Match factsNovember 25-29, 2016 Start time 1100 local (2200 GMT)Big PictureWhile tawny Asian pitches can still prompt outrage and consternation, tracks coloured a lurid, nausea-inducing green have quietly become a New Zealand trademark. The response from most touring sides has been perfectly even-handed. These are their home conditions, is the consensus. We just have to play on what we get.On the eve of the Test, Hamiltons track has as much grass as the pitch did in Christchurch, and as the air is warmer up north, the ball may swing more here, as well as seam. Word around the ground is that the toss may also prove significant; teams that have won it in the last four Tests have inserted the opposition. They have always wound up victorious.It is the batting that gave Pakistan most cause for concern in Christchurch and, as can often be the case with batsmen in unfamiliar conditions, they veered between extreme approaches - too loose in the first innings, too tight in the second. Now they are preaching the get runs, before the good ball gets you philosophy that has recently found credence on tough tracks. They will also want to take the game deep - it is legspinner Yasir Shah who has most consistently wrenched matches open for them, and it is the quality of his spin that marks the visitors clearest advantage over New Zealand.The hosts are without Trent Boult for the first time in over three years, but have the firepower of Matt Henry sliding in to replace him. With a win behind them, and a damp surface underfoot again, banished is talk of the dusty whitewash in India, even if the batsmen havent all reclaimed their form just yet.They remain wary of Pakistans propensity to work out foreign conditions, and hit back after losses, but will be happier with the forecast than the visitors. Rain is expected on the first day, and may continue, in patches, all through the weekend. Less sunshine, means less evaporation, means less turn off the pitch for Yasir.Form guide(last five completed matches, most recent first)? New Zealand: WLLLLPakistan: LLWWWIn the spotlightTim Macintosh, Jamie How, Peter Ingram, Martin Guptill, Hamish Rutherford, Michael Papps, Craig Cumming - just pick any Anglo-Saxon first name and there will have been a modest New Zealand opener that answered to it, over the last ten years. The latest man to take guard is Gujarat-born Jeet Raval. Stylish and composed in his debut outing, and emerging with the highest match aggregate on a difficult pitch, Raval knows Pakistan will have better plans for him in this Test. If he is effective again in Hamilton, he will raise hopes that he can break the great New Zealand openers curse. With long-term collaborator Misbah-ul-Haq now out of the picture, the middle-order batting/recovery responsibilities fall heavily on the shoulders of Younis Khan. There are mild whispers he is no longer his old self on sporting pitches, but surely this is premature; the man has scores of 218 and 127 and 51 in his last seven innings. Nevertheless, such is life in international sport when you reach a certain age. Pakistan will look to him for leadership in this match. After three consecutive single-figure scores, Younis will want a big score more than anyone.Teams newsIn addition to Henry, Mitchell Santner appears likely to play - displacing Todd Astle. The top order will likely remain unchanged after Ross Taylor was cleared to play.New Zealand (probable) 1. Jeet Raval, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson (capt.), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 Colin de Grandhomme, 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Neil Wagner, 11 Matt HenryOn a spicy surface, Pakistan have hinted they prefer Mohammad Rizwan over Sharjeel Khan. As a bonus, Rizwan can also fit into the middle order without causing changes elsewhere. Rahat Ali took 4 for 62 in the first innings at Christchurch, but looks likeliest to miss out if Wahab Riaz enters the fray.Pakistan (probable) 1 Sami Aslam, 2 Azhar Ali (capt.), 3 Babar Azam, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Mohammad Rizwan, 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Wahab Riaz, 9 Yasir Shah, 10 Mohammad Amir, 11 Sohail KhanPitch and conditionsGreen and damp on this occasion, Hamilton has seen bounce, turn, reverse swing and conventional swing, at different points over the past few years, so it is difficult to know what to expect. Unless rain washes out several sessions, a result appears likely, though.Stats and triviaUntil this match, Trent Boult had not missed a New Zealand Test since early 2012 - he had played in 44 on the trot.New Zealand have lost three of their last five Tests at Seddon Park - they beat West Indies and Sri Lanka, and lost to Australia, Pakistan and South AfricaMohammad Amirs 3 for 43 in the first innings at Hagley Oval was his best analysis since his return from suspension.Pakistan have not lost a series since August 2014, when they were defeated 0-2 in Sri Lanka?QuotesI