Cricket: Vettori confident about Pakistan challenge

Under-performing batsmen need to radically improve poor strike rates.

New Zealand need a first if they are to stay alive in the world Twenty20 championship this weekend.

In four previous Twenty20 matches against defending world champions Pakistan, New Zealand have yet to manage a win.

They need one badly in Barbados tomorrow or their title aspirations will disappear after their disappointing 13-run loss to South Africa in their opening Super Eight clash yesterday.

South Africa got away on New Zealand in the latter stages of their innings, courtesy of some formidable hitting by Albie Morkel and AB de Villiers, to reach 170 for four. New Zealand were kept to 157 for seven.

Pakistan will be equally desperate after England cleaned them up by six wickets, on the back of a thumping unbeaten 73 off 52 balls from Kevin Pietersen, with three balls to spare.

The last time the two sides met was in Dubai late last year, when New Zealand were twice beaten. One match was lost by 49 runs and the other by seven runs, the latter a poor showing considering they finished 146 for five chasing just 154.

Pakistan won both encounters at the last two Twenty20 world tournaments, so they are likely to fancy their chances tomorrow on a postage-stamp ground in Bridgetown.

In a three-cornered contest, if all three teams win and lose one each, it comes back to net run rate. The flame can live on after a loss.

This is a four-sided setup. Lose twice and the chances of progressing are desperately slim.

"Eight teams are going to be confident of winning," New Zealand captain Dan Vettori said of the teams remaining. "At times, all have played really good cricket. No one has removed themselves from the pack."

That could change tomorrow.

New Zealand slipped up in being unable to restrict South Africa to around 150-155 yesterday.

The pitch was quicker than they had encountered in Guyana in their group games, but was far from fiery.

South Africa got off to a flyer but New Zealand's bowlers, notably tight-fisted Vettori, put a check on them.

Going into the last five overs, South Africa were 108 for three before lefthander Morkel, in particular, cut loose.

New Zealand's bowling lines weren't tight enough at the end and the short, straight boundaries were no match for Morkel's blunderbuss. He larruped 40 off 18 balls, hitting five into the crowd. De Villiers chipped in with an important unbeaten 47 off 39 balls and the pair clocked 73 in 6.2 overs.

New Zealand didn't help their cause with some sloppy fielding.

Martin Guptill might have nabbed Morkel on one, on the long-off fence if he was back on the rope rather than a few paces in. Nathan McCullum did drop a regulation running catch at long on from de Villiers on 35 in the 18th over off Shane Bond's bowling.

Crucial misses which came back to bite New Zealand.

New Zealand were on a par with South Africa for much of their chase, but too many easy wickets were gifted away, notably top-scorer Jesse Ryder, Scott Styris and Ross Taylor - a trio on whom so much of New Zealand's batting hopes rested.

They needed 62 off the last five overs, but when Jacob Oram went lbw for a duck New Zealand's goose was cooked.

"In the last five overs we let them get away," Vettori said. "Morkel and de Villiers played pretty well and we just left ourselves too many at the end."

Of his top four batsmen, who collectively have been poor so far, Vettori expects more. Only Ryder of the top five has got more runs than balls faced - 77 off 66 balls.

McCullum (28 off 35), Guptill (43 off 55), Taylor (28 off 31) and Styris (30 off 33) are all going at less than 100 per cent strike rate, rated the minimum requirement in this form.

Vettori took heart that New Zealand needed back-to-back wins en route to the Champions Trophy one-day final last year in South Africa, and got them.

And he'll know if New Zealand don't lift their game in key respects tomorrow, they'll likely be packing their bags earlier than expected.

MOST SIXES IN WORLD T20
(as of last night)

* 7: Jacques Kallis, Albie Morkel (both South Africa)

* 6: AB de Villiers (South Africa), Suresh Raina (India), Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka).

NEW ZEALAND V PAKISTAN
Barbados, 1.30am tomorrow

New Zealand: (from) Dan Vettori (c), Jesse Ryder, Brendon McCullum, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Gareth Hopkins, Jacob Oram, Nathan McCullum, Tim Southee, Shane Bond, Kyle Mills, Ian Butler, Aaron Redmond, Rob Nicol.

Pakistan: (from) Shahid Afridi (c), Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal, Mohammed Hafeez, Umer Akmal, Fawad Alam, Misbah-ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq, Mohammed Aamer, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammed Asif, Mohammed Sami, Abdur Rehman, Hammad Azam, Khalid Latif.