Pakistan, New Zealand Aim to Seal Series

Abu Dhabi: After drawn Test and T20 series, Pakistan and New Zealand will aim to end their UAE tour on a high as they look to clinch the five-ODI series in Abu Dhabi on Friday.

With the series tied 2-2 after Wednesday's close encounter that saw New Zealand edge Pakistan by seven runs, the fifth ODI presents a chance for both the sides to return home with a trophy after the preceding Test and T20I series were shared 1-1.

In the fourth game, Kane Williamson anchored his team's innings with a solid century that led them to a strong total while his paceman, though expensive, roughed up the opposition batsmen on several occasions.

Even as the Kiwi bowlers kept hurting Pakistan with regular strikes, they kept coming back and were never out of the chase thanks to Younus Khan's century and a late blitz from captain Shahid Afridi.

Sohail Tanvir has taken just one wicket in his previous three games after replacing the injured Umar Gul. Pakistan might drop him for Wahab Riaz. Or they might include Riaz in place of inexperienced Anwar Ali and go with tested bowlers for the decider.

Daniel Vettori left the UAE on the eve of the final ODI for his brother's wedding, which opens up a spot for Nathan McCullum.

Teams from:

Pakistan: Ahmed Shehzad, Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Hafeez, Younis Khan, Haris Sohail, Umar Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Shahid Afridi (Capt.), Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Irfan, Anwar Ali, Wahab Riaz, Asad Shafiq, Zulfiqar Babar, Yasir Shah

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Dean Brownlie, Kane Williamson (Capt.), Ross Taylor, Corey Anderson, James Neesham, Luke Ronchi (wk), Daniel Vettori, Mitchell McClenaghan, Matt Henry, Adam Milne, Nathan McCullum, Tom Latham, Anton Devcich

Pitch and conditions
Abu Dhabi tends to be a slow but flat track and batting first has been a marked advantage. Sunny conditions with temperatures reaching 24 degrees

Stats & trivia

• Younus at 37 is now the oldest Pakistani to score an ODI century. He scored 103 in the fourth ODI as Pakistan fell short of target by seven runs.
• Shahid Afridi has a strike-rate of 165.51 with the bat and an economy rate of 4.22 with the ball in this series - the best among both teams
• Williamson is the youngest New Zealand captain to record an ODI ton. He scored 123 off 105 deliveries with the help of 12 boundaries.

Match facts
Friday, December 19, 2014
Start time 1500 local (1100 GMT, 0400pm Pak)