New Zealand eye sweep against misfiring Pakistan

Before this series, New Zealand were in total disarray, having endured 14 successive defeats at the international level, and seemingly without a plan. Two Twenty20 matches were all it took to change the vibe in their side. It was made possible by the influx of players who hadn't been a part of the misadventures in the subcontinent. Adam Milne hustled away with Shane Bond-like pace, Peter McGlashan's innovative reverse sweeps left Umar Gul - a Twenty20 expert - looking out of place, and Luke Woodcock stunted a rampant chase with a tight spell. Suddenly, all of New Zealand's experiments have begun to work and they look good for the remainder of the tour.

It is unlikely that the hosts will drop their intensity in Christchurch. It has taken a lot of effort to end the losing streak and Ross Taylor's men will want to savour the taste of victory for as long as possible.

Things don't look so bright for Pakistan though. Despite all the controversies, they were expected to stand up in the Twenty20s - after all it was the format least likely to test their admittedly thin resources. Yet, while they have managed to challenge Australia, England and South Africa in the longer formats, their T20 form has nosedived, and they have now lost six on the trot. The problem seems to stem from their team composition, with a fragile and inexperienced top order failing to put enough runs on the board for their accomplished six-man attack to work with. Given that the AMI Stadium is another rugby-cum-cricket ground that will wrong-foot the best of bowlers, Pakistan may find merit in going the other way and loading up on their batting.