Top 5 Players In The Pak vs. NZ ODI’s

The ODI series between Pakistan and New Zealand was set up amazingly as both the Test and T-20 series were drawn. So, in a way this series would have decided the team for which this tour was more successful.

Both teams saw this series as a build up to the ICC World Cup 2015. There were a lot of heroes in this series for both the teams. Here’s a list of the top five performers:[tps_title]Haris Sohail ( Pak )[/tps_title]

Haris Sohail’s most significant performance was the 85 that he scored in the 1st ODI while his team was chasing. When he came out to bat, the hosts were in a spot of bother at 40 for 3. Soon, they were reduced to 124 for 6 chasing a target of 247 when Afridi came out to bat. From that unlikely position, Sohail and Afridi took Pakistan home on a sluggish wicket. Sohail mixed caution with aggression as he picked the right balls to hit.

He charged Vettori a number of times and put the veteran under pressure. He was rightly awarded with the Man of the Match award for his. Sohail backed it up with cameos of 39 and 65 in the 3rd and 5th ODI’s. He was a big plus for Pakistan and emerged as batting all-rounder, scoring 235 runs and taking 6 wickets.[tps_title]Kane Williamson ( NZ )[/tps_title]

The talented Kiwi opener was at the helm for this series. Playing with the added pressure of captaincy on him, he was excellent and gave his team important starts. Though he didn’t have a good start to the series, scoring just 10 in the 1st ODI, he took his team to victory in the second matchm scoring 70 while chasing a target of 252.

What pleased the eye was the manner in which he handled the Pakistani spinners. His best performance came in the 4th ODI, when he scored 123 runs off just 105 balls to lift the New Zealand score to 299. It was a mixed package of elegant drives and forceful shots. He backed it up with a 97 in the last ODI, which helped his team win the match and the series. Williamson was rightly given the Man of the Series award for his tally of 346 runs.

[tps_title]Shahid Afridi ( Pak )[/tps_title]

Afridi had an excellent tournament as an all-rounder. He batted with unseen maturity as well as a bit of the old Boom Boom when the time demanded it.

His bowling was a huge plus-point for Pakistan, as he used the drift into the batsman with huge confidence and constantly got the better of many of New Zealand’s right-handed batsman. His best innings was the 61 that he scored in the 1st ODI to take Pakistan to victory along with Haris Sohail.

It was a mature innings from Afridi, which was a pleasant change from a man who has often promised so much but failed to deliver. This innings was followed by a typical Boom Boom 55 and 49 in the third and the fourth ODI’s.

Afridi scored a total of 205 runs in the series. He was excellent with the ball too, which is eminent with his return of 8 wickets at a miserly economy of under 5 per over.[tps_title]Ross Taylor ( NZ )[/tps_title]

The former Kiwi captain, Ross Taylor, started off the tournament with a century. The innings came at a time when his team was in trouble. The Black Caps were reduced to a score of 111 for 5 and his century propelled their score to 246 and in the process, he became the only New Zealand player to score three consecutive centuries in ODI cricket.

He then combined well with Kane Williamson in the 5th ODI to take the Kiwi score to a respectable 275. The bat-speed and the hand-eye coordination of Ross Taylor were at display in both these innings.

He scored 252 runs in the series.

[tps_title]Matt Henry ( NZ )[/tps_title]

Although Matt Henry didn’t feature in the first ODI, he performed exceedingly well in the next match, taking four wickets. He removed the openers and then broke the backbone of the Pakistani chase by removing Misbah.

However, Matt Henry’s best performance was in the 5th ODI, when he took a 5-wicket-haul. With an action reminiscent of former Kiwi Shane Bond, Henry has proved to be a big plus for New Zealand and ended the series with 13 wickets in just 4 outings.