Before the series gets underway, here is a quick recap of interesting stats and records from the history of Test Cricket rivalry between the two teams.
Legendary Debuts:
Pakistan vs New Zealand Test contests have provided the first look opportunity for legends of the game such as Richard Hadlee (1973), Javed Miandad (1976), Wasim Akram (1985) and Misbah-ul-Haq (2001).
Team Records
Test Matches:
Overall:Total: 53, Pakistan: 24, New Zealand: 8, Drawn: 21
In New Zealand: Total: 29, Pakistan: 10, New Zealand: 5, Drawn 14
Test Series:
Overall: Total: 21, Pakistan: 13, New Zealand: 2, Drawn: 6
In New Zealand: Total: 12, Pakistan: 7, New Zealand: 1, Drawn 4
Pakistan hasn’t lost a Test series to New Zealand in the last 32 years. The last time New Zealand defeated Pakistan in a Test series was way back in 1985 – the debut series of WasimAkram.
Batting Records
Most Runs:
There has been only 3 batsmen to score more than 1,000 Test runs in bilateral contests. Javed Miandad leads the way with 1,919 runs, followed by Asif Iqbal 1,113 runs and Inzamam-ul-Haq 1,059 runs. The top scorer from New Zealand is Martin Crowe with 973 runs who stands 4th in the overall list.
In New Zealand, its Pakistanis again who dominates the list. Miandad is on top with 928 runs, followed by Mohammad Yousuf 718 runs and Inzamam-ul-Haq 715 runs. Again, the 4th spot is occupied by a New Zealander but his name may surprise some. It’s Daniel Vettori with 602 runs. Asif Iqbal 557 and Martin Crowe 556 are other batsmen who managed to score more than 500 runs in bilateral Tests.
Highest Scores:
There has been 1 triple century and 9 double hundreds scored in Pakistan vs New Zealand Tests.
Inzamam-ul-Haq’s 329, Miandad’s 271, Imtiaz Ahmed’s 209, Miandad’s 206, Mat Sinclair’s 204*, Hanif Mohammad’s, Shoaib Mohammad’s and Mohammad Yousuf’s 203, McCullum’s 202 and Mushtaq Mohammad’s 201 make up the list for all 200+ scores.
The famous father-son pair of Hanif Mohammad and Shoaib Mohammad has identical highest score against the New Zealand – 203 runs and both remained not out. Another Mohammad, Mohammad Yousuf also has the identical highest score. 3 Mohammads topped with 203.
In New Zealand, there has been only 4 double hundreds scored – 3 by Pakistanis and 1 by a Kiwi batsmen. Miandad 271, Mat Sinclair 204*, Mohammad Yousuf 203 and Mushtaq Mohammad 201.
Highest Batting Averages:
Shoaib Mohammad maintained an astonishing average of 106.75 while scoring 854 runs in 10 innings in 7 matches with 5 hundreds and 2 not outs. He scored a hundred against New Zealand in every other innings and never got out between 50 and 100.
Miandad amassed 1919 runs at 79.95 in 29 innings in 18 matches with 7 hundreds and 6 fifties. He hit a fifty almost every other innings he batted against the Kiwis. Inzamam accumulated 1059 at 66.18 while Majid Khan scored 936 at 58.5. The highest average by a New Zealander is 57.23 by Martin Crowe for his 973 runs followed by 56.38 of Younis Khan for 733 runs and Mohammad Yousuf 53.35.
As for batsmen who batted at least 10 innings in New Zealand, Miandad is on top with the average of 77.33, followed by Inzamam 59.58, Jeremy Coney 58.5, Mohammad Yousuf 55.23 and Dan Vettori 50.16 making up the list of all batsmen with 50+ batting average.
Most Hundreds:
Miandad with 7, Shoaib Mohammad 5 stands outs in the list followed by John Reid, Hanif Mohammad, Daniel Vettori, Majid Khan, Mushtaq Mohammad, Inzamam and Asif Iqbal who scored 3 each. Tom Latham, Mohammad Hafeez, Saeed Anwar, Ijaz Ahmed, Younis Khan, Sadiq Mohammad, Martin Crowe, Burgess and Saleem Malik with 2 hundreds each are the batsmen with more than 1 hundred in bilateral Tests.
In bilateral Tests in New Zealand, Daniel Vettori shares the top spot with Javed Miandad – 3 hundreds each – followed by Shoaib Mohammad, John Reid, Majid Khan, Asif Iqbal and Inzamam with 2 hundreds each.
Most Runs in a Series:
In New Zealand’s tour to Pakistan in 1990/91, Shoaib Mohammad amassed 507 runs at an average of 169 in 5 innings of 3 Tests with 3 hundreds and highest of 203 not out.
Shoaib edged past the record of 504 runs set by Javed Miandad in his debut series in 1976/77. Javed scored at 126 in 5 innings of 3 Tests with 2 hundreds, 1 fifty and highest of 206.
