Pakistan V New Zealand: 2nd ODI Date, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview

Pakistan have a 1-0 lead in their five-match ODI series against New Zealand. The two teams now move to Sharjah for the next two ODIs, the first of which will be played on Saturday.

Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium

Date: Saturday, December 12

Start time: 11 a.m. GMT/3 p.m. local time

Live on: Ten Sports (Middle East/Asia), Sky Sport (New Zealand), ZEE Cinema (UK)

Weather: No issues with the weather, according to AccuWeather.com. It's going to be a warm day with temperatures of up to 28 degrees Celsius.

Overview

Despite a tremendous hundred from Ross Taylor, New Zealand lost the first ODI by three wickets. Pakistan's victory was largely set up by Haris Sohail and Shahid Afridi, with the pair combining for a 110-run partnership in 17.3 overs.

While Pakistan have been tremendous in Tests in the United Arab Emirates, their limited-overs form remains erratic, and this series is no different.

The bowling of Mohammad Irfan and Wahab Riaz was impressive in the first match, but they were still expensive. The batting, too, was floundering before Haris and Afridi revived the chase, and the hosts will need to rethink their strategy if they want to continue on a winning note.

New Zealand aren’t the kind of team that will make the same mistakes twice and having had Pakistan on the back foot in the first match, they will feel aggrieved that they did not make it count.

As the World Cup looms ever larger, it’s important for both sides to find a blueprint for their approach. With Mohammad Hafeez suspended because of his bowling action, Misbah-ul-Haq admitted that finding the right combination is the most important part of this series. He was quoted by ESPN Cricinfo as saying:

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After losing Hafeez in the bowling it's necessary for our team to just have these batsmen who could really bowl and we are looking forward. Ahmed Shehzad is bowling really well in the nets and he has bowled a few overs in the Test matches. Asad Shafiq also bowls.

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That could mean that Pakistan will be making a few changes for the second match, but the overall goal will remain the same. Both sides have played some wonderful cricket across all formats during this series, and you can expect more of the same in the next match.

Key players

Pakistan

Mohammed Irfan is looking leaner and meaner than ever before and having picked up three wickets in the first match, Pakistan will rely on him to lead the bowling attack yet again. His wickets came at an average of just 19.00 and being able to engineer pressure while also taking wickets is key.

New Zealand

Ross Taylor's hundred in the first match showed why he is such a reliable player for the Black Caps. Batting with the middle order is key, and New Zealand will be looking to him to do more of the same come the second ODI.

Squads

Pakistan: Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Haris Sohail, Misbah-ul-Haq, Sarfraz Ahmed, Shahid Afridi, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Mohammad Irfan, Umar Akmal, Zulfiqar Babar, Bilawal Bhatti, Sohail Tanvir, Nasir Jamshed

New Zealand: Dean Brownlie, Anton Devcich, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, James Neesham, Luke Ronchi, Daniel Vettori, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Adam Milne, Martin Guptill, Corey Anderson, Mitchell McClenaghan, Matt Henry