Pakistan v UAE: Minnows look to scalp familiar foe

Ed Hawkins
03 March 2015

Misbah top scored on this ground in 2011

Join

View market

Twitter

Facebook

Ed Hawkins previews this contest in Napier in the early hours of Wednesday as punters hope for another World Cup shock...

"If you have to get involved, a back-to-lay of the UAE is a fun wager"

Recommended Bet
Back-to-lay UAE from 12.011/1 to 8.07/1

Pakistan v UAE
Start time: 01.00GMT
TV: live on Sky Sports

Pakistan

Pakistan got their first win of the tournament by scraping home against Zimbabwe. They were grateful to Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Irfan, whose pace and bounce respectively saw them share eight wickets down the middle.

They were in a dreadful hole. At 128 for three chasing just 236, the Zims should have got over the line but they fell 20 runs short.

Concerns still exist then about Pakistan's batting. They can rely on Misbah-ul-Haq, who hit a half-century, and that's about it.

Umar Akmal looks likely to continue in his wicketkeeper-batsman role while legspinner Yasir Shah could replace pacer Rahit Ali.

UAE

Nine of the UAE squad are of Pakistan origin while they know their opponents well having played with and against them in Dubai.

They were beaten by four wickets by Zimbabwe in their opener having posted a good score but they were comfortablky despatched by India by nine wickets. They were bowled out for 102 although the WACA pitch was a mitigating factor. They wouldn't have faced such bounce before. Rohan Mustafa, the spinner, may lose his place to Nasir Aziz.

First-innings runs

With a first-innings average of 297 in the last ten ODI, McLean Park in Napier is one of the highest-scoring grounds in New Zealand. In six of those 275 or more was breached. There were three scores of 300 or more. A Big Eight side should expect to bust 300 against an associate if they bat first on this track.

Match odds

Pakistan are as short as 1.081/12 with the UAE 12.011/1. As betting heats go, it is not one which you are likely to be hotly anticipating.

The only option is to try to find a reason why the UAE can cause an upset, or at least cause an upset for about half the overs - a bit like Zimbabwe. The problem is, Zimbabwe are a better side than UAE.

Any punter taking the 12.011/1 will have to hope that UAE bat first and exploit the good batting conditions - the weather forecast is set fair - and put a shaky Pakistan batting line-up under pressure.

They will seek solace in the fact that Pakistan are probably the least reliable of all the Big Eight sides, a hectic schedule of preparation and reports of some lazy work in practice beforehand.

It has to be said that this contest was not earmarked as a potential shock. Zimbabwe was and their encounter against Ireland is, so there would be no surprise if this was a cosy win. But if you have to get involved, a back-to-lay of the UAE is a fun wager.

Top Pakistan runscorer

Ahmed Shezad scored a half century when Pakistan were beaten on this ground at the start of last month. Misbah hit an unbeaten 93 there in 2011. Shehzad is 3.953/1 and Misbah 5.04/1.

Top UAE runscorer

Khurram Khan, the UAE No 4, is comfortably their top bat over the last 12 months with 395 runs at 68. Shaiman Anwar is next best with 334 at 41. The pair are 4.47/2 and 5.24/1 respectively.