Pakistan Vs New Zealand Redemption Series : Second Test Player Ratings

PAKISTAN:

Taufeeq Umar: He impressed with the bat in Hamilton and continued that in Wellington with a 70 in the first innings. However, he got out for a duck on the first ball he faced in the second innings. He gets a 6 for this game.

Mohammed Hafeez: Hafeez got out cheaply in the first innings making just 1 run. He bowled well when New Zealand were batting for the second time and picked up two wickets including that of Jesse Ryder. While batting, he got a good start and made 32 before perishing to a delivery from Chris Martin. For his efforts, Hafeez gets a 6 for this game.

Younis Khan: Younis Khan scored a crucial 73 in the first innings and shared a 142 run partnership with the captain. In the second innings also, he played well and steadied Pakistan’s ship with 81. He ensured that Pakistan would not lose the test and for his efforts, he gets an 8.5 for this game.

Azhar Ali: Azhar Ali is one of the cricketers Pakistan will hope will play for a long time. He is certainly in good nick and that was evident in the first innings where he scored 67. He did not shine in the second innings though and managed to score only 10. For this match, he gets a 6.

Asad Shafiq: Shafiq is one of the new faces in this Pakistani line up. He played well in the first test but could not follow it up in Wellington. He got out for a duck in the first innings. In the second, he managed to make only 24 but consumed 85 balls, in the process, helping Pakistan secure a draw. Shafiq gets a 5 for this game.

Misbah-ul-Haq: The captain led from the front and is proving to be the right choice to lead Pakistan at the moment. He was unfortunate to miss out on a century in the first innings, falling short by just 1 run. His innings of 99 helped Pakistan get a lead of 20 in the first innings. He batted resolutely in the second innings and ensured Pakistan won its first series in Tests in four years. He emerged the top scorer in the series. He deservedly won the Man of the Match award. He gets a 9 for this game.

Adnan Akmal: Akmal’s keeping has been excellent in the match. He caught 6 in the first innings and a couple in the second. His batting in the first innings showed signs of promise. He scored 22. In the second innings, he came out to bat when the result was already decided. He batted out the remaining few overs preventing any collapse. He gets 7 for this game.

Wahab Riaz: Riaz bowled well in the first innings but picked up only one wicket. However, that was that of the all important Ross Taylor, who was playing on 78. In the second innings, he bowled only 8 overs. He was expensive, going for 38 in those 8 overs. Riaz gets 4. 5 for this match.

Abdur Rehman: Rehman wrecked New Zealand’s batting in Hamilton. He continued with the good show in Wellington. He picked up wickets of both James Franklin and Daniel Vettori who were well settled in the first innings. He scalped 3 in the second innings. Again they included wickets of Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum , who were then batting on 73 and 64 respectively. He thus played a decisive role in taking the game away from New Zealand. He gets 7.5 for this game.

Tanvir Ahmed: Tanvir had a dream debut against South Africa a few months back. In the first test in Hamilton, he picked up four wickets. He bowled well in the first innings, picking up three wickets. In the second innings, he bowled only 10 overs and picked up one wicket, that of Kane Williamson. For his efforts, Tanvir Ahmed gets a 6.5 for the second test.

Umar Gul: Umar Gul is the leader of the Pakistani bowling attack now and he is handling the responsibility well. He bowled superbly in both the innings, picking up four in each. Thus, he ended with a rich haul of 8 wickets for the match. His bowling especially in the second innings was a delight to watch and he cleaned up New Zealand’s last 4 wickets to deny them a more competitive total. Gul gets 8 for this match.

New Zealand

Martin Guptill: Guptill opened the batting in this match with McCullum with Tim McIntosh being dropped. He got a start in the first innings making 29 before a poor short ended his innings. He played better in the second innings and made 73 before getting out toRehman. Guptill gets a 6.5 for the second test.

Brendon McCullum: McCullum got out leg before in the first over of the match on day 1 to Umar Gul. He can consider himself unlucky as the replays suggested that the ball would have missed the stumps. He made amends for the first innings display by scoring a half century in the second innings. He also caught two catches in the first innings. Brendon McCullum gets a 6 for this game.

Kane Williamson: Kane Williamson had a terrific debut against India in November 2010 and looks to be a long term prospect for New Zealand . He played at number 3 position in this match and not at number 6, his usual batting position. This perhaps affected his batting. He got 21 and 15 in the first and second innings respectively. For the second test, Kane Williamson gets a 4.

Ross Taylor: Rosco batted excellently in the test, scoring half centuries in both the innings. He was instrumental in New Zealand putting up a decent total in the first innings with a contribution of 78. In the second innings too, he batted well and made 52 before getting an excellent delivery from Gul. He also took 4 catches in the match. For his efforts, Rosco gets a 7.5

Jesse Ryder: Ryder would like to forget the present series against Pakistan as soon as possible and move on. He got a golden duck in the first innings, when he was caught behind off Tanvir Ahmed. In the second, he managed to score only 17 before shouldering arms to a ball from Hafeez which rattled his stumps. Ryder gets a 3.5 for this game.

James Franklin: James Franklin is being played as more of an all rounder these days by New Zealand. He was brought into the side as a replacement for opener Tim McIntosh. In this match, he did not bowl much and he did not pick up any wickets also. He batted well in the first innings getting to 33 before edging one to the keeper off Abdur Rehman. He disappointed with the bat in the second innings, scoring just 6 runs. Franklin gets a 5 for this game.

Reece Young: Young had a decent game behind the stumps and a very good one in front of them. He scored 57 in the first innings and shared a century stand with Daniel Vettori. In the second innings, he got just 20 when an excellent catch by Azhar Ali sent him back to the pavilion. Young gets 6 for this match.

Daniel Vettori: Vettori is the man for all seasons in New Zealand cricket. He strung up an excellent partnership with Young and took New Zealand to 356 in the first innings, in the process scoring his sixth test century. He also bowled beautifully in that innings, picking up four wickets. He did not make an impact with the bat in the second innings but bowled with a lot of heart and picked up one wicket. In the match, he bowled in all 79 overs, testimony to his hard work and untiring effort. He led by example but his efforts were not enough to win the match and square the series. He gets 8.5 for this game.

Tim Southee: Southee struck early in both the innings but Pakistani batsmen did not allow him up pick up any more wickets in quick succession. He took the wicket of Tanvir Ahmed to end Pakistan’s first innings. In the second, his dismissal of Younis Khan on the stroke of tea revived hope in New Zealand camp but it was not meant to be. In all, he picked up four wickets. He got a handy 22 in the second innings. Tim Southee gets a 6.5 for this match.

Brent Arnel: He bowled superbly to claim four wickets in Pakistan’s first innings in Hamilton. But he could not repeat a similar performance in Wellington. He went wicket less in both the innings of the match. Arnel gets a 3.5 for this game.Chris Martin: Chris Martin bowled well in this test and returned with a haul of 6 wickets in the match. He got the crucial wickets of

Azhar Ali and MIsbah-ul-Haq in the first innings. He got Azhar Ali and Mohammed Hafeez in quick succession in the second innings raisings hopes of a New Zealand victory which, unfortunately, did not materialize. He gets a 7.5 for this match.Note: All the ratings are out of 10.