Pakistan v New Zealand, 2014-15
Wisden's review of the fifth ODI, Pakistan v New Zealand, 2014-15
15-Apr-2015
At Abu Dhabi, December 19, 2014 (day/night). New Zealand won by 68 runs. Toss: New Zealand.
Henry's five-for was the headline act, but Milne and McClenaghan were equally menacing, as New Zealand repeated their one-day series victory of 2009-10 in the UAE. None of the pace trio was a guaranteed first-choice pick, yet all bowled with such directness and pace that a Pakistan victory was never a serious prospect. Ahmed Shehzad and Haris Sohail alone looked as if they could handle it, and theirs were probably the only two wickets given away. New Zealand's success clouded the fact they were fielding the only 11 fit players left in the squad, and had to name bowling coach Shane Bond and UAE internationals Ahmed Raza and Chirag Suri as their three fielding substitutes. They had a target to defend thanks to more excellence from Williamson and Taylor, who put on 116 for the third wicket. A second Williamson hundred would have been a cute way to round off the series, but three runs fewer made no difference to the outcome, or the quality of his innings. He now had eight 50-plus scores in his last ten one-day internationals; few batsmen in the world were in his kind of form.
Man of the Match: M. J. Henry. Man of the Series: K. S. Williamson.
Henry's five-for was the headline act, but Milne and McClenaghan were equally menacing, as New Zealand repeated their one-day series victory of 2009-10 in the UAE. None of the pace trio was a guaranteed first-choice pick, yet all bowled with such directness and pace that a Pakistan victory was never a serious prospect. Ahmed Shehzad and Haris Sohail alone looked as if they could handle it, and theirs were probably the only two wickets given away. New Zealand's success clouded the fact they were fielding the only 11 fit players left in the squad, and had to name bowling coach Shane Bond and UAE internationals Ahmed Raza and Chirag Suri as their three fielding substitutes. They had a target to defend thanks to more excellence from Williamson and Taylor, who put on 116 for the third wicket. A second Williamson hundred would have been a cute way to round off the series, but three runs fewer made no difference to the outcome, or the quality of his innings. He now had eight 50-plus scores in his last ten one-day internationals; few batsmen in the world were in his kind of form.
Man of the Match: M. J. Henry. Man of the Series: K. S. Williamson.