learn about.
Blackcaps now move into an ODI series against Pakistan and as that series starts tomorrow (Monday evening NZT), there won't be an ODI series preview. Blackcaps are 8th (2-6-3) in WTC and 2nd with a 12-4 record in the ODI World Cup Super League. Pakistan are 6th in the WCSL (12-6) and the same yarn from the Test series flows into these ODIs as Pakistan will be eager to enjoy positive results after a niggly grind of home fixtures last year.
Pakistan have won eight consecutive ODIs and their only loss last year was in the first ODI against Australia, then Pakistan won that series. Pakistan swept West Indies in Pakistan and a tour of Netherlands also delivered a series sweep for Pakistan. None of Pakistan's home ODIs were played in Karachi and the Blackcaps are treating Karachi like their summer holiday kick back spot.
Aotearoa was well equipped for a Test series in Pakistan and have competitive tools for this ODI series. Matt Henry joins Adam Milne in dipping out of the initial ODI squad and the kiwis will still have Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Blair Tickner and Henry Shipley in their seam department. Ish Sodhi and Michael Bracewell are joined by Mitchell Santner as spinners. The batting unit features a core of Kane Williamson, Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Finn Allen, Glenn Phillips, Henry Nicholls and Daryl Mitchell.
This Blackcaps ODI group can win this series, just ease up on those expectations. Since the start of 2019, Pakistan are 21-20 in ODIs. During this period Pakistan are 9-1-1 in home fixtures and all the challenges on display in the Test series will again be on display in the ODIs.
Tim Southee's first dose of Test captaincy didn't come with drastic changes in how Aotearoa plays Test cricket. Kane Williamson still chimed in with his insights and the kiwis rolled through their plans, starting with the regular stuff before exploring the play-book. Blackcaps bowlers maintained their ability to take wickets after a long grind the day before and the batters were able to adapt their mahi to the game situation.
Southee's vibe didn't change a whole lot either. Southee operates as a big brother in the group, exuding a love for cricket that is shared by his fellow leaders in Williamson and Tom Latham. There will not be any issues in Southee using himself as a bowler and he wasn't seduced by the captaincy in a batting sense, with Ish Sodhi batting ahead of Southee in both Tests.
The three best Blackcaps batters scored the most runs. Latham, Conway and Williamson all scored 200+ runs with averages over 70. Williamson hit a double-banger, while the openers both hit centuries. Latham was the only Blackcap with three 50+ scores and he now averages 46.22 in 'Asia'. Tom Blundell offered support down the order with two 50+ scores, while Michael Bracewell and Sodhi showcased their all-round value with notable knocks as well.
Mitchell and Nicholls were the batters who didn't jack up many runs. Team selection for this series seemed to focus on as much batting as possible and spin. Blackcaps squeezed Mitchell, Nicholls and Bracewell into the same team, which probably won't happen again any time soon. The depth of Aotearoa cricket will be on display later in the summer as the team skews towards seamers in kiwi conditions, which when combined with the natural flow of cricket form, lessens the drama around Mitchell and Nicholls.
Ponder where Pakistan's runs came from compared to Aotearoa. Saud Shakeel and Sarfaraz Ahmed scored the most runs for Pakistan as middle order batters, while two of their top-three batters in Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood didn't score many runs. Latham, Conway and Williamson form a fabulous top-three, one of the strongest batting cores Aotearoa has ever seen. They should score most of the runs and they led the kiwis admirably.
Guess where Shakeel and Sarfaraz play their domestic cricket? Karachi as part of the Sindh team. Pakistans's leading wicket-taker and only bowler to take 5+ wickets was Abrar Ahmed and he is also part of the Sindh team. Pakistan's three best players in this series all call Karachi home and as both Tests were played at their home ground, this was an obvious boost for them.
Ish Sodhi vs Abrar Ahmed
Ish Sodhi: 102.5ov, 13w @ 25.15avg/3.17rpo
Abrar Ahmed: 140.5ov, 11w @ 43.63avg/3.4rpo
Blackcaps spinners took 26 wickets, Pakistan spinners took 18 wickets. This was a fantastic series for Sodhi and it sets up intrigue about Blackcaps bowling units moving forward, most notably in Aotearoa. The basic idea of a Blackcaps team touring with three handy spinners is another sign of kiwi cricket depth. Don't overlook the fact that these lads, especially Sodhi have grown up bowling spin in Aotearoa and commanded Blackcaps selection through their work in Aotearoa. That is to say that kiwi spinners can do a job in kiwi conditions, if given time and space to settle into their mahi.
Sodhi has the variations to play a role in Aotearoa, while the bounce provided by his height can also be useful - especially compared to the slow/low conditions in Asia. Bracewell has the same Test record as Mitchell Santner (25ish average with the bat, 45ish with the ball) and if Santner played a bunch of Tests in Aotearoa, Bracewell can too. Patel's in an intriguing spot as he has 5w in three Tests since Mumbai magic and he does not have a Test wicket in kiwi conditions.
Patel has a First-Class average of 32.9 and Sodhi averages 33.34. Given how seam bowling churns through wickets in domestic cricket and that those FC records feature County Championship cricket, they are strong FC records for kiwi spinners (Daniel Vettori had a FC average of 31.82). Picking spinners depends on your personal bias and what you like in a spinner, let alone if you actually want a spinner in your team. Perhaps this pocket of spin intrigue will provide the most insight into Southee's captaincy style as the Blackcaps return to play Tests in Aotearoa.
This Test series in Pakistan was a fun dose of quirky cricket. Kiwis spent summer evenings watching spinners rip deliveries off the Karachi pitch. Summer nights spent with the commentary package of Simon Doull, Chris Harris and Scott Styris. Tropical rainy evenings with lots of corny ads for Pakistan products.
This Test series was so weird that I don't know what to do with it. No wins, no losses. The best Blackcaps batters scored runs and most of the bowlers enjoyed various phases of nifty bowling. Not much from this series will apply to Test cricket in Aotearoa host England. These Tests aren't part of the WTC, but feature truckloads of Aotearoa-England sporting funk.
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