Cricket: Rotation gives How a chance

Rotation is a word more usually associated with rugby than any other sport in this country in recent times.

The New Zealand XI for today's second ODI against Pakistan in Queenstown brings the R word to life in a different context.

Out of the 12 goes offspinner and handy lower order batsman Nathan McCullum, in comes Jamie How to get a chance with the bat at No 4 in the order.

McCullum didn't get a bat or bowl in the nine-wicket romp over Pakistan in the opening game of the six-match series in Wellington on Saturday. So on one level his demotion seems tough for a player captain Dan Vettori yesterday described as perhaps the country's best ODI performer of the last year.

It also signals the change as part of a rotation policy to keep all World Cup-bound players involved.

"Nathan does exceptionally well for us with bat and ball and everyone knows he's a great fielder, it's certainly not a form thing," Vettori said yesterday, adding that McCullum would be in a first choice XI.

How gets his chance in a slightly lower spot in the batting order than he's used to. But with openers Martin Guptill and Jesse Ryder being retained after a strong start in Wellington, and the desire to leave Ross Taylor at No 3, that was the first slot available for How.

"It's what's going to happen throughout the series," Vettori said of the selection. "But we don't want to make it override what we are here for, and that's to win. Guys have to get their heads round changes in the batting order and what the selectors want out of certain players."

New Zealand have won five of the six completed games in Queenstown, and batted second each time. But giving the batsmen every chance might be a strong motivation to change that today, given the choice at the toss, on a pitch Vettori expects to be pretty good.

Pakistan are expected to recall leading pacemen Umar Gul and Wahab Riaz for the game, after sitting out Saturday's walloping.

Captain Shahid Afridi talked yesterday of the importance of getting combinations bedded in ahead of the World Cup.

He's also in the middle of a row brewing over the Pakistan board's failure to name their World Cup captain when the squad of 15 was announced.

While Afridi is captain in New Zealand, he's not been firing of late. His vice-captain Misbah-ul-Haq has been in outstanding form in New Zealand as test captain.

One former skipper, the imposing Inzamam-ul-Haq, has clobbered the Pakistan board for creating two factions in the squad: those who side with Afridi, and those who prefer the more low-key, but inspiring batsman Misbah.

"In this scenario one cannot have high expectations for the team," Inzamam, who led their disastrous 2007 cup campaign, said.

"When a team is without a captain how can a proper strategy be made? The team is playing a one-day series in New Zealand but they do not know who will be their captain in the World Cup, which is very damaging."

NEW ZEALAND V PAKISTAN

Queenstown Events Centre, 11am today

New Zealand: Dan Vettori (c), Martin Guptill, Jesse Ryder, Jamie How, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, James Franklin, Brendon McCullum, Jacob Oram, Tim Southee, Hamish Bennett. 12th man: Nathan McCullum.

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