Kiwis in rude health, says spin doctor Dan

New Zealand could be without Kyle MIlls for today’s one-day opener against Pakistan, but confidence is high that Black Caps youngster Tim Southee and some spin will do the trick in the Abu Dhabi day-nighter.

The Kiwis already have a threadbare squad for the three one-dayers in the UAE, with opening batsman Jesse Ryder, seamer Daryl Tuffey and all-rounder Grant Elliott already ruled out.

Ian Butler is also doubtful, but skipper Daniel Vettori believes he still has the right weapons in his armoury - even if his side go into the match without world No.1-ranked ODI bowler Mills.

Southee and Shane Bond look set to open the bowling as Vettori said: “Kyle is a doubt for the game.

“I think everyone knows he’s the number one bowler in the world in one-day cricket so if he misses out it’ll be a big loss for us.

“Everyone recognises he (Southee) has wonderful ability and he has bowled really well in training so far. “By all accounts he bowled really well on the A tour (to India in August) and he will probably get an opportunity first up to prove that form.

“We are hoping that he can cement his place because I think when we first saw him in the New Zealand team (against England at home in early 2008) we saw what a really good and exciting bowler he can be.”

Vettori always plays a key role in the New Zealand attack with his deadly spin.

But he hinted that a twin-prongued attack with Nathan McCullum could be the way to combat big-hitting Pakistan at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

Pakistan have impressed in recent times in the one-day arena thanks largely to the slow bowling of Saeed Ajmal, with help from Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik.

He said: “We haven’t seen the wicket yet. But we saw the history of it in the Pakistan versus Australia matches (in April and May) when spinners dominated from early on so it’s more than likely we’ll go with two spinners and hopefully that works.”

Vettori is confident his side has enough in the way of batting class to have a go at the Pakistan bowling attack which will be spearheaded by Umar Gul and youngster Mohammad Aamer.

He added: “If you look at the line-up there’s some real match-winners with the likes of Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor, and Scott Styris brings a lot of experience. “So, while we don’t have the rankings we’d like, I’d still back those guys to come in and do a job. I think these conditions are going to suit the batsmen so hopefully this is their tournament to really step up and make a difference for us.”

Categorized | Entertainment News, Sports News

Tags : australia, black, butler, daniel-vettori, england-at-home, game, grant-elliott, history, india, match, pakistan, seen-the-wicket, shahid-afridi

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