AUCKLAND: Pakistan and New Zealand will attempt to close the door on a year of controversy, discord and poor performance when they meet in a Twenty20 cricket international Sunday, launching a series of Test, One-Day and Twenty20 clashes through Christmas and the New Year. For Pakistan, the series offers an opportunity to restore a reputation stained by the match-fixing allegations which engulfed the team during its mid-year tour to England and which remain under investigation. For New Zealand, playing for the first time under new national coach John Wright, the opportunity exists to end a near-record losing streak and to find form in its last series before next year's World Cup on the subcontinent. The focus on the World Cup is reflected in the tour's ratio of six One-Day Internationals to two Tests. Pakistan has been emphatic since its arrival that the spot-fixing allegations that have led to the suspension and investigation of former Test captain Salman Butt and fast bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif are part of an unmourned past. “We're obviously all very concerned with what happened in the past,” manager Intikhab Alam said. “But we are here to look forward. Everybody has been briefed; everybody is very clear in their minds what is expected. “There's no doubt in my mind we cannot afford any more such unfortunate incidents.” Coach Waqar Younis has also been clear that the series offers a chance for Pakistan to forge a new reputation. “Plenty has happened in last eight to 10 months but we're all focused,” Younis said. “We don't want any of this rubbish which has happened in the past. “We have to make sure we play clean cricket. At the moment we are a very clean side and the boys are here to play good cricket.” New Zealand has it's own turmoil to surmount. A review of its recent series against Bangladesh and India, during which it extended its losing streak in one-day internationals to 11 matches, led to the appointment of former India coach John Wright to replace Mark Greatbatch. That followed a series of changes to the New Zealand team's management structure: demotions and elevations but a more general trend towards what Wright feels is a necessary simplicity and minimalism. The Twenty20 series starting at Eden Park on Boxing Day will also see the introduction of some new faces, most notably the 18-year-old fast bowler Adam Milne. The question of how young is too young to introduce a player to the pressures of international cricket has been debated worldwide and New Zealand has often been at the conservative end of the debate, rarely capping players in their teens. But Milne offers a commodity which is rare in New Zealand cricket – genuine pace – and his promotion has been accelerated under Wright. He is now likely to make his international debut during the current series. New Zealand has a tradition of producing reliable but unspectacular medium pacers. Milne is fast but wayward but his selection shows that Wright is prepared to take chances to gel the elements of a winning team. Wright was a dogged opening batsman for New Zealand over more than a decade, exuding dedication, and will try to get his players to focus on the fundamentals. “Sometimes you get the feeling a coach comes in, waves a wand and everything will be fine. It doesn't work like that,” he said. “(Former Australian coach) Bob Simpson taught me years and years ago. He said coaching is about helping your batters learn to score more runs, helping bowlers to try to understand how to take more wickets and fielders to become better at catching and saving runs.”
