Hagley Oval, Christchurch pitch report and weather conditions
The NZ v PAK 2020 series will culminate in Christchurch this week. The New Zealand cricket team will aim to whitewash Pakistan in this ICC World Test Championship series by winning the Hagley Oval Test match.
New Zealand and Pakistan played an intense Test at Bay Oval last week. The Pakistan cricket team gave the hosts a run for their money.
The Kiwis took a decent first-innings lead. Fawad Alam led Pakistan's fight-back in the fourth innings to ensure the match went down to the wire.
Neil Wagner received appreciation from the cricket world for his dedication to the game during the match. The left-arm fast bowler took injections to bowl 11 straight overs with broken toes in the Boxing Day Test. Unfortunately, Wagner will not play in Christchurch. The Kiwis have included Matt Henry in their squad as Wagner's replacement.
Even Babar Azam will end the tour without playing a single match for the Pakistan cricket team as he has failed to recover from his injury. But even without their talisman in the previous Test, Pakistan showed that they have the potential to deny New Zealand a victory.
With Christchurch set to host the first Test match of 2021, here's a look at Hagley Oval's pitch report and weather conditions.
Hagley Oval Christchurch pitch report
Hagley Oval hosted its first Test in 2014. So far, the venue has played host to seven Test matches. The New Zealand cricket team has lost only one Test match in Christchurch. Australia beat them by seven wickets in 2016.
The Black Caps had defeated the Indian cricket team in the previous Test at Hagley Oval. The pitch assisted the fast bowlers in that game. Kyle Jamieson, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Trent Boult, and Tim Southee were the most successful bowlers in that Test.
Neither New Zealand nor India could manage even 250 runs in a single innings. The batsmen need to have a patient approach to succeed in Christchurch.
Hagley Oval Christchurch weather conditions
The skies will be mostly cloudy on the five days of the second NZ v PAK Test match. The temperature will stay around 21 degrees Celsius, while there is a 20% chance of rain on Day 5.