Pakistan will have it all to do when they take on a buoyant New Zealand in the second Test of the three-match series at Dubai on Saturday.
Sarfraz Ahmed and his men trail 0-1 in the series after their dramatic four-run loss in the opener at Abu Dhabi and will have to register a victory at Dubai if they are to keep their chances of winning the series alive.
With plenty at stake for both teams, we take a look at the key talking points heading into the Dubai Test.
VISITORS IN WITH A CHANCE TO MAKE HISTORY
Kane Williamson and his men have a shot at making history for New Zealand should they notch up a win at Dubai. The Kiwis’ last Test series win on Asian soil came in 2008 when they beat Bangladesh at home.
Their last and only away series victory against Pakistan dates back even further to 1969. Then, a Graham Dowling-led team had emerged victorious in a three-match series after a win in the opening Test at Lahore had been followed by draws at Karachi and Dhaka.
Four years ago, they had managed to hold Pakistan to a 1-1 draw in the UAE and they could notch up a historic achievement should they go one step further this time.
Williamson and his men have a rare shot at history.
PRESSURE ON SARFRAZ AND PAKISTAN TO PRESERVE UAE SUPREMACY
Sarfraz’s Test captaincy tenure of Pakistan started off on a disappointing note last year with Sri Lanka beating his men 2-0 in the UAE. That was the first series defeat suffered by Pakistan on UAE soil since they moved to their adopted ‘home’ after 2009.
Sarfraz and his men bounced back from that disappointment with impressive results on the tours of Ireland and England before quelling the Aussie challenge in the Emirates last month.
However, the Pakistan skipper now finds himself on the verge of a second home series loss in three outings on UAE soil and he will be feeling the pressure to deliver the goods this week. Pakistan’s decade-long stronghold in the UAE has been phenomenal but it sits in danger of being rocked should another series loss ensue.
Pakistan are under pressure to deliver.
BILAL ASIF IN THE SPOTLIGHT
There cannot be too many complaints from Pakistan’s bowling performance in the Abu Dhabi defeat with Hasan Ali and Yasir Shah putting in commendable performances. However, Bilal Asif’s display left plenty to be desired with the off-spinner picking up just the one wicket across two innings.
The 33-year-old had made a considerable impact in his debut Test series against Australia but failed to threaten the Kiwi batsmen much in the series opener at Abu Dhabi.
His form will leave Sarfraz with a tough decision to make for Dubai. Though Pakistan have the option of using Haris Sohail and Mohammad Hafeez too in the spin department in addition to Yasir, they might be forced to persist with Bilal given the conditions expected to be on offer in Dubai.
However, should Sarfraz opt to drop the spinner, he has the opportunity to hand teenage pacer Shaheen Afridi his Test debut or give Mir Hamza his second red-ball outing for Pakistan.
Bilal Asif’s spot is under the scanner.
