Cricket: Waqar tips a 3-0 sweep in ODIs

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan captain Waqar Younis believes his team would beat any opposition in the world on present form and believes New Zealand will not win a game in the one-day series.

On the evidence of Monday's first international in Karachi, it is hard to argue with both assertions as New Zealand seek to claw their way back in Rawalpindi tonight (NZ time). Pakistan continued their winning run from the Sharjah Cup tournament with a 153-run hammering of the depleted tourists, with Yousuf Youhana's second consecutive century overshadowed by speedster Shoaib Akhtar's six for 16.

The bad news for New Zealand is that Akhtar returns to his home town for tonight's match and is bound to be fired up.

His best two international limited-over returns have now come against New Zealand, the other a spell of five for 19 in Auckland last year.

New Zealand are striking Pakistan at the worst possible time - when they are unusually consistent.

They fielded the same side throughout at Sharjah and then in Karachi, and have shown little of their past up-and-down form.

New Zealand, who are without their injured bowling frontliners Chris Cairns, Shane Bond and Dion Nash, now have an illness crisis, with captain Stephen Fleming, wicketkeeper Robbie Hart and Scott Styris doubtful starters with stomach upsets.

Fleming and Styris were joined on the sick list yesterday by Hart.

Waqar was understandably confident going into the second match, and while he paid New Zealand due respect, he was predicting a 3-0 sweep.

"New Zealand are capable of coming back, but it depends how mentally strong they are.

"They didn't play that well in Sharjah, and now they have lost here, it's going to be very difficult for them.

"I can see us winning all three games if we keep our consistency.

"We are finally getting some consistency and if we carry on playing like this we would beat any team in the world at the moment."

Waqar and Wasim Akram are still proving a handful as an opening partnership, and with Akhtar, Abdur Razzaq and spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, there is no better balanced attack in the world.

It adds up to more pressure for the New Zealand batsmen who under-performed in Sharjah then again in Karachi when Nathan Astle's 25 was the top score.

Craig McMillan's 54 in Sharjah is the best innings from the last five one-day matches, a pitiful statistic given the flatness of the pitches.

Astle is due to fire again and hit huge sixes off Waqar and Akram on Monday before being undone by a slower ball.

Matt Horne also looked good before running himself out and McMillan struggled to explain his brain explosion when he tried to pull Akhtar's first short ball and lobbed a simple catch.

New Zealand coach Denis Aberhart said the formula was simple against Akhtar.

"We have to be more conservative. If we don't let him get wickets early, the steam will go out of him.

"We need runs, it would be nice to bat first and put them under pressure. If we can do that we've got a good chance."

The bowling and fielding was useful, despite conceding 275 which was based on a partnership of 161 between Youhana and Younis Khan.

"We showed some fight, even though we got a hiding," Aberhart said. "We did some good things, we just need to do them for longer and put the Pakistanis under pressure. If you can do that in the one-day game, any team can win it."

Aberhart, meanwhile, has spoken to match officials to ensure a good supply of used cricket balls are available today after a 35-over ball was replaced by a near-new one on Monday.

The Pakistani batsmen relished the harder ball late in the innings, as they added 92 off the last 10 overs.

New Zealand (from): S. Fleming (capt), N. Astle, C. Nevin, M. Horne, L. Vincent, C. McMillan, C. Harris, J. Oram, A. Adams, B. Walker, D. Tuffey, I. Butler, J. Franklin, S. Styris, R. Hart.

Pakistan (from): Waqar Younis (capt), Imran Nazir, Shahid Afridi, Yousuf Youhana, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Abdur Razzaq, Rashid Latif, Wasim Akram, Saqlain Mushtaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Yasir Arafat, Faisal Iqbal, Mohammad Sami.

Umpires: Steve Bucknor (WI), Aleem Dar (Pakistan).

- NZPA