Ross Taylor hopes New Zealand batsmen counter Pakistan’s spin threat

Pakistan are all set to start their 2012 World T20 campaign with a crucial game against New Zealand – a buoyant side after beating Bangladesh comprehensively.

Without a doubt, spin bowling will be Pakistan’s biggest strength in the tournament, as the Men in Green have some quality spinners, such as Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Hafeez.

Pakistan’s spin attack can easily bamboozle any batting line-up, and New Zealand skipper Ross Taylor is wary of the big threat. Ahead of the game, Taylor showed confidence on his batsmen, saying that they will be able to battle past Pakistan’s spin in the
group D match at Pallekele stadium on Sunday.

"Hafeez and Ajmal have got very good records in the last 12-18 months. We have had an insight into the wicket and the confidence from the way we played on Friday, we’ll hopefully take that also. We have prepared really well and I am sure we’ll do the same
against Pakistan," said Taylor.

The Kiwis have sweet memories of the Pallekele stadium. They thrashed Pakistan by 110 runs in the 50-over World Cup last year, when Taylor smashed a wonderful ton.

The skipper added, "I am not sure (whether this venue suits NZ more). It didn’t spin as much as we thought it might. When you play a second time on it, it could probably spin a little bit more. We’ll have to wait and see.”

"Pakistan are a lot more experienced than Bangladesh. They’ve played very well in the last 12-18 months. They’ve got world-class players but hopefully we can get the better of them come the next match."

On the other hand, the Cornered Tigers are also set for serious business. Hafeez, who recently took over as T20 captain, described that Pakistan tried different combinations in the warm-up games, and now they are ready for the battle.

"I am satisfied with the preparation of the team and we are ready for the big challenge. We know conditions here suit seamers so we are not going to rely on our spinners alone. We also have good seamers led by Gul so we will have a balanced combination for
a winning start," Hafeez uttered.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=33056

Posted by Rana Nasir Ghafoor on Sep 23 2012. Filed under Pakistan, Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry