Pakistan roll out spin trap for New Zealand Test series

The leaden-footed Australians found themselves bamboozled by Pakistan's wily spinners and their trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand can expect similar treatment from Misbah-ul-Haq and his men in a three-Test series starting in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar (14) and leggie Yasir Shah (12) shared 26 of the 40 Australian wickets between them to help Pakistan secure a comprehensive 2-0 win on the slow, turning wickets in the United Arab Emirates last week.

By retaining the same 16 who gave them their first Test series victory over Australia in 20 years, Pakistan have suggested they would employ the same tried-and-Tested formula against the Brendon McCullum-led Black Caps.

"No changes have been made to the side that won the second Test against Australia. This is to ensure there is consistency, which will bring more stability and strengthen team bonding and combination," chief selector Moin Khan said.

Slow nature of tracks negated much of the threat posed by pacemen

The slow nature of tracks in the UAE negated much of the threat posed by Australian pacemen, including Ashes hero Mitchell Johnson, while run-machine Younis Khan and his nimble-footed batting colleagues milked the touring spinners dry.

Australia's specialist slow bowler Nathan Lyon bled 422 runs for his three wickets in the series that saw Younus hit two centuries and a double ton while Misbah and top order batsman Azhar Ali hit hundreds in both innings of the Abu Dhabi Test.

Misbah also equalled West Indies great Viv Richards's fasTest Test century record by blasting his second hundred in 56 balls in the Abu Dhabi contest.

Ability to take wickets on un-responsive surfaces

New Zealand coach Mike Hesson knows what it would take to upstage a formidable Pakistan team eying a second successive whitewash to close their current 12-point gap on second-placed Australia in Test rankings.

"I'd like to see us develop in two areas on this tour," Hesson wrote on his blog on New Zealand Cricket website.

"The first is our ability to take wickets on un-responsive surfaces, and the second is that our batsmen all have a method to cope when the ball starts turning, to both defend and to score."

Leggie Ish Sodhi and off-spinner Mark Craig will have to be at the best of their craft against a Pakistani batting order who play spin extremely well.

"Australia struggled to take wickets and it's going to be hard. It's important that we stick to our plan," Craig, who has played only three Tests, said.