Pakistan’s former captain gave important tips against New Zealand

Pakistan cricket team will begin next year with a bang, as Sarfraz men will go Down Under to meet New Zealand for a limited overs series.

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt, provided his expertise over dealing with the Kiwis at their home, saying this time around the Green Shirts batting line would need to elevate their game, as the series is expected to be a high scoring one.

“New Zealand is a good side, and plays good cricket in their home conditions. The Kiwis have the ability to read the opposition well. Meanwhile, Pakistan won the Champions Trophy in England, which has pretty different conditions as compared to the UAE,” stated Salman Butt, quoted local media.

“However, we would need our batting to click in New Zealand, as I believe that the five ODIs will feature high scoring games, and the batting line has to be more effective in order to win then your bowling,” he added.

Butt further praised skipper Sarfraz Ahmed for his aggressive captaincy, which allowed the Green Shirts to win their first ever Champions Trophy title.

“If we look at Champions Trophy, our bowling attack was the one to all out the opposition on most occasions, which was due to the fact that we were able to create pressure each time, whenever a wicket fell,” said Butt.

However the former captain was of the view that the batting line should increase their run making capacity in the limited overs to at least 280-300 runs, which is at par with the modern game would allow our bowlers ‘a cushion’ to defend the target.

Meanwhile, Pakistan tour of New Zealand will feature five One Day Internationals and three T20I, and one practice game. The tour will begin on January 3 next year and would conclude on January 28.