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

New Zealand meet Pakistan in Napier on Tuesday in the final game of a short two-match series ahead of the 2015 World Cup.

The hosts coasted home by seven wickets in the opener in Wellington. With the exception of Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq's side looked extremely rusty on Saturday. The skipper will be looking for a major improvement at McLean Park.

Let's see how the two sides match up in this World Cup appetizer.

Venue: McLean Park, Napier

Date: Tuesday 3 February 2015

Start time: 2 p.m. local time, 1 a.m. GMT

Live on: CSN (Sri Lanka), TVNZ (New Zealand), Sky Sports (UK).

Weather: According to Accuweather.com, it will be dry, bright and sunny in Napier on Tuesday with temperatures reaching a high of 27 degrees C.

Overview

Playing their first ODI outside Asia in over a year, Pakistan struggled in all facets of the opening match in Wellington on Saturday.

On a pitch that offered the seamers some decent bounce, the Pakistani top-order struggled against a disciplined Kiwi attack. Only a typically solid effort from Misbah and some late-order fireworks from Afridi took the visitors to a respectable rather than challenging total of 210.

The rest of the batsmen looked horribly out of touch. Younis Khan's nine from 26 balls was the latest in a long line of disappointments. The 37-year-old has passed 50 just twice in 19 ODI innings dating back to March 2012.

Umar Akmal and Sarfraz Ahmed gifted their wickets with rash shots in Wellington, while Haris Sohail seemed to be suffering from the after effects of his recent ghostly encounter.

The disappointing batting was mirrored by the bowlers who, with the exception of Mohammed Irfan and Afridi looked largely unthreatening.

The giant seamer was the pick of the quicks, troubling all of New Zealand's batsmen with pace and bounce. If he continues in that vein, the wickets will surely come.

Sadly for Pakistan fans, Saeed Ajmal will be commentating on the World Cup rather than playing in it. The spinner's absence was all too evident on Saturday where the visitors struggled for wickets and control. It could be time for the selectors to take a proper look at rookie leggie Yasir Shah.

Pakistan should be all the better for getting the opening game out of their system, though. After playing on slow Asian pitches for what seems like an eternity, it will take some time for Misbah's men to get accustomed to the alien conditions Down Under. He'll no doubt be hoping they've cracked it by the time they face India in Adelaide on 15 February.

There are no such worries for the home side whose World Cup preparations are continuing serenely. Grant Elliott's match-winning efforts with bat and ball in Wellington make him a strong contender for the co-host's World Cup XI.

The only major issue for the Kiwi batting lineup is at the top of the order. Martin Guptill showed flashes of form in the first ODI before holing out for 39. The big-hitting opener has passed 50 just twice in his past 15 visits to the middle. The rest of the lineup is ticking along nicely so the selectors are likely to keep faith with the 28-year-old.

"

7 wicket win in the first @ANZ_NZ ODI thanks to 112 run partnership between @grantelliottnz @RossLTaylor #nzvpak ^RI pic.twitter.com/crnKdo02lH

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) January 31, 2015"

The New Zealand bowling attack impressed in Wellington and will be a match for most sides on home turf. Adam Milne once again cranked up the speed gun and is a nice change of pace to the Black Caps' battery of medium-fast seamers.

If Pakistan are to pull off a surprise victory on Tuesday they'll need to overturn both the recent and historical form book. The visitors have won just two of their last 11 ODI outings.

Their record in Napier is pretty wretched, too, with just a single victory in five appearances at McLean Park.

Squads

New Zealand: Brendon McCullum (c), Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Adam Milne, Luke Ronchi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Daniel Vettori, Kane Williamson

Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt.), Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Younis Khan, Haris Sohail, Sarfraz Ahmed, Shahid Afridi, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Irfan, Umar Akmal, Bilawal Bhatti, Sohail Khan, Ehsan Adil, Sohaib Maqsood, Yasir Shah

Key Players

New Zealand

The Kiwi batting lineup impressed throughout the recent series against Sri Lanka and the rich pickings have continued against Pakistan. Ross Taylor has been the best of the recent bunch.

With half-centuries in two of his three most recent visits to the middle, the 30-year-old appears to be peaking at the right time with the World Cup just days away.

Pakistan

The visitors should have got some of the ring rust out of their system following Sunday's loss in Wellington. The batting remains the chief concern so much will rest on the shoulders of captain Misbah.

The most intriguing aspect of the series opener was the performance of Irfan. If Pakistan's premier paceman gets his radar pointing in the right direction he has the capacity to be a truly match-winning bowler.

Stats are courtesy of ESPNcricinfo.com and Howstat.com.