Yasir-powered Pakistan look to sew up series

Overview

Pakistan v New Zealand
3rd Test
Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Monday, 3 December, 10am local time, 6am GMT

Yasir had a quiet time of it by his standards in the Test series against Australia, picking up eight wickets in two matches.

But the team wanted more from the man with 87 wickets from 14 Tests in the United Arab Emirates before the start of the series against New Zealand, and he has delivered in spades.

In the first, as his team lost by four runs, Yasir picked up eight scalps, and then he had 14 strikes in the second game as Pakistan won by an innings and 16 runs, taking his tally up to 109 from 16 in the UAE.

Now, he needs just five more wickets to take his career tally up to 200, and most followers will back him to achieve the feat in Abu Dhabi, in his 33rd Test.

If he does, it will go some way in putting Pakistan in a position of advantage against a team that has shown great commitment and fight in the series so far.

The first Test wasn’t even a real see-saw affair. New Zealand scored just 153 in their first innings and eventually set Pakistan 176 to win. Easy, people thought, especially when Pakistan reached 130/3 with Azhar Ali and Haris Sohail in the middle, and Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam and Sarfraz Ahmed to follow.

But debutant Ajaz Patel decided to change the script and did it so well that Pakistan stopped four runs short. In the second Test too, while Yasir’s eight-for shut New Zealand out for just 90 in the first hit, they battled to 312 in the second – an impressive effort despite the end result.

Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls have been in excellent form, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham and BJ Waling have all scored at least one half-century, and the bowlers impressed in the first Test. So there is a fair bit of firepower in that squad and a lot of spunk.

That’s something for Pakistan to worry about, but they have their form players as well, not just Yasir. Azam, Sohail and Ali have looked good, and Hasan Ali has been among the wickets too.

Pakistan might miss Mohammad Abbas for this game, but with the talent in their ranks – both Mir Hamza and Shaheen Shah Afridi are around to fill in if needed – they should be reasonably confident.

Key players

**Yasir Shah (Pakistan):**When in the UAE, Yasir is a different beast. He was in complete control of his craft in Dubai, even drawing comparisons with Shane Warne. When he gets going, Yasir is usually difficult to stop, and Pakistan will expect him to continue on his roll.

**Henry Nicholls (New Zealand):**With Jeet Raval and Latham at the top, and Williamson and Taylor next in, Nicholls might have been expected to play a lesser role than he has. But he has stood out with half-centuries in the second innings in both Tests, 55 in Abu Dhabi and 77 in Dubai. He’d want to get to three-digits next, and looking at his form, it could well happen.

Conditions

Not terribly hot but nicely sunny, the weather in Abu Dhabi is as good as it can be for Test cricket. There are runs to be scored, especially on the first three days, but spinners will back themselves to have a big say.

Squads

Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (c & wk), Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Bilal Asif, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Sohail, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hafeez, Saad Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Yasir Shah

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Jeet Raval, Ish Sodhi, William Somerville, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling (wk)