Dein erstes Forum » 2010)MELBOURNE VICTORY SEASONS2005-06 - Sevent

Match factsNovember 17-21, 2016 Start time 1030 local (2130 GMT previous day)Big PictureFor once, Pakistan arent attracting pre-series headlines. There has been no turmoil on this trip. No stirred-up talk of an embattled captaincy or selection chaos. Mohammad Amirs re-entry into international cricket is old news. The only distraction has been Monday mornings 7.5-magnitude earthquake, but even that has barely affected Christchurch, even if it did give the visitors a jolt in Nelson.If there has been an uncommon dearth of diversions, it is partly because the cricket is so tantalising. Pakistan, arguably the best all-conditions team on the planet, will embark on a long southern summer in which, with some luck, they will have a tilt at the top ranking. New Zealand, battered in India and South Africa, seek to re-impose themselves on the seam-friendly venues where a formidable home record had recently been composed.Having not lost a Test series since August 2014, Pakistan should enter the contest as favourites, only, such is the sway of home advantage in recent years, that New Zealand will not feel like underdogs on their soil.Tim Southee returns to the side with a fresh first-class five-for, after having sat out the India Tests with injury. Neil Wagner and James Neesham have also displayed good domestic bowling form. Todd Astle may not be in the league of Yasir Shah, but he does have a five-wicket haul at Hagley Oval in the past three weeks. None of this may matter when an experienced Pakistan middle order gets moving, but after a dispiriting stint in India, these are the mildly-pleasant tidbits of information New Zealand are repeating to themselves in the mirror.Although they had lost the Sharjah dead rubber to West Indies, there is a restrained confidence to the Pakistan side, perhaps stemming from memories of that 2-2 result in England, or even from their most-recent series in New Zealand, which they had won. Of the likely attack, Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz have both played in the country. Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq have all done likewise.New Zealands best hope may lie in harder, faster pitches, the likes of which helped England triumph over Pakistan in Edgbaston; the complication, being of course, that their own top order, which is low on form and carrying a newbie in opener Jeet Raval, must also withstand the bowling of Amir, Wahab and the like.Form guideNew Zealand: LLLLD (last five completed matches, most recent first)? Pakistan: LWWWLIn the spotlightThis year Ross Taylor has scored 456 Test runs at an average of 57, only 364 of those runs came against Zimbabwe, who had not previously played a Test in 20 months. Against other opposition, he has not scored a half-century since the 290 at Perth, over a year ago. Though his place in the side is secure for now - he was hardly the only New Zealand batsman struggling in India - Kane Williamson will hope his senior batsman will take the lead in yanking the top order out of its funk.On the other end of the form spectrum, Azhar Ali is coming off a sublime series against West Indies, in which he hit 302 not out, 79 and 91. Following a tough 2013, Azhar has averaged over 50 in each of the past two years, and has a 2016 average of 64.08, after 14 innings. He now has the opportunity to transition from being a good player to an outstanding one. Healthy returns in New Zealand will add heft to an improving record.Teams newsKane Williamson confirmed opener Raval will debut on Thursday, while Astle also looks set for his second Test. New Zealand have three spots for four fast bowlers, and, of those, Matt Henry looks likeliest to miss out. Allrounder James Neesham may also play ahead of Colin de Grandhomme.New Zealand (possible): 1. Jeet Raval, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 James Neesham, 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Todd Astle, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Neil Wagner, 11 Trent BoultPakistan are also faced with decisions on their attack. As the pitch appears seam friendly, Sohail Khan may feature alongside Amir, Wahab and Yasir. Babar Azam may make it into the side on the strength of his half-century on debut against West Indies, failing which Mohammad Rizwan could be in store for a debut.Pakistan(possible): 1 Sami Aslam, 2 Azhar Ali, 3 Asad Shafiq, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Babar Azam/Mohammad Rizwan, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Wahab Riaz, 9 Yasir Shah, 10 Mohammad Amir, 11 Sohail KhanPitch and conditionsThe Hagley Oval surface has generally been spicy on the first three mornings, before flattening out towards the end of the day, and the Test. Rain is forecast for Thursday and Friday, but it is expected to clear by the weekend.Stats and triviaBoth Misbah and Alastair Cook have 24 Test victories as captain, making them the most successful leaders still active in the game. Both men have the chance to edge ahead, with Englands match with India also starting on ThursdayThe Christchurch Test is Williamsons first as captain, at home. He has begun his leadership career with two victories, one draw and three lossesNew Zealand have not beaten Pakistan in a series since 1985. In 53 Tests between the teams, New Zealand have won just eight matches; Pakistan have won 24.QuotesHome advantage is a good thing, I think, but it provides opportunities for both sides, and a side like Pakistan who have toured well for a while now will know that. Theyll expect their seamers to do well.Kane WilliamsonWe need to make sure that we bat with discipline and put good scores on the board. Our bowling is very much capable of performing well in any sort of conditions.Misbah-ul-Haq Nike Shoes Wholesale Free Shipping . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. Nike Shoes Cheap Wholesale .1 million pounds ($61.2 million) on Saturday, giving the beleaguered English Premier League champions a major lift. http://www.shoesnikecheap.com/ . Two pressure cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the April 15 race in an area packed with fans cheering the passing runners. Three people were killed and more than 260 injured, including at least 16 who lost limbs. Authentic Wholesale Nike Shoes . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. Nike Shoes Cheap Sale .com) - Yankee Stadium is the home of the Bronx Bombers, but on Sunday afternoon it will open its gates to host the latest addition of the Hudson River Rivalry. MELBOURNE VICTORY HONOURS2 x A-League premierships (2006-07, 2008-09)2 x A-League championships (2006-07, 2008-09)1 x A-League pre-season cup (2008)2 x A-League coach of the year (2007, 2010)MELBOURNE VICTORY SEASONS2005-06 - Seventh. Led the league early in the campaign but fell away.2006-07 - Premiers and champions. Crowned with that 6-0 grand final win.2007-08 - Fifth. Couldnt recover after five straight draws to open the campaign.2008-09 - Premiers and champions. A second double cements greatness.2009-01 - Second. Grand final heartbreak with a penalty shoot-out loss.2010-11 - Fifth. An early A-League finals exit and Asian Champions League humiliation brought the end.WWELLINGTON PHOENIX SEASONS2013-14 - Ninth.dddddddddddd The Nix open with 10 winless games but improve in Merricks first campaign.2014-15- Fourth. Nathan Burns fires them back to the finals.2015-16- Ninth. Tough times off the field affect Wellingtons form.2016-17 - 10th (so far). After heavy off-field investment, two wins from eight games prompts Merricks departure.OVERALL RECORDS* 241 games coached (A-League record)* 100 games won (A-League record)* Winning percentage of 41 per cent - ranked sixth of 11 managers to coach at least 100 matches. ' ' '