LAHORE: In a thrilling showdown at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, New Zealand secured a nail-biting victory over Pakistan by a slender margin of four runs, seizing a commanding 2-0 lead in the five-match Twenty20 series.
Choosing to bat first, New Zealand set a challenging target of 178/7. The Kiwi openers, Tim Robinson and Tom Blundell, started well with a partnership of 56 runs before Blundell was out for 28 runs off 15 balls. Robinson then reached his first T20I fifty, but Pakistan’s bowlers, led by Abbas Afridi’s excellent 3/20, slowed down the scoring. Despite Captain Michael Bracewell’s 27 off 20 balls, New Zealand couldn’t pile up too many runs.
Pakistan’s chase didn’t begin well, with opener Saim Ayub managing only 20 runs off 15 balls, and skipper Babar Azam getting out early after scoring just 5 runs. Though newcomer Usman Khan contributed 16 runs, it was Fakhar Zaman’s 61 runs off 45 balls that kept Pakistan in the game. Despite efforts from Iftikhar Ahmed (23 off 20) and Imad Wasim (22 not out off 11), Pakistan fell short, finishing on 170/8, giving New Zealand a close win by eight runs.
With the series now firmly in New Zealand’s grasp, both teams gear up for the next encounter with renewed determination.
Pakistan vs. New Zealand squad:
Pakistan:
– Babar Azam (c)
– Saim Ayub
– Fakhar Zaman
– Usman Khan (wk)
– Haseebullah
– Iftikhar Ahmed
– Shadab Khan
– Shaheen Afridi
– Mohammad Amir
– Abbas Afridi
– Abrar Ahmed
New Zealand:
– Michael Bracewell (c)
– Tim Seifert (wk)
– Tim Robinson
– Dean Foxcroft
– Mark Chapman
– James Neesham
– William O’Rourke
– Ish Sodhi
– Ben Sears
– Ben Lister
– Jacob Duffy