3 Reasons Why New Zealand Are Likely To Be Tougher Opponents Than Australia For Pakistan

Pakistan face a new opponent in New Zealand from tomorrow in UAE as both sides are all set to feature in a 3 match T20 series before they meet again for a similar number of One Day Internationals and Test matches. So, here is a look at 3 reasons why New Zealand are likely to be tougher opponents than Australia for Pakistan.

Read: After Yesterday’s Series Victory, We Believe That Pakistan Can Become The Greatest T20 Unit Ever & Here’s How!

1. Not Carrying Excess Baggage

Australia arrived in UAE following the Newlands ball-tampering controversy. Hence, they were without key senior players like Steve Smith and David Warner on one hand and from a psychological perspective were carrying excess baggage on the other.

Read: 3 Takeaways From Pakistan’s First T20 Against Australia That You Probably Missed

There is no such thing in case of the Kiwis who will have come to play following a decent break and therefore, are likely to be much more hungry than the Kangaroos.

2. Better UAE Record

New Zealand particularly, during the last five years or so have performed better than their neighbors Australia in UAE. Thus, unlike the Aussie boys, they have acclimatized better in UAE conditions and thus, are expected to be more competitive than Australia.

Read: 5 Things to Note as Pakistan Announce Playing XI for the First T20

3. Better Bowling Options

New Zealand have got decent spinners in IS Sodhi and Mitchell Santner, both of whom are expected to play a pivotal role in UAE conditions. Moreover, their fast bowlers i.e. Tim Southee, Colin de Grandhomme,  Adam Milne and Seth Rance are all capable of bowling decently both during the start and end of an innings.

So, even though Pakistan start off as favorites and despite the green shirts being familiar with UAE conditions, New Zealand still can’t be taken lightly and they will be a handful particularly if they manage to expose Pakistan’s vulnerable batting line early in given innings.

Read: 5 Pakistani Cricketers Who Need To Perform In The T20s Against Australia