Pakistan's three-day match with Wellington has proven well-timed for skipper Moin Khan.

He reported at the end of the second National Bank series Test match in Christchurch that he has been having a problem with his right knee and will be taking the chance to rest up so that he is able to take a full part in the third Test starting on Tuesday in Hamilton.

Moin didn't keep wickets during the last session of the second Test, handing the gloves over to Imran Farhat.

While the Pakistan team for the Wellington game has not been finalised, Moin indicated that Inzamam-ul-Haq would captain the side. He said Waqar Younis would be rested for the game.

Almost certain to be included in the side is leg spinner Mushtaq Ahmed who missed selection for the second Test, despite bowling well in the first Test. In hindsight, he could have helped Pakistan considerably on the last day.

Ijaz Ahmed, who had hardly played any cricket before being joining the tour as a replacement during the first Test and who opened the batting in the second Test is another almost certain to play.

Pace bowler Mohammad Akram should also be given a game which will mean the Wellington side, who won the Shell Trophy this year, should be given a stern contest.

They will be without Stephen Fleming, Roger Twose and Matthew Bell but will have James Franklin, Andrew Penn and Chris Nevin, all of whom have played for New Zealand at some stage during the year and who have a last chance to make an impression in the summer.

The side will be captained by Richard Jones which is an acknowledgement of the role he has played for the Wellington side this summer,

New to first-class cricket is Rhys Morgan but he has a solid background in age-group cricket for the province while also getting a taste of the level of play when on several occasions acting as a reserve fieldsman, especially for the Shell Cup side.

Of interest also will be the performance of left-arm medium-fast bowler Ian O'Brien who took 41 wickets during the first-class season and who must have every chance of adding to that total.

If he maintained a high strike rate during the match there is the prospect that he could end his debut season having taken more wickets than any other bowler in New Zealand cricket history.

The record, one of the oldest in the books, is 47 set in 1893-94 by Canterbury and New Zealand leg spinner W 'Pro' Robertson. At the moment, O'Brien shares fourth place with Auckland's W Lankham, who took his wickets in 1882/83.

Between them are second-placed Stuart Gillespie, who took 45 wickets in the summer of 1979/80 for Northern Districts and Peter Petherick, who took 42 wickets in the summer of 1975/76 for Otago.

The New Zealand record for most wickets in a season is held by Stephen Boock, who was playing for Canterbury at the time, when he took 66 wickets in 1977/78.

The teams for the game, which starts at 10.30am tomorrow, are:

Wellington: Richard Jones (captain), Selwyn Blackmore, Grant Donaldson, Rhys Morgan, Matthew Walker, James Franklin, Chris Nevin, Mark Jefferson, Andrew Penn, Iain O'Brien, Jeetan Patel, Mark Gillespie.

Pakistan (from): Inzamam-ul-Haq (captain), Imran Farhat, Ijaz Ahmed, Misbah-ul-Haq, Saleem Elahi, Yousuf Youhana, Faisal Iqbal, Younis Khan, Humuyan Farhat, Arshad Khan, Mushtaq Ahmed, Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Akram, Fazl-e-Akbar, Saqlain Mushtaq.

The umpires are: Evan Watkin, Dave Quested.

© CricInfo