Cricket: Ground's statistics favour a win for NZ

New Zealand bowler Tim Southee celebrates another Pakistani wicket. Photo / Brett Phibbs.

New Zealand's one-day record of late is not particularly flash.

But change the parameters to make it read 'ODIs in Christchurch' and the result is rather different.

Since the start of 2000, New Zealand have played 17 ODIs at the ground.

They have won 13 of them. Boil it down another stage, and of the eight ODIs played against Pakistan in Christchurch, New Zealand have won seven, the exception being the final round-robin game of the 1992 World Cup.

Pakistan were New Zealand's first ODI opponents. New Zealand won that game in 1973, which finished on a gloomy February late afternoon by 22 runs.

So New Zealand should be approaching today's third ODI with a good measure of confidence, having ended that grim run of defeats in the subcontinent behind them.

In truth, that galling statistic of 11 straight losses bears little relevance to current events.

The conditions are so different from New Zealand's as to render that record useless for any sort of comparative guide.

However it will become a well-thumbed statistic once the World Cup arrives, and New Zealand are back to the subcontinent again next month.

But for now, New Zealand should be worrying about the job at hand on a ground the batsmen enjoy.

The reconfiguration of the ground two years ago means the boundaries are of the sand wedge variety. Bowlers, unless they're bang on the job, can cop a fearful drubbing.

"The guys enjoy coming here and Christchurch has certainly been a ground we've played well at in the past, although the different angles and things will make it a little more difficult as captain," New Zealand skipper Ross Taylor said yesterday.

The debate over whether Taylor, standing in for regular skipper Dan Vettori today, or his only serious rival for the job, Brendon McCullum, should succeed the allrounder will rumble along for a while yet.

The World Cup will be Vettori's swansong as leader. The next international assignment after that will be two tests in Bangladesh in mid-May.

Taylor is in pole position. Possession in this instance may not be nine-tenths of the decision, but it is his to lose.

Martin Guptill - eyeing a stint with English county Derbyshire later this year - will have a new opening partner in Jamie How today.

How replaces Jesse Ryder, with the McCullum middle order experiment still to see daylight after events in the last two ODIs.

"It's just another opportunity for me," How said yesterday. "Hopefully I can take it and put pressure on the first XI to be picked [at the World Cup]."

How rates the ground one of the better pitches to bat on in the country, and tipped a high-scoring game.

That said, the last time the teams were in Christchurch, New Zealand's first four batsmen were dismissed for ducks, in the third T20 on January 30.

As for Pakistan, the tourists have donated two signed bats to the Christchurch Earthquake Fund, used in that T20 win in the city last month. They will be auctioned on Trade Me, to close at the end of the last ODI, at Eden Park next Saturday.

Pakistan took a day off yesterday but need to find some form after a tonking in the opening game last weekend, and the rainout in Queenstown on Wednesday.

NZ v Pakistan

Christchurch, 2pm today

New Zealand

Ross Taylor (c), Martin Guptill, Jamie How, Kane Williamson, Scott Styris, Brendon McCullum, Jacob Oram, Nathan McCullum, Luke Woodcock, Kyle Mills, Tim Southee, Hamish Bennett.

Pakistan

(from) Shahid Afridi (c), Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shezhad, Kamran Akmal, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanvir, Tanvir Ahmed, Shoaib Akhtar.