think it will swing more in Hamilton than in Christchurch, with the humidity.New Zealand batsman Ross TaylorYounis has gone through a lot of times in his career like this - when he hasnt scored runs in the first match, but he always bounces back.Pakistan batsman Asad Shafiq Sidney Crosby Jersey . -- Matt Ryan needed one of the best games of his career to lead the Falcons and their depleted offence out of their three-game losing streak last week. Joe Mullen Jersey . The defending champion beat Gael Monfils of France 7-6 (6), 6-3, while second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain dispatched Edouard Roger-Vasselin, also of France, 6-3, 6-3. Making his first appearance since injuring his wrist a month ago, Del Potro had difficulty with his service games in the first set. http://www.authenticpenguinsshopnhl.com/paul-martin-jersey/ . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. Tom Barrasso Jersey . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Carter Rowney Jersey . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Only an amateur would fill out a Chase for the Sprint Cup championship bracket and not mark Kevin Harvick down for a win at Phoenix.Harvick has proven hes just about unbeatable in the desert, and when his playoff chances are on the line, hes delivered time and again. Harvick has won six of the last nine races at Phoenix, finished second in two of his losses and is guaranteed to show up this weekend with a car capable of demoralizing the field.Assuming it will take nothing short of a freak incident to keep Harvick out of victory lane, theres essentially only one spot in the finale up for grabs Sunday.Problem is, there are five drivers jockeying for that last spot.And only two points separate three of those drivers in the standings.To say there will be some brokenhearted teams on Sunday is an understatement. This years version of the Chase has been anticlimactic, sometimes even boring, but this bottleneck in the standings is something to behold.Reigning series champion Kyle Busch and Joey Logano are tied in the standings. Busch teammate Matt Kenseth is just one point back, and Denny Hamlin sits two points out.Only one of them is making it to the final four Nov. 20 at Homestead-Miami Speedway if Harvick wins, and the chances of Joe Gibbs Racing getting multiple cars into the championship took a hit on Sunday. The team dominated the regular season and had 50 percent of the drivers in this round of eight.Once a threat to get all four cars into the finale, JGR is only guaranteed to be represented by Carl Edwards, who used a fast pit stop to win a rain-shortened race Sunday night at Texas. It was the least optimal outcome for JGR in terms of getting multiple cars into the finale.Edwards, you see, was last in the playoff standings and that miracle win gave him an automatic berth. Although the rules show two spots still remaining and three JGR drivers hovering at the top of the standings, the threat of a Harvick wwin at Phoenix has burst JGRs hopes.ddddddddddddSo heres the situation:HARVICK FOR THE WIN: Hes an eight-time winner at Phoenix and has absolutely owned the place since the track was reconfigured in 2011. Hes also in a situation that Harvick handles quite well -- he pretty much has to win or wont make it to the finale for a third straight year.Harvick is known as a macho driver brimming with confidence, and he didnt seem concerned about his positioning headed into Phoenix. His warning? Hell just go to Phoenix and do what he always does there.JGR: The team had hoped to sweep the finale but cant because Jimmie Johnson earned one of the spots with a win at Martinsville. Best case scenario is that the team gets two more cars into the final, but that will certainly come with hard internal feelings.Busch, Kenseth and Hamlin will likely all be racing for themselves on Sunday and teamwork will be an afterthought.It wouldnt be a shock if JGR doesnt get even one more car into the finale because anything can happen on Sunday.LOGANO: He won at Talladega in the last round to stave off elimination, and he doesnt need to win at Phoenix to make it to Homestead. Hes essentially racing the Gibbs cars and trying to finish higher than the three Toyotas so he can snatch a spot on points.Itll be a tough battle, but Logano likes sticking it to the team that let him go three years ago.KURT BUSCH: Hes an afterthought right now after iffy performances in the last two races have him ranked last in the standings. He most certainly has to win at Phoenix to advance, and its a good track for Busch. He has four consecutive top-10 finishes at Phoenix and could pull off a miracle.Should he get the win, it will come at the expense of Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Harvick. Based on the standings, they both cant make the final four. Jerseys NFL Cheap Wholesale NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap NFL Jerseys China Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap ' ' '