Shoaib and Javed are only two batsmen to have accumulated more than 500 runs in any bilateral series.
Mohammad Hafeez 418 in UAE in 2014 (2 Tests), Miandad’s 389 in New Zealand in 1988/89 (2 Tests) and Umar Akmal’s 379 in his debut series in New Zealand in 2009 are others with more than 350 runs.
On kiwi soil, Miandad with 389 in 2 Tests in 1988/89, Umar Akmal 379 in 3 Tests in 2009 and Sadiq Mohammad 366 in 3 Tests in 1972/73 are only totals with more than 350 runs. The highest by a New Zealander is 333 by John Reid in 3 Tests in 1984/85.
Bowling Records
Most Wickets:
Waqar Younis (70), Wasim Akram (60), Intikhab Alam (54) and Richard Hadlee (51) are the only bowlers to have taken more than 50 wickets in bilateral contests. Imran Khan took 31 wickets in 7 Tests he played. Daniel Vettori, considered New Zealand’s ace for most of his career, could manage only 22 wickets in his 9 Tests. Yasir Shah has currently taken 15 wickets in 3 Tests against the Kiwis.
On New Zealand soil, Wasim Akram is the only bowler from either side to have taken 50 or more wickets. Wasim took exactly 50. Next is Richard Hadlee with 41, Waqar Younis 34, Chris Martin 32 and Darryl Tuffey 30 wickets are the others to have taken 30 or more wickets.
Best Bowling Averages:
In Bowlers who have bowled minimum 1000 balls, Zulfiqar Ahmed took 19 wickets at 15.15 in 3 Tests. However, its Wasim Akram who boasts a phenomenal record; he has taken 60 wickets in only 9 Tests at only 17.01 runs for each wicket. Cemeroon 19.38 for 21 wickets, Asif Iqbal 19.42 for 26 wickets, Waqar Younis 19.6 for 70 wickets are the only bowlers with under 20 bowling average.
On Kiwi soil, as expected, Wasim Akram sits on the top with 17.18 for his 50 wickets in 7 Tests and he is the only bowler to have less than 20 bowling average for any bowler who has bowled more than 1000 deliveries in Pakistan vs New Zealand contests in New Zealand. Next best is 21.31 for 22 wickets by Collinge, followed by 24.41 for 41 wickets by Richard Hadlee, 25.46 for 30 wickets by Tuffey, 25.55 for 20 wickets by Intikhab Alam, 26.64 for 17 wickets by Imran Khan and 27.17 for 34 wickets by Waqar Younis
Best Bowling Strike Rates:
Not surprisingly, Wasim Akram took 42.1 balls for each of his 60 wickets followed by 42.9 of Waqar Yonis for his 70 wickets. The surprising entry is next; Mushtaq Ahmed with 44.1 for his 35 wickets in 6 Tests. Only 3 bowlers to have less than 50 Strike Rate.
On Kiwi soil, Wasim’s Strike Rate was fractionally better, 41 for his 50 wickets followed by Morrison’s 49 for 23 wickets in 5 Tests and Waqar’s 54.3 for 34 wickets in 8 Tests.
5 Wickets in an Innings:
Wasim Akram took 6 and his partner in destruction, Waqar Younis, took 5 5-ers, followed by Hadlee and Intikhab Alam with 4 5-ers each. Shoaib Akhtar, Mushtaq Ahmed and Pervez Sajjad took 3 each.
On Kiwi soil, Wasim took 6 and Hadlee took 3 5-ers. Shoaib Akhtar, Mushtaq Mohammad, Asif Iqbal, Mohammad Sami, Intikhab Alam and Waqar Younis managed twice each.
10 Wickets in a match:
The list is again dominated by Pakistanis with no Kiwi bowler to achieve the feat more than once. Only Wasim, Waqar, Mushtaq Ahmed and Intikhab Alam managed it twice while Mohammad Zahid, Shoaib Akhtar, Craig, Chris Pringle and Zulfiqar Ahmed did it once.
In New Zealand, no Kiwi bowler has taken a 10-fer in a match. Wasim Akram did it twice while Shoaib Akhtar, Mushtaq Ahmed and Intikhab Alam are others who managed it even for once.
Most Wickets in a Series:
Obviously no surprises there. Waqar took 29 wickets in 3 Tests in Pakistan in 1990/91 while Wasim took 25 in 3 Tests in New Zealand in 1993/94. Pervez Sajjad took 22 in 3 Tests in Pakistan in 1969/70.
The most by a Kiwi in a Series, 18 wickets in 3 Tests by Richard Hadlee in New Zealand in 1978/79, stands at 11th spot in the list. That goes to show the dominance of Pakistani bowlers in bilateral series history.
On Kiwi soil, Wasim took 25 in 3 Tests in 1993, Mohammad Asif took 19 in 3 in 2009/10 while Asif Iqbal in 1964/65, Intikhab Alam in 1972/73, Waqar Younis in 1993/94 and Hadlee in 1978/79 took 18 wickets in 3 Tests each.