Pakistan heavy favourites to win at Karachi

Pakistan go into the second and final Test of the series against New Zealand at Karachi on Wednesday, looking set for a clean sweep. They are already 1-0 up after routing the visitors well within three days in the first Test at Lahore.

Everything has been going in Pakistan's favour. New Zealand, on the other hand, are ruing the fact that their best players are injured and unable to take the field. Medium-pacer Andre Adams was the latest Kiwi casualty, going back home with a suspected stress fracture. Leg-spinner Brooke Walker has a dislocated finger and this might see Scott Styris making his Test debut. The visitors could also go in for more pace in the form of Ian Butler.

Stephen Fleming Photo © CricInfo

New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming still has a lot to worry about. "We know we have a mountain to climb after a big defeat in the first Test, but I hope we finish the tour on a high note with an improved performance in this Test," he told media men ahead of the decisive encounter.

Meanwhile, the only worry Pakistan have, seems to surround Shoaib Akthar's probable lack of fitness. The Rawalpindi Express twisted his ankle during the fiery spell (6/11) that wrecked the New Zealand first innings in Lahore. If Akthar does not recover by Wednesday morning, Wasim Akram will be the likely replacement.

Akram in the twilight of his career is the highest wicket-taker for Pakistan in both forms of cricket. With 414 Test wickets to his name, Akram should have been considered an automatic choice for selection at Lahore itself.

Pakistan with the abundance of riches at their disposal are in a position to leave out young fast bowler Mohammad Sami, who took a hat-trick during the Asian Test Championship final against Sri Lanka at Lahore in March.

Their spinners Danish Kaneria and Saqlain Mushtaq were amongst the wickets in the Lahore Test and both of them must play an important part in Karachi too. The much-awaited comeback of opening batsman Saeed Anwar should add more strength to the awesome batting line-up. Pakistan, in all likelihood, will be forced to drop the exciting Shahid Afridi, who had a century and a fifty prior to his first-ball duck in Lahore.

"We would like to wrap up the series and prove we are the best team in the world after our home series against Australia in October, and then a series against South Africa," a confident Pakistan skipper Waqar Younis said in his press briefing.

Pakistan pace trio Photo © CricInfo

For the record, Pakistan and New Zealand have so far played six Test matches at the National Stadium in Karachi. The first match was in October 1955, Pakistan winning on the fourth morning by an innings and one run. Pakistan won again in four days in April 1965, by a convincing margin of eight wickets.

New Zealand managed to draw the third encounter in Karachi in October 1969, in November 1976 and in December 1984. The Test match in November 1976 was the final Test of the series and is still remembered for the batting heroics of the Pakistani batting legend, Javed Miandad.

Miandad, who scored 163 in his debut innings in the first Test of the series that was played at Lahore, went on to make 206 and 85 at Karachi, a brilliant batting display for a 19-year-old. The sixth encounter between the two teams at Karachi was in October 1990; Pakistan won the Test match by an innings and 43 runs, early on the fifth morning.

Steve Bucknor Photo © CricInfo

Interestingly, all eyes will be on umpire Steve Bucknor tomorrow. The Jamaican will be standing in his 67th Test which will be a new record for the highest Test appearances by an umpire, obliterating Dickie Bird's previous record of 66 Test matches.

Pakistan: Waqar Younis (Captain), Inzamam-ul-Haq (vice-captain), Shahid Afridi, Saeed Anwar, Imran Nazir, Younis Khan, Yousuf Youhana, Rashid Latif, Abdul Razzaq, Saqlain Mushtaq, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Danish Kaneria, Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Sami.

New Zealand: Stephen Fleming (Captain), Craig McMillan (vice-captain), Matthew Horne, Mark Richardson, Lou Vincent, Chris Harris, Brooke Walker, Daryl Tuffey, Daniel Vettori, Chris Martin, Mathew Sinclair, Robbie Hart, Ian Butler, Scott Styris.

Umpires: Steve Bucknor (West Indies) and Rudi Koertzen (South Africa)